To Whom It May Concern,
 
	As a carer I feel strongly about being a voice for my disabled son.  Some of the things that concern me that have arisen from the draft NDIS are as follows:
 
1.       People with intellectual, and mental health issues are not mentioned in the draft.
2.       What is meant by 'severe or profound disability for life' (i.e. what are the parameters, who decides what is severe or profound etc as mentioned in the first point describing the reason for the scheme)
3.       'An entry assessment tool would be developed based on functional requirement rather than cause of impairment or medical diagnosis, replacing the multitude of existing assessment instruments' (please explain)
4.       'Setting up a savings plan with incentives for family members to save for short to medium-term financial needs of a family member' (please explain)
5.       '...individuals and families would be encouraged to make additional private provision for the future in areas such as housing...' (please explain)
6.       The lack of a glossary with the draft explaining terms such as 'demand-push', 'severe or profound disability', 'recovery rates' (people on DSP), medicare select
7.       What is meant by ' ...a 3 pillar policy...'
8.       'Insurance principles would underpin the new arrangements', (please explain)
9.       'Identify international best practice in leveraging greater investment in disability support..' (how, why, who and what will the investors be given as an incentive)
10.   'Identify opportunities to increase private sector involvement and investment in the funding of disability services and related infrastructure...' (again how, why, who and what will the investors be given as an incentive)
11.   'Carers would also be recognised and supported in their roles and opportunities to combine caring and work would be encouraged.' (Please explain)
12.   What sort of support would be provided possibly as an on-going commitment if/when the person with the disabilty enters the work force? (i.e. will it be conditional, full-time, and/or one on one support, withdrawn after a certain period, have a time limit, re-assessment period, monitored after it is withdrawn, who will finance it etc) 
13.   Appendix I point 21, "...under the model the government would re-direct existing benefits currently received by the parent/carer, namely Carer Payment, Carer Allowance and associated respite funding estimated at $68,500 per annum..."  Who has been getting this!  I don't know of anyone including myself,  Carer Payment is $106.70 fortnightly, Carer Supplement is between $600 and $1000, add this to Child disability Assistance Payment which only a few get and that totals to around $4,400 per annum.  The figure and understanding of $68,500 per annum received by Carer's like myself, concerns me.  It's not true.
14.    
My key concern is with the 're-assessment'.  
1.       Will this mean that the multitude of professionals and institutions that have come before have got it wrong?  
2.       Will the 're-assessment' be done on the individual on their good day or their bad day or a combination of both.  
3.       Will anyone contemplating even considering a 're-assessment' on the person  with special needs, take into consideration the considerable affect another 're-assessment' will and does have on them, their stress levels, current personal growth and most importantly self -esteem? 
4.  The financial contributions parents, carers and individuals will be 'encouraged' to contribute, please explain what haven't we been doing up until now, what more is expected of us and what if we can't match what we will be expected of us.
5.       Why is the 'Hope Village Model' part of this draft report when '... the model does not seek capital funding or additional benefits from the Government for the provision of the accommodation...', even though each unit would cost $170,000 and where 'Hope proposes that the parents of the adult with the disability could finance the purchase of the unit in the Trust using a special mortgage secured over their own property...' 'Hope would be the trustee of the Trust and would therefore be the legal owners of all assets held by the trust'