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Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Economic development opportunities for Indigenous Australians & the National Disability Insurance Scheme

Indigenous AffairsIndigenous Advisory Council
Thursday, 10 August 2017
Publication author(s):
Indigenous Advisory Council
Publication abstract:

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet engaged Inside Policy to facilitate and report on a workshop on economic development opportunities within the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for Indigenous Australians. This workshop was initiated and hosted by the Prime Minister’s Indigenous Advisory Council.

The workshop was held at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in Redfern on 10 August 2017 and was attended by over 30 representatives from Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, Indigenous peak bodies and service delivery organisations, Indigenous disability advocates, microfinance, government, disability provider peaks and the National Disability Insurance Agency.

Disclaimer

This document has been prepared by Inside Policy Pty Ltd on behalf of the the Prime Minister’s Indigenous Advisory Council and the Department of the Prime Minister & Cabinet (the Department) to report on the outcomes of a workshop held on 11 August 2017 to discuss the economic development opportunities for Indigenous Australians under the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

This report is confidential and has been prepared for the sole use of the Department. The contents of this report does not constitute Departmental policy.

Ownership of Intellectual Property

All title, ownership rights and intellectual property rights in and relating to this report or any copies thereof including but not limited to copyright, logos, names, trademarks, service marks, design, text, sound recordings, images, links, concepts and themes are owned by Inside Policy Pty Ltd or used under authorized licence by Inside Policy Pty Ltd. Any reproduction, transmission, publication, performance, broadcast, alteration, license, hyperlink, creation of derivative works or other use in whole or in part in any manner without the prior written consent of Inside Policy Pty Ltd is strictly prohibited.

Introduction

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet engaged Inside Policy to facilitate and report on a workshop on economic development opportunities within the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for Indigenous Australians. This workshop was initiated and hosted by the Prime Minister’s Indigenous Advisory Council.

The workshop was held at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in Redfern on 10 August 2017 and was attended by over 30 representatives from Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, Indigenous peak bodies and service delivery organisations, Indigenous disability advocates, microfinance, government, disability provider peaks and the National Disability Insurance Agency.

The overarching objective of the workshop was to build a “call to action” amongst representatives in the room to do their part in seizing the opportunities that exist within the NDIS for Indigenous Australians.

This report outlines the feedback to emerge from the workshop.

The overarching sentiment from the workshop can be summarised as “Nothing about us without us. Done with us not for us.” Workshop participants strongly conveyed the importance of the NDIS being rolled out with rather than for Indigenous communities.

The remainder of this report summarises the feedback provided on the following discussion items:

  • The current challenges within the NDIS.
  • The opportunities that exist.
  • On-country models for delivering the NDIS.
  • Participation and advocacy.
  • Financial viability.
Agenda


No.

Discussion Topic

Description

1.

Welcome

Welcome to Country and opening remarks by IAC Co-Chair Andrea Mason.

2.

Setting the scene

Presentations on:

  • The NDIS and its roll-out to remote Indigenous communities
  • Overview of the disability services sector
  • Overview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ and disability

3.

Strategies for economic development

Strategies to secure maximum opportunities for economic development, eg training, workforce and job creation, entrepreneurial and business development, particularly in remote areas.  Opportunities to leverage off existing government programmes and resources such as providing training and employment through CDP providers.

4.

Financial viability

Cash flow modelling to ensure viability.

5.

On-country models

Options for a culturally appropriate, place-based on-country models that allows for a different conception of disability.

6.

Strengthening supports to participate in the NDIS

Support, including advocacy, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to fully participate in the NDIS (including as providers) and access appropriate services, including in regional and remote areas.

7.

Close

Closing remarks by IAG Co-Chair Andrea Mason.

Workshop Outcomes: A mind map of the entire workshop discussion

Workshop Outcomes: Challenges in implementing the NDIS in remote Indigenous communities.

Challenges facing participants:

  • Limited opportunity to review plans (every six months).
  • Many service types in remote locations don’t fit within the current definitions of reasonable and necessary.
  • Lack of knowledge of NDIS and how it works.
  • Building family and community (collective love & support) into plans.
  • Lack of choice regarding therapeutic services.

