A Wheelie Good Chat
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A Wheelie Good Chat
23. Navigating NDIS Challenges and Triumphs
Curious about the intricacies of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in Australia? Join Sam and Joel as they explore the complexities of this vital scheme, providing a clear understanding of its purpose and structure. They’ll walk you through the core, capital, and capacity-building funding categories and share personal anecdotes to demystify the often negative media portrayal of the NDIS. Whether you're new to the NDIS or seeking a deeper understanding, this episode is packed with insights on how the scheme supports daily living, assistive technology, and therapies that foster independence.
Remember the pre-NDIS days? Sam and Joel take a nostalgic look back, comparing the old funding systems to today's NDIS framework. From the hands-on approach of Local Area Coordinators to the flexibility and self-management offered now, they discuss significant improvements and ongoing challenges. Expect a candid discussion about budgeting, hiring support staff, and the increasingly personalised support that the NDIS provides.
Facing frustrations with the NDIS? You're not alone. Sam and Joel express their concerns about potential budget cuts and the rigorous processes involved in obtaining NDIS plans. They address the misconceptions surrounding misuse of funds and underscore the importance of core supports. The episode wraps up with a heartfelt reflection on how the NDIS has positively impacted Sam's life and the broader community.
Thanks for listening. Follow the podcast on Instagram @a.wheelie.good.chat.podcast and Sam @sam.bamalama
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Hey everyone and welcome back to another episode of A Whe Good Chat where we divulge areas of my life, even on PG1s. So if you're a first time listener, thank you and welcome. So a bit of a backstory on myself and why I've started this podcast. I have a neuromuscular condition called dystonia and I've started this podcast with my friend Joel. To you know, break stigma, normalise disability and so forth, and I really hope you join for more future episodes. And welcome to my co-host, joel.
Joel:Thanks, Sam, great to be back, always a pleasure.
Sam:Yes, nice to see you.
Joel:How are you Sam? How you been.
Sam:How have I been? I've been going well, just plodding along after last episode, things that I'm, I guess, working through. But no, I'm going well, thank you, just trying to keep warm in this cooler weather.
Joel:Oh yeah, I don't think people realise it gets cold. In Australia we do get cold, it's not all hot.
Sam:No, that's it.
Joel:Anyway, today, Sam, we've got a bit of a sensitive topic to talk about, something that lots of people are hearing about in the news, lots of politicians are banging on about. We're going to talk about the NDIS.
Sam:Yeah, and we think it's kind of a good topic to roll into see as you know, I've got experience in this realm of things and I'm sure some people who are listening don't have any idea what the NDIS is. So it would be great for I'm sure, hopefully it would be great for them to get a bit of an insight into this realm of things.
Joel:Yeah, and I think, shed a bit of a positive light on it at the moment, because at the moment, all we're hearing about in the news is about how horrible the NDIS is and how much it costs taxpayers money and things like that. So it'd be nice to hear from a relevant voice and not just a politician who's trying to get the votes, and that's how I feel. I should say that's not a reflection of the podcast, but I certainly get very frustrated with how politicised the NDIS has become, and we've got to remember that there are human beings at the centre of all of this that are really affected by these choices as well. So I think really great to hear from you today.
Sam:Before we begin, we would like to acknowledge the traditional customs of country throughout Australia and their connection to land, sea and community.
Joel:We pay our respect to their elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all First Nations peoples today and in the future. Can we just open up with a bit of an overview around what your understanding of the NDIS is?
Joel:What is the NDIS?
Sam:Well, my understanding I don't know if this is right, so I probably should have Googled it before. Let's just roll with it. This is off the cuff. I guess you can say so NDIS is the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and it supports individuals, no matter what kind of disability they have, how significant it impacts their life or whatever it may be. The funds are there to give the individual a more independent life, and you know there's different categories that you can get. All this funding are there to give the individual a more independent life, and you know there's different categories that you can get all this funding, and it just depends on what fund or support you require.
Joel:Yeah, I think the NDIS is all about bridging the gap, you know, knowing that some people have some challenges in their life and some barriers, and about getting everyone up to a certain line where they can all be successful or have those opportunities to be successful as well. So we've got the National Disability Insurance Scheme, which is operated by the National Disability Insurance Agency. So when people hear those terms the NDIS and the NDIA one is the governing body that controls the system and one is the system itself, basically, and you have an NDIS package
Sam:yes, I do have a plan and I've had it for five years coming up to five years
Joel:and you just mentioned before there are different categories of funding.
