Submission to the NDIS Review on the What we have heard report
31 July 2023
NDIS
MS Australia's submission to the NDIS Review draws on input from our Member Organisation and details issues faced by people with MS, recommending staff training, improved communication, better access to supports, streamlined processes, and consistent decision-making. The submission emphasises the need for better funding, support coordination, and understanding of MS-specific needs to enhance the quality of life and independence for individuals with MS.
MS Australia’s submission to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts advocates for the Transport Standards and guidelines to require regular disability awareness and inclusion training for all public transport staff; procedures for handling equipment disruptions; procedures for crowd management to assist people with disability when boarding and department public transport; and amending Part 15 to prohibit locking accessible toilets, ensuring they remain available for people with disability, including those living with MS.
MS Australia’s submission to the NDIS Evidence Advisory Committee advocates for evidence-based supports to improve outcomes for people with MS. Key recommendations include ensuring access to exercise physiology (2–4 sessions weekly) and smart home appliances to maintain independence and quality of life. It calls for training for NDIS planners, clear guidelines, and preventing arbitrary removal of supports. Emphasis is placed on long-term economic benefits, participant wellbeing, and flexibility in planning and decision-making.
MS Australia’s submission, informed by LEEP member experiences, recommends updating the Disability Discrimination Act to clearly define disability and discrimination, explicitly include conditions like MS, and introduce a positive duty requiring organisations to proactively prevent discrimination. It also calls for improved workplace adjustment processes and a national education campaign to raise disability awareness.
MS Australia’s submission to the Inquiry into Aged Care Service Delivery highlights the urgent need for equity in aged care for older people with disability, including MS. It calls for immediate release of 20,000 home care packages, alignment of aged care funding with NDIS levels, and inclusion of disability-specific supports in the Support at Home program.
MS Australia is writing to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) in support of the request to include ocrelizumab (Ocrevus®) via subcutaneous (SC) delivery on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for the treatment of people living with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).