Challenges facing providers:

  • Financial risk: 1 in 5 fail, 6 months of cash  reserves required, no guarantee on return.
  • Pricing & funding doesn’t make sense: no weighting on Aboriginality, no seed funding for orgs to get started.
  • Different business models are required: running a health service is not the same as running a business.

Challenges facing communities:

  • Lack of community control and building off existing base: feels like the NDIS is being done to us.
  • The adaptability of the NDIA to different communities & locations.
  • Time pressure to get the scheme rolled-out.
  • Lack of flexibility in how the scheme is rolled-out in different locations.

Challenges facing the NDIS:

  • The NDIA, with the Indigenous community, should examine how key principles of the scheme such as “flexibility”, “reasonable” and “necessary” are defined and applied with the aim of effectively supporting Indigenous participants.
  • Choice through the lens of a competitive market is not viable in remote locations as a multiplicity of services don’t exist.
  • How does research and development inform policy?

The group also raised a number of structural challenges facing the NDIS. In particular, how the various systems intersect (i.e. Medicare, income support and NDIS) must be examined to ensure Indigenous participants are able to access all of the support they require including the basic necessities of life (food, clothing, shelter).

 

Workshop Outcomes: Opportunities & strategies to maximise them in remote communities: A participant perspective.

 

Participants

Opportunities:

  • Access to services is increased regardless of geographical location
  • Interpreting and translating into languages – cultural brokerage
  • Community approach, not individual – build family and community into plans
  • Receive services from other Indigenous people
  • Access to previously unavailable tailored services
  • More services, greater range, everywhere
  • Having a say in what is reasonable and necessary

Strategies to maximise:

  • Resourcing existing supports (Community Development Program) + capacity building + holistic including geographically
  • Broaden range of services especially remote and rural
  • Allow basic needs to be included (“reasonable” and “necessary”)
  • Translation and interpreting services
  • Cultural brokerage
  • Define flexibility - In rural and remote - In culture
  • Acknowledge and work with collectivist communities
  • Community-Based Rehabilitation Model
Workshop Outcomes: Opportunities & strategies to maximise them in remote communities: A provider perspective.

 


 

Providers

Opportunities:

  • Business hub – resources and support for providers
  • Market approach – infrastructure absent, size, market failures
  • Local people achieving local opportunities
  • Alignment with existing health care providers - separation of services and governance, clarity of advice, separation of services (governance), avoid double dipping
  • Aboriginal Corporations – governance and coordination
  • Increased community leadership and self determination
  • Doing it for ourselves
  • Improved workforce capacity
  • Enhanced service options with existing health services

Strategies to maximise:

  • Business hubs
  • Pooling funds to purchase from NDIS and other providers
  • Build our own base
  • Education
  • Care planning tool
  • Service infrastructure aligns with existing providers
  • Look at existing ‘things’ – where is good work happening?
  • Support and flexibility
  • Capacity building – walking side by side
  • Managing financial risk
  • Mechanism for connecting with market
  • Localised flexibility – remote cultural lens on capacity
Workshop Outcomes: Opportunities & strategies to maximise them in remote communities: NDIA & system perspective.

 


 

NDIA & the System

Opportunities:

  • Employment of Indigenous people for NDIS functions
  • Could be increased to 10%
  • Agency, agency contractor, service providers, with NDIS $
  • Cadetships
  • Aboriginal reference group that has status
  • Support research and development
  • Indigenous workers - NDIA workers, Service workers, Sole/contracted providers

Strategies to maximise:

  • Procurement strategy
  • 'Indigenous Provider’ sticker
  • Info for providers and new workers to educate on opportunities
  • Capitalisation?
  • Invest in disability specific workers
  • Back end support
  • Develop framework for business
  • Doing the ‘homework’
  • Partnering for full case plan
  • Ensuring cash flow by effective use of model – eg invoicing guide
  • Collaboration between NDIA - AMS’s - Indigenous Disability Network
  • Building respect into the NDIS
  • Support research and development – Practice – Policy - Future development
  • Better access to evaluation – Federal funds
  • Provide market modeling, what has and hasn’t worked
Workshop Outcomes: Advocacy, financial viability & on-country models.