Joel:Can you just quickly speak through those different categories?
Sam:yes, I can. I'll see how good I am at this
Joel:yeah, yeah, we're going to test you now
Sam:. Yeah, it's actually a pop quiz time guys.
Joel:Pop quiz, that's right.
Sam:So we've got core, which is for actually, do you know what? I'm going to look it up. So there are three areas. So we've got core budget, which is assistance with daily life, assistance with social and community participation. So getting me out and about.
Joel:That's kind of the bucket of funding that you pay your staff members with yes, exactly yeah right. So Core is kind of the main one where you pay staff members and that's sort of your daily living kind of thing exactly and the second one here is capital, which is for assistive technology.
Sam:So, for example, if I needed a rail in the house, so it's like equipment yeah, equipment yes, probably a straightforward way of saying it. And then the third one is capacity building, and this is where I pay my support coordination out of, as well as improved daily living. So this is is like my physio, my OT and my psychologist that we've spoken about in a previous episode.
Joel:So capacity building is about becoming more independent, basically, and I think the idea of the NDIS is that they invest into the capacity building so that over time they can reduce the core funding. You know, if you need lots and lots and lots of support, well, if we can increase your independence, then we might be able to decrease your support levels as well. So I think that's kind of the attitude around that capacity building. We fund some of these things so that in the future you become more independent and less reliant on these funding streams. Does that sound right to?
Sam:you yes, yeah, no, that sounds like a perfect explanation.
Joel:And there are different ways that people manage funds. We've briefly talked about it on a previous episode, so we've got from memory. I want to say plan managed, ndia managed and self-managed. And you're self-managed, so what does self-managed mean?
Sam:So self-managed is the're self-managed. So what does self-managed mean? So self-managed is the participant has control over their funds. So I get sent an invoice, I request the funds, and then it comes to me and then I pay whoever it is, and I just feel like a lot more independent being self-managed.
Joel:Yeah, and it works really well for me and it's very straightforward, I well, I think you get a lot more choice and control when you're self-managed and we spoke talking about psychiatrists and psychologists around. When you're self-managed, you can go find a practitioner that suits you. Pay out at ndis. If you're ndia managed or plan managed, then you've got to go from an approved list and stuff. So if if you're self-managed, so the world's your oyster, here's the money. Spend it as you need to Is that about right.
Sam:Yeah for sure. So a bit more freedom, if you will.
Joel:Yeah, did you receive funding before NDIS was released in Australia?
Sam:Yes, so I was under I'm pretty sure it was called like Disability Commission or the Commission. And yeah, I had a LAC, which is a local area coordinator. I had some beautiful local area coordinators so-so beautiful ones, but now I guess they're called support coordinators. I feel like they're very similar roles.
Joel:So before the NDIS all the funding in Australia was managed by the states. So every state had its own funding stream and if you move from one state to another it was actually really hard to then transfer funding over and I know that I've had friends that would go on holidays interstate and just found it really challenging because the funding was with the state basically. So when you're talking about the commission, you're talking about the government department. Disability services, the WA and the LAC role was a government role. For someone who's a government employee Now as a support coordinator, they're not government employed, they're independent people who are out in the community. So it's a very similar role but they sit sort of in a different world in a different space there. What was it like before NDIS in terms of your funding? Was it a similar world where they came in and did assessments and looked at your needs and sort of bridged the gap there, or was it kind of like everyone got the same bucket? How did it work before?
Sam:NDIS. Yeah well, talking from my experience, I'm not too sure about anyone else's, unfortunately, but for me, my. Lac will come out, probably once a year and just do the review if anything's changed. How are things going? Do we need more funds in this area, kind of thing. So if I needed any funds, I would have to contact her and she would, I guess, process the funds to me and then, in regards to like support, it would all be cash in hand for them. This is like social support. It was perfect for uni students.
Joel:Yeah, I guess anyone really, to be honest, and then was that reimbursed that fund, so you had to pay out of your own pocket.
