On the 15th of May 2013, Prime Minister Julia Gillard introduced legislation to fund the National Disability Insurance Scheme. This was the result of years of research, advocacy and pleas from the community that the system supporting people with disability in this country was failing.

In this podcast, we’re deep diving into one of the greatest social reforms in Australia’s history - the NDIS. You’ll learn where the scheme came from and why it was so desperately needed. You’ll hear from the people who fought to change the system, those personally affected by the NDIS and from those it’s failing. A Nation Changed with Kurt Fearnley answers this question - is this once in a generation social reform living up to its principles?

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On the 15th of May 2013, Prime Minister Julia Gillard introduced legislation to fund the National Disability Insurance Scheme - the NDIS. This was the result of years of research, advocacy and pleas from the community that the system supporting people with disability was failing. In this episode, we look at the origins of the NDIS; where the idea came from, why it was so desperately needed and hear from those who helped make this once in a generation social reform possible. 

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Just a few days before the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was set to launch, Australian politics tumbled into chaos. Julia Gillard lost her job to a resurgent Kevin Rudd - with a federal election fast approaching. In this episode we look back on the events following the NDIS launch. How did this period in politics affect the scheme? Was Australia ready for such great social reform? And what pieces of the puzzle were missing before the NDIS went live?

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Today, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) supports more than 400,000 Australians with disabilities, many receiving this type of support for the very first time. In this episode, we hear different stories from people relying on the NDIS. You’ll learn what it takes to get on the scheme, where the process is working, where it isn’t and why one of the greatest social reforms in Australia’s history is leaving many behind. 

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More than seven years on, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has transformed disability support in Australia. The first of its kind around the world, the scheme no longer views disability support as a welfare system but as an insurance model. However, many believe this revolutionary social reform is failing to meet its potential. In this final episode we look at the changes still to come for the NDIS, the growing concerns from the disability community and a Royal Commission reveals just how deep the problems in the disability sector go. 

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Battlelines have been drawn between the disability community and government over the introduction of independent assessments to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Some describe them as essential to creating fairness and reigning in costs of the NDIS. But for others, they represent the end of choice and control within the scheme. Join Kurt Fearnley as he explores why the government wants to introduce independent assessments and what they may mean for participants.

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