NDS wishes to advise that a recent communication issued by the NSW Public Service Association (PSA) is neither accurate nor supported by NDS.

The PSA claims that NDS is urging state and federal governments to slow down the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) because the non-government disability sector lacks the capacity and expertise to deliver critical services.

NDS has always and continues to support the transfer of state-run services to the non-government disability sector. We believe strongly in the capability and the commitment of the workforce that supports people with disability to achieve their goals.

Successive NSW governments have invested heavily in the non-government disability sector and have led the process of transferring services to NGOs for over a decade. During this period, non-government providers have amply demonstrated their ability to operate these expanded services and, in many instances, have introduced innovations into their service provision for the benefit of people with disability.

The disability sector employs highly-skilled staff who are passionate about supporting people with disability. Non-government disability organisations are community-run and harness enormous social capital from their local communities, which government could never hope to replicate.

NDS’s recently-published paper 'How to get the NDIS on track' affirms our strong support for the organisations and staff who are working hard to make the NDIS a reality. The paper makes recommendations about how to improve the NDIS’s implementation so that the road to the NDIS is smoother and the Scheme's great benefits can be realised.