Sam:Oh, no, no, no, no. So my loc would like process. I can't remember how often she would process me, so like it was like every month or so, so I could pay support, so you would just get like a lump sum sent into your bank account yeah, I'm pretty sure that was right okay and you didn't have to provide invoices from your support staff oh yeah, no, no, definitely.
Sam:There was a form that they would sign and they would say the date, how long they were, you know, supporting me for, and then like a time sheet.
Joel:Yeah, so they just had to submit time sheets then. Okay yeah and that was was monthly, so every month you got this sort of funding.
Sam:I mean don't quote me on like the duration there, but I do remember it was something like that.
Joel:Semi-frequent.
Sam:Yeah.
Joel:Semi-frequent and did you know how much funding you had? You know? Could you plan out your year of support or was it really just this kind of this sort of infrequent dropping in of funding?
Sam:Well, to be honest with you, it sounds so bad, I think, because I had an LAC who was really good at, I guess, keeping on top of that staff and, you know, if there was any kind of concerns she would like bring him up with me. So I feel like I never really I don't want to say I didn't take it seriously. Of course I took it seriously, yeah, but I wasn't as invested in understanding like where my funds are going, how much I've got for the year, kind of thing, because someone else was doing it for me.
Joel:You just had faith that there was going to be money there. You were going to get support.
Sam:Yes, exactly, and I think that's why, like NDIS, slash the self-manage is good for me, because I actually have to understand, I have to break it down, I have to know where my funds are going and like what I need for the year or whatever it is.
Joel:Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes, it's been a positive thing there because you're now in control of your funding. Did you ever have a conversation with an LAC about how, if you were spending too much, did you ever sort of get cut back a little bit and they say, oh, we're coming up to the end of the year, you've got to cut back on your supports for a month? No, do they ever overspend or misspend your money?
Sam:No, I don't ever remember that conversation, but I do remember more like oh, you've got this amount of money, you've got to spend it quickly. Oh, it's the other way. Yeah, yeah yeah. Do you want to like use it and go somewhere? Otherwise, if you don't use it, you kind of lose it. You can't just like roll it over. I do remember that.
Joel:Yeah, so classic budgeting stuff. Right, use it, otherwise you'll lose it, and that's such a government thing. To be honest as well, right, true, okay, so it sounds like the old system wasn't too bad for you. Sounds like the old system was was quite working. Anything that maybe you thought weren't very good about that system?
Sam:I guess just the fact that I had to contact the lac explain what I want the funds for and then process it through you're reliant on someone else doing their job well and it sounds like you had some really good staff members.
Joel:There's some good lacs. Yeah, could you hire? Because at the moment you just hire your own staff. You get to go. You did the tiktok thing. We did a bunch of episodes on recruitment, if anyone wants to go back and listen to those. Were you able to do a similar thing under the old funding system, or did you have to go through a provider?
Sam:Yes, so I definitely had a provider in different areas and there definitely was areas where I had a private support for yeah and that went well, and then they just came with me to the NDIS, right right.
Joel:Isn't that interesting? Because the ndis is all about increased choice and control, being flexible with your funding and things, and it sounds like the system you're under in western australia actually already was very inclusive and create a lot of choice and control opportunities for you yeah, and I don't know, like, like I said, I don't know what anyone else's experience was, but I think this might be very presumptuous of me, but the fact that my disability hasn't changed.
Sam:I'm very linear with my disability. I don't have any behaviour issues. Wow, yeah, well, wow, that's for a different topic.
Joel:No different behaviour issues than anyone else.
Sam:Your age, uh yeah you don't have a degenerative disease or condition.
Joel:So some people's disabilities get worse over time. And I think it's worth also saying, going back to this, is state-based funding. So even though western and western australia famously at the time had a very good system that supported people with disabilities, in other other states they're probably a very different experience as well, and I know that my line of work. I've come across many people that felt really stuck in their positions because the funding was not flexible and fluid. But it sounds like for you actually it was working really well. What really changed for you when the NDIS came in?
Sam:Yeah, I do remember getting really frustrated with the nds and going, oh, why do we have to have it? I was fine the way it was. It was just a lot and I think because I've always been self-managed and I felt like a lot of pressure to, you know, not wrought the system and that kind of thing took me a while to wrap my head around it. But now that I've kind of got it it's like all good kind of thing.
