More than 146,000 people across NSW are now benefiting from services and supports under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), three years on from its implementation.
Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services, Alister Henskens said NSW was the first State to sign up to the Scheme, leading the country in early trial sites and the full rollout.
“Since trials of the NDIS started in the Hunter in 2013, approximately $30 billion in reasonable and necessary supports has been committed for people with disability in NSW,” Mr Henskens said.
“The NDIS gives hope and greater independence through choice over the supports people with disability receive so they can live happy and healthy lives, with opportunities for social and economic participation,” he said.
Mr Henskens said that of the 146,000 participants in NSW accessing the NDIS, 80,000 people were receiving supports for the first time in their lives.
The Minister said more than 68,000 participants in NSW were children and young people and, of them, 22,000 were zero to six year olds who were not born when the NDIS trials commenced.
“There are currently more than 4,000 service providers operating in the disability sector, many of them achieving exponential growth as a result of the NDIS,” Mr Henskens said.
