Service providers who rort the National Disability Insurance Scheme will soon face fines and criminal penalties could be on the horizon.
The new measures are a key part of the government’s plan to reduce waste and fraud within the NDIS, as it tries to control the soaring costs of the $35 billion scheme.
Nicole Lee knows what it’s like to be ripped off.
She relies on funds from her NDIS plan to pay for help around the home.
“I’m sick of being seen as a rolling dollar sign, I’m sick of being seen as somebody’s cash cow,” the People with Disability Australia president said.
“I’ve been overcharged for things like gardening – really, really overcharged.”
Soon it will illegal to charge Australians on the scheme more than other customers.
NDIS Minister Bill Shorten announced a crackdown Including a $6.7 million multi-agency taskforce to investigate price gouging.
“Not only is it immoral to rip off people with disabilities when you’re a service provider, from the middle of next week it’s going to become illegal,” Shorten said.
“It is shockingly widespread. If you tell a service provider you have an NDIS package, all of a sudden the price for everything goes up.”
There will also be a rule change to ban providers from charging NDIS participants higher prices for goods.
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Those who do could be fined, suspended, banned or face civil court proceedings.
The government will also push ahead with criminal penalties for providers who do the wrong thing, with Labor planning to introduce a bill to Parliament early next year.
At this stage, the new rules will only apply to goods, not services.
A recent investigation by the NDIS revealed the scale of some mark-ups, with private buyers charged $1300 less for a wheelchair than those on the scheme and a shower chair costing NDIS buyers nearly $1000 more.
Nationals leader David Littleproud backed the move.
“We do need to crack down and we need to have a sustainable NDIS,” he said.
Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley called what happens “disgraceful”.
“There is no room for scams, there is no room for rorts,” she said.
And for the 630,000 Australians on the NDIS – it’s also personal.
“To watch other people overcharge us and consistently do that without a care, without any conscience, this really hurts,” Lee said.