Joel:It's been five years now since you've had an NDIS plan. Are you thinking back now? Are you quite happy that we've gone over to the NDIS, or do you sort of miss the old system?
Sam:no, I think it's great, the ndis, the way that I've got it. In my experience, you know great much more independent great.
Joel:So what is it that has allowed you to be more independent? So you get to control your own funding, which is awesome, and you get to see it and plan out your, your year or your two years, however long your period is, your review period is. Is there anything in particular that has increased your independence under the ndis, besides the funding itself?
Sam:yeah, probably just being able to go to different providers who aren't under the ndis. I don't always have to check, you know, are they under the nds? Do they have the tick of approval? It's just where I want to go. It's just just, I guess, freedom, you know.
Joel:Yeah, and going back to talking about the psychologist that we spoke about in the mental health episode and how that's really worked for you. Okay, definitely All right. So lots and lots of positives about the NDIS. What about some frustrations with the NDIS? Because no one, I think, is going to stand up and say it's a perfect system. That's certainly not a hill I want to die on Absolutely not. Although there's been lots of positives, what are some of the things about the NDIS that you find frustrating?
Sam:Yeah, so I think the fact that they did say at one stage that they were going to reimburse mum for something that she had done to the house so some like renovations for something that she had done to the house. So some like renovations. Well, this house that mum built, built with mum's own hands. I guess mum designed it for me because you know it's very sand friendly, if you will.
Joel:Yeah, it's sand proof.
Sam:Yeah, exactly, and there were aspects in the house. Retrospectively, in an email, they said that we would be reimbursed for and I reckon it was like a good solid year maybe it will take a few months that he went on for it and in the end mum was just like, oh God, I can't remember how much, or it was a decent amount. But yet they were like no, we never said that. Where's the proof? You need this, you need that, Whereas previously the LAC would have been on top of that.
Joel:So there's a yeah, you've lost that little, almost that safety net there.
Sam:And then we moved into this house up 2021. So I guess I wasn't in my plan. I had my plan very long so, you know, didn't realize that I needed that in my plan.
Joel:So it's just kind of like figuring out what, what you actually need in the future as well so it really relies on people to be able to foresee their needs, to be able to get the package that they need as well. Yeah, and you've spoken in the past about how the NOS are not known for being fast and responsive and easy to work with, but I think any government system is going to be like that, isn't it? Try and get settling. Oh my god, what a headache. Are there any other frustrations that you have with the system?
Sam:yeah. So the other one that really jumps to my mind is just getting something, as I guess, important as a new wheelchair. So I would say that this process was going on for, I reckon, a good 18 months.
Joel:I want to say 18 months to get funding or 18 months to get a wheelchair.
Sam:To get a wheelchair.
Joel:Okay, right.
Sam:Yeah, which is mind-blowing, absolutely mind-blowing. So I'm speaking from the initial first meeting to discuss no, I want a wheelchair, this is what I want. This is what I don't want in a wheelchair until actually having the wheelchair at my house.
Joel:Yeah, 18 months. Now luckily you've already had a wheelchair, so you could still get around in that time. But imagine if your old wheelchair had broken. Are you just going to sit around in a bed for 18 months?
Sam:What was?
Joel:their plan.
Sam:That's exactly it, right, I know.
Joel:So was the issue NDIS or was the issue the provider who was providing the wheelchair, or was it a bit of both?
Sam:Pretty sure it was NDIS, but then again the small part was the OT, because she kept wanting to trial another chair, like let's have another appointment, how about this cushion kind of thing. So it was a very long and drawn-out process and, yeah, very frustrating to say the least.
Joel:Was this someone that had worked in the field before, or is this someone that maybe just jumped on the NDIS bandwagon?
Sam:Well, it's actually interesting that you actually say that, because when I initially had this meeting with this OT, she hadn't really dealt with wheelchairs before. I can't remember if she was like new to this job or new to OTing, yeah, so that kind of threw me. The next few appointments were with someone higher up in her organization who actually was very on top of wheelchairs and like knew what would work and that kind of thing. So I ended up, you know, having two staff members, which was so excessive, and then I obviously had to pay for the two of them.
Joel:Yeah.
Sam:And for travel as well, which don't get me started on travel.
