Week 11: Social welfare: community & disability services

Question 1

who funds and delivers community services?

Answer 1

• gov funding

- often delivered by non-gov organisations (can be private)

Question 2

the delivery of community services shifts from what to what?

Answer 2

• shift from state (bureaucratic) governance to market governance (contracting and competitive tendering)

Question 3

what does the disability discrimination act 1992 provide?

Answer 3

protection for everyone in australia against discrimination based on disability

Question 4

what is the social model of disability

Answer 4

• “disability” is socially constructed

- disability is different to impairment

Question 5

what types of support do people living with disabilities need

Answer 5

• health care
• property maintenance
• communication
• meal prep
• mobility tasks

Question 6

in 2012, how many people with disability needed assistance with core activities?

Answer 6

60% (2.4 mil)

Question 7

disability services were traditionally ?? and then shifted to ??

Answer 7

• traditionally institutionalised and segmented & separate
• shift to de-institutionalised & care in the community

Question 8

how do australia compare on spending as a share of GDP on long term care compared with other OECD countries ?

Answer 8

• lower rate of spending

Question 9

in australia how many people with disability live in or near poverty

Answer 9

45% (double the OECD average of 22%)

• relative poverty risk (disabled vs non-disabled) of 2.7% (OECD average 1.6%)
• 600,000 australians w/ disability are living below poverty line

Question 10

problems with disability services prior to NDIS

Answer 10

• fragmented services
• no overarching coordination
• inequality between states (qld poor)
• large unmet needs
• issues in establishing criteria and eligibility

Question 11

how were disability services funded prior to NDIS

Answer 11

• federal gov
• state gov
• private (compensation, insurance for motor accidents, workplace injury (workcover)
• personal networks (family, self, friends)
• mixed economy of care/welfare

Question 12

how were disability services managed and delivered prior to NDIS

Answer 12

• state govs
• community agencies - personal care
• personally (spent on services - direct payments - individuals take risk)
• trusts (spent on services)

Question 13

what is the NDIS

Answer 13

• national disability insurance scheme 2013
• social policy reform
• bi-partisan support, COAG agreed for reform

Question 14

how does the NDIS provide uniform access based on need

Answer 14

increased overall financing (levy)

• social insurance model (not means tested, no impact on income support)
• consumer-centric
• flexible

Question 15

benefits of NDIS

Answer 15

• much more money (22b for 460k people)
• greater right to care
• reduces inequities
• parallel system for accidents

Question 16

critiques of NDIS

Answer 16

• people feel the same as they were before
• 10-20% feel worse (many indigenous)
• erosion of fairness and equity in disability support system
• experienced disability workers leaving
• staff fed up
• better outcomes for those who can advocate for themselves