Advocacy & Participation

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ must have a voice in the roll out of the NDIS and the development of policy affecting people with a disability. At a minimum this should occur by way of:

  • An Indigenous steering group which directly advises the NDIA on the roll out of the NDIS.
  • An Indigenous group that directly advises on disability policy reform.

Financial Viability

  • Seed funding is required to assist Indigenous people start-up businesses to support Indigenous participants.
  • Pricing for service types must reflect the cost of doing business and providing services in remote and very remote locations including travel and relationship building.

On-Country Models

Key elements of on-country models include:

  • Segmenting locations by urban, remote and very remote.
  • Leveraging the existing Indigenous service system infrastructure including Aboriginal Medical Services, their workforces and systems.
  • Building the local Indigenous workforce to design and deliver services under the scheme.
  • Access to market intelligence about current and future demand in communities.
  • Working with local organisations to develop back end administrative support and physical workspaces for small businesses and sole traders.
  • Information and assistance to help participants pool funds for block purchasing.
  • In remote locations with sole providers choice will be a function of how a service is delivered rather than which agency delivers it.
  • Assist Indigenous practitioners and entrepreneurs to register as a provider.
Appendix A: Workshop participants


Organisation

Name

Position

IAC

Andrea Mason

 

Co-Chair

First Peoples Disability Network (FPDN)

 

Ms Gayle Rankine

Chair

First Peoples Disability Network (FPDN)

Mr Damian Griffis

CEO

First Peoples Disability Network (FPDN)

Mr Paul Calcott

 

National Operations Manager

First Peoples Disability Network (FPDN)

Mr Scott Avery

 

Policy and Research Director

National Disability Services (NDS)

Mr Ken Baker

Chief Executive

Indigenous Business Australia

Mr Wally Tallis

Acting CEO

National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA)

Ms Stephanie Gunn

Deputy Chief Executive Officer – Participants & Planning

Supply Nation

Ms Laura Berry

CEO

Miwatj Health Aboriginal Corporation

Ms Eddie Mulholland

CEO

The Arnhem Land Progress Aboriginal Corporation (ALPA)/Island & Cape (Qld)

Mr Liam Flanagan

General Manager, Community Services division

National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples

Ms Jackie Huggins

Co-Chair

National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples

Mr Gary Oliver

 



Organisation

Name

Position

New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC)

Mr James Christian

CEO

Indigenous Allied Health Australia

Mr Allan Groth

 

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker Association (NATSIHWA)

Mr Karl Briscoe 

CEO

Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM)

Mr Ben Gorrie

CATSINaM Board Member

Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH)

Mr Rob Curry

President

ServeGate

Mr Leigh Coleman

CEO

Many Rivers Micro Finance

Mr John Burn

CEO

VAEI (Victoria)  

 

Mr Lionel Bamblett

 

Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Protection Peak (QATSICPP)

Ms Natalie Lewis

CEO

Children First

Mr Dylan Reynolds

Executive Manager

Nous Group

Ms Gill Shaw

Director

Northcott

Mr Matt Old

Regional Manager

Synapse

Dr Clare Townsend

National Manager of Research and Development



Organisation

Name

Position

NPY Women’s Council

Ms Kim McRae

NPYWC Tjungu Team Manager & My Aged Care Team Leader

NPY Women’s Council

Lavenia Saville

Finance Manager

National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO)

Pat Turner, CEO

CEO

Department of Health

Kate Thomann

Assistant Secretary

Strategy & Evidence Branch

Indigenous Health Division

 

Department of Employment

Brad Knight

Director: Indigenous, CALD and Financial Modelling Section

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Kathleen O’Ryan

Senior Advisor, IAC Secretariat

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Peter Arnaudo

 

 AS, Health Branch

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Christian Hall

Senior Advisor, Health Branch

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Clare Sharp

AS, Business and Economic Policy

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

 

Rachel Kerrigan

Acting AS, CDP Branch

Department of Social Services

John Riley

AS, Market Oversight Branch

 

 

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