Joel:Yeah, it's not new technology, it's a wheelchair, right, right. And we're talking about a manual wheelchair, not something that flies around or is a submarine or doesn't have nuclear energy. We're talking about wheels and a seat.
Sam:Yep, absolutely.
Joel:You know what I mean, and a couple couple other features like armrests and handles and stuff like that outrageous. Yeah, you know what I mean. It's not rocket science. We should be able to get the line pretty quick right. And this is one of the complaints that I think a lot of people have about the ndis. It's not about service users, not about people who have a plan, it's about companies around that and and in my experience you do come across a lot of like cowboys who have just joined the ndis industry because they go well, there's money on the table, let's pick that up. Yeah, let's go, yeah, kind of thing. So that's my concern really about ndis is sort of not the users themselves, but it's the, the staff members around it, the companies around that that are propped up and they're just there to make money. That's a Joel thing. Again, that's not a podcast thing, that's a Joel thing. That's just my feelings and experiences with it.
Joel:Yeah, no but I can definitely see where you're coming from.
Sam:Yeah, absolutely.
Joel:Yeah, you've seen a bit of that.
Sam:Yeah, I think it helps the fact that I'm not afraid at voicing my concerns. Yeah, afraid at voicing my concerns? Yeah, I would articulate myself in, like you know, a very professional way. But if there's someone who wasn't aware, or of that kind of stuff, or like there's the standards that that should be met, they would just get go for a ride, which is so sad. And I think I'm more wanting to voice myself knowing that there are, like vulnerable people who they deal with, yet they're not really, you know, taking it very seriously, if that makes any sense.
Joel:Yeah, you can self-advocate so you can stand up for your rights. But I wonder how many other people are taken advantage of because it is easy just to start a business, become registered and start providing support to people. And there's many, many businesses out there that have started business, become registered and start providing support to people. And there's many, many businesses out there that have started and they have no experience in NDIS or disability and probably not providing the best support. I should say we're going down a rabbit hole. It's not every company and I think there's some beautiful companies that have propped up in the last 10 years under the NDIS that are doing amazing, amazing, amazing work. But there is this kind of nefarious side of it as well where I think people think the NDIS is a real cash cow and they can make a lot of money out of the NDIS. But ultimately the plan that you have it's about supporting you. It's not about there's not a lot of profit margin in these plans, I think. Good way of saying it. Yeah, yeah.
Joel:Anyway, it's not the Joel show, it's the Sam show. Let's get back to you. I've worked for lots of providers. I've managed services and helped people manage their NDIS plans. I've got my own frustrations about the system, but let's not hear my voice, let's hear your voice. So we're hearing about lots of changes coming up to the NDIS and it is very politicised at the moment. Are you worried about any changes that are coming forward? What do you think about the way the NDIS is being handled at the moment?
Sam:I guess for me, very selfishly, if the changes affect me, all I think about is my independence. You know, that's the first thing that I kind of think of. Will that be impacted? Will I not be as independent without the funds that I've currently got? So I guess that's the first thing that comes to my mind. If there's changes and I'm sure changes wouldn't be increase the funds, they would always be bagging them to decrease it.
Joel:And I think that's some of the language that's being used around. We're spending too much money on the NDIS and some of those changes might be budget cuts and you mentioned a line before but that we're hearing a lot in the news around how people wrought the system and there's almost this rhetoric going on that everyone who has an NDIS plan is dodgy and is stealing money around that space. Have you heard much of that language? Have you heard people talking about that too much?
Sam:Yeah, a little bit, and it just scares me to think that people would be scamming if it's not their own funds. A client slash participant's funds. Obviously the funds is there for a reason. It takes like a lot of evidence to get an NDIS plan.
Joel:You don't trip into a plan. It's a lot of work.
Sam:Yes, yes, yes, yes, Absolutely. So that's what baffles me People who are saying that people are rorting the system.
Joel:Do you think that clients and service users are actually rorting the system?
Sam:I'm sure there's bad eggs. Yeah, I'm sure there's a couple of bad eggs.
Joel:Do you think this is as widespread a problem as we're sort of led to believe?
Sam:All I can say is I really, really hope not, because then that's affecting, you know, the ones who are using it for the good and actually it's changing their life, but if they are rorting the system, how that's what I want. There's evidence you have to show, and how do you live with yourself? That's what I want to know. If I'm at my thumb's wrong, I'm like, oh my god, and then I have to cancel it. I'm a fraud.
