Summer Foundation Podcasts

On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George is joined by Rebecca Falkingham, CEO of the National Disability Insurance Agency. In this exclusive interview, they talk through the changes to the NDIS Act that come into effect today and explain what these changes mean for participants. Check it out!

On the NEW episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George meets Dr Sam Bennett from the Grattan Institute to discuss his new report on reforming NDIS housing and support: https://grattan.edu.au/report/better-safer-more-sustainable-how-to-reform-ndis-housing-and-support/ He is also joined by Nicole Cox from MyPlace, an organisation that has been supporting people with disabilities to establish and maintain individualised home and living solutions for almost 30 years. How can we help more people with disabilities escape from group homes and live more inclusive lives in the community? Let’s find out!

On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George meets Sam Paior from The Growing Space and Chris Coombes from DSC. They discuss the Government's attempt to redefine what the NDIS will pay for. They examine the draft lists of NDIS supports and consider what should and should not be included. They also discuss some of the unintended consequences of narrowing the definition of an NDIS support.

On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George meets with Disability Discrimination Commissioner Rosemary Kayess. They chat about her fight for disability rights on the world stage and what she thinks about changes to the NDIS back home. They also cover the disability Royal Commission and the Disability Discrimination Act. Rosemary calls for minimum accessibility standards for all new housing, an end to segregation, and a human rights-based approach across all government policy.

On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George meets with disability rights advocate El Gibbs and disability law expert Mitchell Skipsey to discuss the NDIS Bill, the recent amendments and what is needed to ensure that the NDIS Bill meets the needs of NDIS participants. The guests highlight the importance of constraints on the NDIA's information gathering powers and the need for strengthening avenues for appeals. They also highlight the importance of considering the whole person in determining support packages. They explain what happens next and express hope that the Senate committee will recommend further amendments to address the concerns of the disability community.

On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George meets with Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John to understand his position on the changes to the NDIS legislation that are currently before Parliament. The Senator expresses concerns and why he believes these changes will negatively impact participants. He explains his thinking behind this position and why the changes may result in less choice and control for NDIS participants.

On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George meets with disability law experts Mitchell Skipsey, and Dr Darren O'Donovan to understand the changes to the NDIS Act. They explore the reasons for the changes, and how these changes may impact on NDIS participants. The conversation highlights the importance of involving people with disabilities in the decision-making process and ensuring that the changes lead to positive outcomes for participants. The experts emphasise the need for stronger protections to ensure participant choice and control are upheld. They suggest some amendments to the Act and encourage listeners to engage in the Senate inquiry and make submissions to express their views and concerns.

On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George meets with the NDIS Provider and Worker Registration Taskforce to understand the role of the taskforce and learn if changes to registration requirements will impact on our rights to choice and control in the NDIS. To learn more check out the website below: https://www.dss.gov.au/disability-and-carers-standards-and-quality-assurance/ndis-provider-and-worker-registration-taskforce

In Part 2 of our deep dive into the NDIS Review we explore assessments, navigators and psychosocial supports and talk about what happens next. What happens when you bring together Australia's leading disability advocates and academics to dive deep into the recommendations by the NDIS Review? To find out check out this episode of Reasonable & Necessary for an in-depth, no holds barred examination of the most controversial NDIS Review recommendations.

What happens when you bring together Australia's leading disability advocates and academics to dive deep into the recommendations by the NDIS Review? To find out check out this episode of Reasonable & Necessary for an in depth, no holds barred examination of the most controversial NDIS Review recommendations. In this 1st part, the panel examines mandatory provider registration and the recommendation that participants who need 24/7 support should be funded to share with 2 other NDIS participants. What does this all mean for participant choice and control? Let’s find out…

On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George brings together Australia's leading disability advocates to unpack the NDIS Review. Dr George, along with El Gibbs, Nick Avery, Jarrod Sandell-Hay and Sam Paior will guide you through all the big changes that are proposed, and what they might mean for you.

On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George speaks with disability rights lawyer Natalie Wade, about NDIS appeals, the NDIS Review and her nationally televised speech on the ABC.

On this episode of Reasonable and Necessary, Professor Bruce Bonyhady and Lisa Paul give their final interview and reveal major changes that will be recommended in the NDIS Review final report. This is a must see episode for anyone interested in the NDIS.

On this episode of Reasonable and Necessary, Dr George speaks to Alastair McEwin, Former Commissioner, Disability Royal Commission about what the findings and recommendations of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of people with disability will mean for the disability community.

On this episode of Reasonable and Necessary, Dr George speaks with international expert on self-directed disability supports and citizenship, Dr Simon Duffy and NDIS participant and researcher Dr Mark Brown about their new report “Redesigning the NDIS”. The report highlights the need for a sustainable NDIS, built through codesign with reliable personal budgets and peer support at the centre. It was written to stimulate discussion and debate in the disability community about NDIS 2.0, 3.0 and beyond.

On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George speaks with Mitchell Skipsey from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and NDIS participant and activist, Felice Vaiani, about NDIS appeals and what to do when your NDIS plan doesn't meet your needs. This episode is full of lots of great advice, and important things to consider when appealing NDIS decisions. You can also check out a new resource series created by the Housing Hub and PIAC teams on Challenging NDIS Decisions. These resources cover a range of interesting topics including how to request a review of an NDIS decision that you don’t agree with, how to apply to the AAT for an external review, how to find out the reasons behind an NDIS decision, how to request access to documents from the NDIS and how to ask for more time to apply to the AAT. You can access the resources here: https://www.housinghub.org.au/resources/article/challenging-ndis-decisions This episode was recorded on 25 July 2023 and is part of the Reasonable and Necessary p

On this episode of Reasonable and Necessary, Dr George speaks with Donna Purcell and Jeannie Hodges from the NDIA & CEO of Hazzah & NDIS participant Ben Paior-Smith to find out how you can use your NDIS funding to find and maintain employment. We also look at what employers can do to get more disabled people into work.

On this episode of Reasonable and Necessary, Dr George speaks with Professor Bruce Bonyhady AM and Ms Lisa Paul AO PSM about early findings from the NDIS Review and what the NDIS might look like in the future.

On this episode of Reasonable and Necessary, Dr George speaks with Minister Bill Shorten about the 2023 NDIS budget to understand what the budget will mean for people with disabilities and our families. Is there a cap on the NDIS, will our funding packages be cut and will it be harder to get onto the NDIS? You will get the answers to these questions and more.

On this episode of Reasonable and Necessary, Dr George speaks with NDIA General Manager Sam Bennett and NDIS guru Sam Paior about how to manage your NDIS funds efficiently, creatively and innovatively so you can get the best outcomes out of your plan. While we focus on self management, you don't need to self manage to benefit from this episode. It will be relevant to you if you are plan managed and even if you are agency managed and want to have more control over your supports. To learn more about self management you can visit: https://www.ndis.gov.au/self-management https://www.selfmanagerhub.org.au