Frauds are continuing against users of the $22 billion National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), which runs the NDIS, set up a specific fraud task force earlier in 2018, while it was reported in February that the NDIA was investigating over 500 allegations of fraud or “sharp practice”, up from 300 in July 2017. Recent complaints of fraud against NDIS users include sums in the order of tens of thousands of dollars being “siphoned” from support packages. From The Australian:
Criminals and dodgy operators have ramped up attacks on disabled people using the $22 billion National Disability Insurance Scheme with recent complaints involving ‘‘tens of thousands of dollars’’ being siphoned from participant support packages…
The Australian understands that as well as active fraud investigations, the NDIS has been inundated with mistaken claims from providers or what it refers to as “sharp practice”, which is dodgy but not illegal behaviour…
“Since the announcement of the NDIS Fraud Taskforce, the NDIA has seen an overall increase in calls and emails reporting allegations of fraud,” she said.
The enormous pot of money on offer under the NDIS was always going to spawn a whole range of middle-men and providers seeking to cash in, leading to significant waste, or worse fraud. We’ve seen this before with the rorting of the private Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector, rorting of childcare subsidies, and rorting of the Pink Batts Scheme.
The NDIS is also likely to see state governments attempt to cost shift their responsibilities onto the federal government, as we are currently witnessing with school bus services for disabled children.
History never repeats, but it sure does rhyme.
