Hi Supporter, 

A big thank you to everyone who came along last Friday to our Zoom forum with the NDIA. We are sorry we could not squeeze more people in – it was a packed house (virtually of course)! But as promised, we have the video up on our website now so you can catch up on all the latest.

So what’s happening with … questions and answers from our forum with the NDIA

Last Friday we had our online forum and chat with Scott McNaughton and Sarah Johnson from the NDIA. We received so many fantastic questions from everyone before the forum we could not possibly get through them all. But we did manage to cover some really important territory – like what has happened to the extra plan flexibility that was supposed to happen on July 1, buying PPE with your NDIS funds, and planning meetings over Zoom. And just why, oh why, can’t we speak directly to people at the NDIA who can fix our issues?

A big thank you to everyone who came along and asked such great questions. We are so sorry we could not get through them all – but like we promised we are bundling them up and sending them through to the NDIA. And we will try and hold another one as soon as we can.

In the meantime you can read a short summary of what happened and check out the whole video and transcript on our website.

Coronavirus changes in Melbourne

The Every Australian Counts HQ is in Melbourne. And just like all our Melbourne friends we are now half way through yet another lockdown.

To try to limit the spread of the virus, the Victorian government have made wearing masks compulsory in metropolitan Melbourne (and the Mitchell Shire). But there are exemptions. You don’t have to wear a mask if:

• you are a child under 12 years old
• you have a disability or medical condition where you cannot wear a mask
• you have a mental health condition which means you cannot wear a mask
• if you are communicating with a person who is Deaf or hard of hearing where they need to see your mouth to communicate

But we also know there has been lots of information released – and not all of it has been clear or simple. And with things changing so fast it can be hard to stay on top of everything.

So we have popped everything about the new rules in one place on our website. And we have included some other helpful info and resources from all around the web. Even if you are not in Melbourne you may find it handy.

And if you don’t already - please follow us on Facebook and/or Twitter. That’s where we pop news as it's breaking.

Inquiry into NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission

And finally, this week is your last chance to have your say about the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.

The Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS is holding a super quick inquiry into the Commission. They want to know about things like:

• How well does the Commission respond to complaints?
• How well does the Commission investigate things?
• Are the Code of Conduct or the Practice Standards working?
• Is there is enough helpful info for NDIS participants?
• Does the Commission have enough power?
• Does the Commission have enough resources?

But the inquiry closes at the end of this week. If you have had an experience with the Commission – or just have an idea about how to make things better – now is the time to speak up. Please drop us a line and tell us your experience or idea and we will pass it onto the Committee for you.

That’s it for now.

We just want to finish by saying – for many in our community this is a scary and worrying time. Please look after yourselves and others – and try to stay safe. And reach out for help if you need it.

Kirsten and the Every Australian Counts team