Prime Minister Tony Abbott stated that the NDIS launch sites are now trial sites following Friday’s meeting of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG).
The change in terminology has led many to question whether there may be a change to the timetable of the full roll out of the NDIS.
The previous Labor Government used the term 'launch' to underline its commitment to the full implementation of the NDIS.
As yet there is no evidence that the Federal Coalition is retreating from a commitment to full implementation. In fact, the COAG communique stated: “All jurisdictions reaffirmed their strong commitment to implementing the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) across Australia.”
The purpose of the launch sites is to test the design of the scheme, identify flaws and make adjustments where necessary. The communique reaffirmed this purpose and emphasised that: “Important lessons are being learnt from the NDIS trial sites in the Hunter in NSW, the Barwon area in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, and they will inform full-scheme design.”
“COAG agreed to ask disability Ministers to report in March 2014 on progress with trials, including options to improve the implementation of the scheme and ensure the scheme operates on insurance principles to deliver positive outcomes for people with disability in a fiscally sustainable way.”