Joel:I couldn't see how they could yeah, yeah, it's not, as it's not as simple as just take the money and run, isn't it? Because you still have to provide invoices, you still have to provide evidence that you're using the money appropriately. I think it'd be easier for a service provider to rort the system. We were just talking before around how some people might be taken advantage of with their plans. I don't think the problem is really the plan holder themselves, that's. That's again a joel thought, but we're hearing a lot in the news around how people are rorting the system and how ngis is spending all this money and all and or it almost sounds like a sitting excuse just to do budget cuts.
Sam:Yeah, you know what I mean the bloody budget cuts.
Joel:So do you have any concerns about some of these potential budget cuts or the potential of the NDIS in its future? Is there anything that you're really worried about I know you just said before around maybe losing some of your independence.
Sam:Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's probably the one that kind of like comes to my mind once again. Yeah, because, like we spoke about before, there's like different categories for different supports and obviously I utilize, you know, all those supports for particular supports. But yeah, I think it definitely affects me in my future because obviously, you know, mom's not getting any younger and I don't want to rely on her forever. You know, I've got to kind of think of that sort of thing. So if the budget cuts happen, it would definitely affect me in more ways than I'd like to think about.
Joel:And mums should be allowed to just be mums and not have to be support workers at the same time.
Joel:Yeah definitely we're not talking about a child here. We're talking. You're a grown woman, you know you've got your own life and the ndis allows you to do that and not be reliant on on these other kind of aspects as well. Right, what would be the one thing that you would say please don't remove, please don't take this away from me. Is it your core supports about this? The staff you have? Do you really rely on your capacity or your capital funding?
Sam:Yeah, definitely the core, because that's how I get out and about, that's how I guess I'm not as isolated as I would be without them.
Joel:What would happen to your life if we saw a budget cut? Let's say that we cut your funding in half. What would happen to your life? What would that look like?
Sam:yeah, so I really have to think about how long I'm out, for weekend has different pay, so maybe I wouldn't be going out on weekends as often, or, you know, if at all so really you would just kind of hang out at home, yeah, and I think some people listening probably think that'd be great.
Joel:I'd love to spend my whole life just at home, right. But that might be fine for a choice, but when that's your only option it becomes a prison, absolutely Going back to the old ages of people with disabilities weren't seen. They were kind of hidden away in that space. So if we don't get this right, it could be devastating to people who are relying on this funding as well.
Sam:Definitely that's devastating to people who are relying on this funding as well.
Joel:yeah, definitely that's very well said actually yeah, I think we need to remember that the ndis is about investing into the community. It's not a cost, it's a benefit, and you are now in a position where you can contribute back to your community. You are not seeking mental health services as much as you might have without the supports as well you're. You're looking for work, you're in the job market as well and hopefully soon fingers crossed we'll land an awesome job with lots and lots and lots of pay. But I think the NDIS invests into communities and without the NDIS, actually it's going to cost more, because now we've got other areas that are more impacted in our healthcare services, our social care services, housing markets, all that kind of stuff as well.
Sam:That's exactly it. There's a bigger picture there, rather than just, you know, supporting me to get out and about.
Joel:And I think that conversation's missed. I think really all we're talking about in the current media and the political sphere is the dollar sign. So what message does that send you if all the conversations about NDIS are around how much money it costs?
Sam:How does that send you? If all the conversations about NDIS are around how much money it costs, how does that make you feel as an individual who relies on this funding? Yeah well, I think the true impact that NDIS has had on me or anyone, I feel like when they're talking about money-wise, that those people really haven't known someone or, you know, experienced it for themselves. So they're kind of living in their little bubble of just money talk rather than how significantly beneficial it's been to individuals' lives and wellbeing.
Joel:It sort of speaks to a disconnect, doesn't it? Is there a message about your value as a community member?
Sam:oh, absolutely, yes, yeah. So I think if it is cut, it kind of just does go back to the 1940s I don't know if it's that, that exact year but like that old school mentality of you know, lock us away. I think you've already said that job. We don't deserve to be partaking, you know, community events or be seen. Yeah, so you kind of just we're not part of the community almost, you know we're not.
