Admissions about gaps in the quality of services under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) have surfaced during Senate Estimates hearings, including claims it is “not uncommon” for disabled people to die as a consequence of the services they receive.
One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson raised the issue at the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee on Oct. 10.
Senator Hanson put a series of questions and claims to officials, including that of 254,000 support coordination providers, only 16,363 were officially registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
The commission put the number of support coordination providers higher at between 270,000-300,000, serving around 670,000-700,000 Australians .
Overall that means about 7-8 percent of providers are registered, with the government saying it is considering how to improve registration.
Senator Hanson said total support coordination payments in 2024-25 had exceeded 1.65 billion, up from 1.51 billion at the start of the financial year.
“So over 90 percent of the support coordinators remain unregistered, delivering supports outside the Commission’s direct audit and worker screening framework. Would that be right?” she asked.
“Just to be clear, both registered and unregistered providers are required to comply with the code of conduct that the commission has, and that’s an important part of the regulatory regime in this context,” said Louise Glanville, NDIS quality and safeguards commissioner.
Senator Hanson noted that under the commission’s suitability requirements, there was no mandatory qualification level for a broad range of workers who might engage with the NDIS in Level 2 support roles, including mental health workers, psychologists, Aboriginal health workers, social workers, occupational therapists, or social health science professionals.
The requirement is that a person be deemed “fit and proper.”
Deputy Commissioner Catherine Myers said there were some occasions where qualifications were needed, but generally, support workers did not need formal qualifications.
Senator Hanson asked what work was being done to establish a framework for Level 2 and 3 coordinators, given that one of the suitability criteria for a Level 2 Support Coordinator was someone having previously worked as a disability support worker.
“Which, let’s face it, could be anyone,” she said.
Myers responded that training modules and information were available online for any workers to access, but there was no current requirement or policy mandating completion.
She added that the commission could review a worker’s training if a “reportable” complaint was made, such as one involving medication management.
Fatal Consequences of Poor Care
Senator Hanson remarked that NDIS providers would “want to be on their game” after the death of recipient Anne Marie Smith in 2020.A court found the 54-year-old had received insufficient care and suffered from septic shock and malnourishment.
Two directors from Integrity Care were charged with criminal neglect causing death, while Smith’s personal carer, Rosa Maria Maione, pleaded guilty to manslaughter by criminal neglect.
She was later sentenced to six years and seven months’ prison with a non-parole period of around five years.
“Senator, the commission is hugely committed to addressing the regulatory arrangements that relate to the deaths of participants in the scheme,” Commissioner Glanville said.
“As you indicate, very sadly, that’s not an uncommon thing to happen for a person with a disability to die as a consequence of the service that has been delivered to them.
“In this vein, it is really important that the regulatory regime that we have attends to the highest risks. And we see, of course, people who die as a consequence of services they’re provided to be the highest risk. ”
While workers in the industry must pass basic screening checks, they do not currently need to be registered.
It was heard that any decision to move towards mandating registration would need to come through legislation introduced by the government.
