We know that Foundational Supports are important to members, and at this critical junction, when states and territories are considering these supports, we are engaging in extensive advocacy on this topic. In partnership with Dietitians Australia we released a set of eight key principles (Foundational Supports - Key principles) on 13 May to underpin the future development of Foundational Supports.
We have subsequently met with a range of representatives in South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia across Departments of Premier and Cabinet, Departments of Health, and Departments of Human Services to discuss these key principles, with further meetings planned in Victoria. We also met directly with the Hon Jinson Charls, Disability Minister for the Northern Territory and his advisor in June. Individually we met with the ACT Health Chief Allied Health Officer in May.
These meetings have been very productive, with a willingness to engage with us and consideration of these key principles. There has been general agreement that allied health is essential when developing a system of Foundational Supports and the need to consider how the workforce across mainstream and private sectors might be utilised.
We have also been in contact with stakeholders within the early childhood intervention sector to develop new partnerships, strengthen existing relationships and explore opportunities for alignment.
We were invited to represent Allied Health Professions Australia in a hearing for the NSW state inquiry on Foundational Supports on 19 June. CEO Lyn Brodie gave evidence around the inconsistency of access to speech pathologists in educational settings in NSW and highlighted the importance of the expertise that speech pathologists have in delivering the necessary supports for young children.
We understand there is a lot of uncertainty regarding what Foundational Supports might entail and at present, there has been no further information provided by the Federal Government.
The Grattan Institute (an independent think tank) released a report in June where they suggested that Foundational Supports could be funded by diverting funds from the current NDIS scheme expenditure. They have proposed that the current early intervention criteria be removed, with particular cohorts, including the majority of children aged 0-17 to be redirected to Foundational Supports, which would be jointly commissioned with state and territory governments.
It is important to note the opinions in reports produced by the Grattan Institute are those of the authors and are just suggestions or recommendations. Minister Butler has reportedly said the government will consider the report. However, at the time of publication of this article there has been no formal government response.
We will continue to work with all levels of government and different departments across the states and territories to influence the development of these critical supports for people with disability outside the NDIS.
Members can access further information about our current advocacy regarding NDIS and disability, including Foundational Supports on the Disability and NDIS page. Further NDIS information for members is available here.