[dbaust] ndis
- From: "Trudy Ryall" <trudy.ryall@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <m1stevens@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <hjlawson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Meredith Prain" <Meredith.Prain@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Meredith Bartlett" <mbartlett@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <Carla.Anderson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <dbaust@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <sarujac@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2012 14:14:40 +1000
I encourage you all to provide feedback to NDIS website.
The Baillieu Government has offered an extra $42 million to fund a Victorian
trial of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
The NSW government has also hinted that it will compromise on the NDIS, with
Premier Barry O'Farrell's press officer Brad Burden tweeting that "NSW Govt
offers to meet PM halfway - puts forward an additional $35m" for an NDIS trial
in the Hunter region.
Ted Baillieu told a press conference this afternoon the issue was too important
to be a political football and he had written to the Prime Minister to put its
offer forward.
He denied it was a political backdown, saying the state government had needed
to take some time to assess an offer from the Commonwealth put to it at a
meeting of the Council of Australian Government this week.
''We have been strong supporters of a National Disability Insurance Scheme. We
believe a NDIS is the right thing to do and it will be tranformational and it
will be a matter of equity,'' he said.
Ms Gillard is scheduled to hold a press conference at 4.50pm today.
The Victorian Government says it will commit $17 million over three years to
increase its contribution for each person with a disability covered by the
trial, which is proposed for the Barwon region, in and around Geelong.
Victoria also says it will also provided a one-off payment of $25 million to
set up a Geelong-based National Disability Tranistion Agency. The two pools of
money together meet the funding demands of the Commonwealth for a Victorian
trial.
If the offer is accepted by the Commonwealth, as expected, the trial would
begin in the middle of next year.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Julia Gillard had accused the state
government of going back on its promise to fund a national disability insurance
scheme after talks between it and the commonwealth ended in stalemate last
night.
Speaking at one of the proposed launch sites for the scheme in Geelong, the
Prime Minister urged Premier Ted Baillieu, along with NSW Premier Barry
O'Farrell, to come back to the table and "put their hands in their pockets"
"Why should Premier Baillieu say to the people here that they're not worth any
new investment from him?'' she said.
"This is fundamentally a question of values. "
The proposed Barwon regional trial would help provide care for 5000 people with
a disability. But Mr Baillieu would not commit to a $40 million contribution at
the Council of Australian Governments meeting this week.
"The unfortunate truth here is that Premier Baillieu and Premier O'Farrell are
not being sincere,'' Ms Gillard said.
"They've got to come to the table and say what they're prepared to put in for
the care of people in this community and the community in the Hunter Valley."
Victoria and NSW, which made a joint trial bid, we're part of a group of
Liberal states that refused to commit extra funds during meetings with the
Commonwealth this week.
South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT have put up money to host the trials.
The Prime Minister accused the Premiers of Victoria and NSW of going back on
their word.
"This is against a backdrop where they sat on a table in April at COAG and said
this is shared between the federal government and the states,'' she said.
Read more:
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/baillieu-backs-down-on-ndis-20120727-22yv5.html#ixzz21ysHN6zQ
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