Joel:It's almost dehumanizing. Have there been surveys that have been sent out or there are opportunities for you to provide feedback on the? Have you been involved in the conversation in any way?
Sam:yeah, I think they actually do send out feedback forms if I've contacted them or or if they've contacted me about a plan or whatever it may be. Yeah, they've always send out a lot of emails, yeah, you know, on a scale of one to ten. How was the communication kind of thing?
Joel:right, but it's more about you just had a plan. What was your experience? Not really about how we're talking about now, how they're looking at changing policies with the ndis. There's no sort of consultation and not to say. They're going to pick up the phone. Bill shorten's going to say, sam, what do you reckon? More, it sounds like they've haven't invited any conversation from the community at all. It sounds like there's not been forums, there's not been questionnaires or surveys that have been sent to you about the policy changes themselves.
Sam:No, definitely not. Do you feel like?
Joel:that's needed. Do you feel like you or the community should have a voice in that space?
Sam:Oh, definitely, absolutely. I think we're the ones who it's affecting, so we should be the ones who are on the forefront of their emailing list.
Joel:Yeah, and I'm sure they do some. Let's not throw a complete shade over the NDIS, because I think what you're saying the NDIS has been a really positive experience for you. So I'm sure they are doing some things. But there is a little bit of an element here where there's a lot of people talking about the NDIS that have nothing to do with it and just echoing your sentiment there around. They live in their bubble. They don't really get what it's like over here. So what's the message then? And maybe not to the, the leaders who are looking at the policy changes but what about the average joe? Everything they hear on the news is about how the nds costs the money and there's people rorting the system and it's bad and we need to cut these and we need to get it really tight and get a compliance. Is there something you would like to send out to some of the average citizens who maybe only have that experience?
Sam:For me, I guess just say lucky you don't have to experience and money is on the forefront of your mind, I guess. Lucky you for being closed off to this world. But also, on the other hand, it's kind of sad for you that you think it's all about money and you don't really see the bigger picture of how much it really does or has impacted people's lives.
Joel:Yeah, it's not just about the dollar sign, is it? It's about the quality of life that this system provides. It's something that we should preserve really.
Sam:Definitely, absolutely. It's people's lives and people's well-being. I don't know a different way that I can say it, but yeah, it's so essential.
Joel:Yeah, this system provides so much more than just money doesn't it.
Joel:And it's worth saying as well that the NDIS is for all Australians. It's not just for people that have a diagnosis right now. If any one of us are in a car accident tomorrow and we need to have a wheelchair for mobility for the rest of our lives, the NDIS will provide that funding as well. And I think sometimes people are throwing out these lines without realising that it could happen to them, it could happen to their family members, it could happen to their children, to their loved ones as well. No one knows what the future brings, and having a system like NDIS protects all of us or, however, you do have to be under the age of 65.
Joel:Yes, you do all on the aged care funding yeah you get different funding at that age?
Sam:yeah, yeah but it's still funny for you guys. I do want to just mention my mum's going away for 31 days going overseas. Awesome, being able to have the funds to provide the support for me. I'm sure it gives mom a bit of a reassurance that I'm gonna be okay I think that's a great point, because the endos doesn't just support you, it also supports the people around you, your family, your friends, your neighbors, your colleagues.
Joel:You know it's. We all benefit from this system as well. And I will say, sam, my life is enriched from meeting you. And if and if we had never and we met out in the community and we'll we'll talk about that another episode, I'm sure right, but going back, oh what? 12, 13 years now we met, yeah, and if you were stuck at home, then my life would not be as good as it is, you know. So I think that's a great point to end on, to say that NDIS supports the whole country, not just the individuals who get the money.
Sam:Yeah, that's exactly it, wow. So I really think that we've covered a lot in this episode today and I hope it was somewhat insightful if you haven't really been aware or know much about the NDIS. So we will end this episode here for today, but if you'd like to stay up to date on the latest, follow a really good chat podcast on instagram, where I post the latest and, as always, thanks to my co-host, joel thank you, sam, always a pleasure yes, and we won't be having any episodes for a few weeks as joel's going away.
Sam:That's why I stay on our instagrams, because I'll try and post a bit on there. That's all for this episode. Everyone stay safe.
