National Disability Insurance
Scheme (NDIS)
2015 Budget
The National Disability Insurance Scheme
NDIS full scheme technology
(NDIS) will overhaul the way people with
disability, their carers and families are
supported. It is an unprecedented change to
disability funding. For the first time, eligible
people with disability will be given lifelong
support and take control.
Before the Government can roll out the NDIS,
the correct information and communications
technology platform needs to be in place.
What was announced in
the 2015 Budget?
The interim solution is not easily scalable to
support the NDIS at full scheme and does not
provide the full range of capabilities needed to
support people with disability, their families and
carers.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
is a new way of providing support for eligible
people with permanent and significant disability,
their families and carers.
The NDIS is currently being trialled across
Australia and the Commonwealth and states are
working to finalise details of the roll out of the
NDIS to fully cover participating states and
territories by 2019-20.
The 2015-16 Budget includes measures to
effectively support the delivery of the NDIS as it
rolls out across the country and a measure for
early transition beyond the trial in
New South Wales.
That’s why a new information and
communications technology (ICT) system will
support delivery of the NDIS when it replaces the
current interim solution, which was never intended
to service the Scheme long term.
The new system will support about 460,000
participants when the NDIS is fully rolled out as
well as service providers. It will provide enhanced
data to the Australian Government and state and
territory governments and streamline NDIS
processes for people with disability.
The new system is estimated to cost
$143 million over four years, with the Department
of Human Services managing its implementation
and integration.
1
Scheme roll-out
Key facts
A carefully designed and staged roll out is critical
to the national success of the NDIS.

The new ICT system is estimated to cost
$143 million over four years.
The Australian and NSW Governments have
signed an agreement to deliver disability supports
for up to 2,000 young people up to 18 years of
age in the Blue Mountains and Penrith from
July 2015.

The Department of Human Services will
manage its implementation and
integration.

Young people with disability in the Penrith
and Blue Mountains area of NSW can
begin preparing for the NDIS from
July 2015.

The SDF facilitates development of the
disability support sector in preparation for
the new way of delivering disability
services in the context of the NDIS.
This agreement underscores the Australian
Government’s commitment to introduce the NDIS
in a carefully planned way across Australia, while
also providing further opportunity to test features
of the NDIS in advance of the ramp up from
July 2016.
The Government has earmarked $20 million in
2015-16 so young people with disability in the
Penrith and Blue Mountains area, and their
families, can access information, referrals and
capacity building through the National Disability
Insurance Agency from July 2015, and
individualised packages of support from
September 2015.
Transfer of the Sector
Development Fund
More information
For more information about this measure and
other Department of Social Services’ Budget
measures, visit the Department of Social Services
website (www.dss.gov.au).
For information about the 2015 Budget, visit the
Australian Government budget website
(www.budget.gov.au).
Responsibility for the Sector Development Fund
(SDF) will transfer from the National Disability
Insurance Agency (NDIA) to the Department of
Social Services.
This transfer will allow the NDIA to focus on its
key responsibility of implementing the roll-out of
support packages for people with a disability
eligible for the NDIS.
This measure also includes some refinements to
the transition arrangements for Commonwealth
programmes in NDIS trials and the My Way trial in
Western Australia, at an overall cost of
$3.8 million.
2