NDIS

More than a year into the National Disability Insurance Scheme ( NDIS ) trial, this opening statement conveys the views of Mental Health Australia in relation to the implementation of the NDIS .

In this week’s update we discuss National Mental Health Week, the Australian Healthcare Summit, a Senate Inquiry into Income Inequality, the DiG Festival and an upcoming NDIS Conference.

This week read about the sector’s response to the Royal Perth Show’s Bethlem Sanatorium Display, the announcement of a new National Mental Health Commissioner, the upcoming ‘Integrating Mental Health into the NDIS Conference’ and more.

NDIS : How is mental health fairing?’ was a symposium at The Mental Health Servicies Conference held in August 2014. It featured presentations from: Eddie Bartnik, NDIA , Tina Smith, MHCC , Rod Astbury, WAAMH and Liz Ruck, Mental Health Australia, followed by a panel discussion chaired by Pam Rutledge, Richmond PRA . The video of the symposium below is accompanied by the attached PowerPoint presentation.

This week’s update comes to you from TheMHS Conference in Perth. Also read about the new SANE Forums, the AMA Parliamentary Dinner, Jobs Australia Conference, our submission to the Senate inquiry on income inequality and welcome new members Aftercare.

Perspectives Newsletter - August 2014. In late 2013 the ACT Mental Health Consumer Network was funded under the DisabilityCare Australia Sector Development Grants, through the ACT NDIS Taskforce, to develop an education module for peer workers about the NDIS . Their Community Education Co-Ordinator Petra Kallay explains the program.

Perspectives Newsletter - August 2014. Welfare is currently the subject of heated debate. Everyone, it seems, has an opinion on who should receive welfare, when, how much and why. In this article, Mental Health Australia’s CEO discusses the key issues surrounding welfare reform in Australia.

This document outlines some of the key issues for the mental health sector, including consumers and carers in the Interim Report of the Reference Group on Welfare Reform to the Minister for Social Services (The McClure Report) including: changes to eligibility for the Disability Support Pension, a proposal to reduce the number of payments, a measure to address the gap between the full rate of pensions and allowances, proposed changes to the Care Payment and Carer Allowance, a summary of the report’s sections on mental health and employment, proposals around early intervention and ‘high risk groups’ and a summary of what the report had to say about the role of the NDIS in increasing economic and social participation by people with disabilities and carers.

The MHCA has responded to the Australian Law Reform Commission’s Discussion Paper into its Inquiry into Equality, Capacity and Disability in Commonwealth Laws. The MHCA broadly supports the ALRC ’s proposals regarding supported decision-making, but is disappointed that more specific recommendations about mental health and insurance have not been made.

This document contains the minutes of the teleconference of the Mental Health Council of Australia’s NDIS Capacity Building Project – Project Advisory Group meeting. The Project Advisory Group is meeting on an on-going basis to provide expert advice to the MHCXA about the needs of the mental health sector in relation to the NDIS .