Premier and State Treasurer Mark McGowan MLA released the Mid-year Review 2021-22 which provides an update of the State’s finances since the State Budget 2021-22 was delivered in October.

Although there is no additional State funding allocated to the NDIS in this year’s WA Mid-Year Review, it is encouraging that the State Government has committed to update costs as part of the 2022-23 budget. This acknowledges that NDIS participant numbers and intake growth rates are likely to be higher than existing current budget settings.

NDS also welcomes the State Government’s investment of $3.1 million in the Disability Transition Care Pilot, an initiative to free up existing hospital beds and provide a hospital-to-home transition service for patients awaiting NDIS services.

The State Government has also signed the extension and expansion of the JobTrainer Fund (JTF) National Partnership Agreement (NPA) which will provide support for existing worker trainees in priority sectors, which includes the disability care sector. The broader initiative also provides support for existing worker trainees in other priority sectors, including aged care, childcare, and digital skills. This initiative is expected to deliver lower fees for a further 30 courses under the Government’s Lower Fees, Local Skills program.

Of interest to the disability sector is the State Government's new wages policy and agreements negotiated under the new policy. The policy will apply prospectively as existing industrial agreements expire, with agreements that expired or will expire between the 2021-22 Budget and this Mid-year Review eligible for the new policy, including the Disability Services Social Trainers Agreement.

The new policy allows for either a 2.5 per cent annual wage increase with a $1,000 sign-on bonus, or a 2.5 per cent annual increase with a further 0.25 per cent per annum for reform measures to be negotiated.

NDS highlights that this could add to sector wages costs as well as further increase competition for workers. However, the new wages policy includes a component for workforce reform that allows negotiation on agency-level initiatives such as reducing restrictive work practices or other reforms that support workforce priorities, addressing another key union issue. These wage settings will form part of a broader bargaining framework that will require a two-year minimum term for industrial agreements and support bargaining on issues that are important to unions and their members.

NDS members should also note the release of the Federal Government’s Mid-year Review 2021-22, which included:

• An additional $2.7 billion in 2021-22 and $26.4 billion over the four years to 2024-25 for NDIS
• $10.6 million over two years from 2021-22 to implement compliance arrangements associated with disability worker vaccinations
• $30.0 million over two years from 2021-22 to the NDIA and the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (the Commission) to develop and test new compliance capabilities, targeting fraudulent and unethical provider behaviours
• $71.4 million over three years from 2021-22 for advocacy, support and counselling services to people with disability in connection with their participation in the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability
• Payments to support state community services from the Disability Care Australia Fund to WA of $113.1 million (estimated) out of a total Australian allocation of $1.066.7 billion