Architects behind Australia's ground breaking National Disability Insurance Scheme explain how it was designed and created through inclusive and collective leadership. 

Speakers discuss the context, evidence and major campaign 'Every Australian Counts' which helped spark the public and political imagination into making the scheme a reality.

Former Head of TLAP, Dr Sam Bennett who now works at the NDIS, offered insights to help put the information into an English context. 

"The fact that this outsider of a policy idea was able to fight it's way to the front of the national conversation demonstrates the power of individuals to improve public policy and society" Bruce Bonyhady AM 

Note: subtitles can be turned on manually in settings. Please contact us at info@tlap.org.uk for an accurate transcription if required.

Speakers

Eddie Bartnik

Eddie Bartnik is currently International Lead - International Initiative for Disability Leadership. Between 2014 - 2019, he was Strategic Adviser to the National Disability Insurance Agency in Australia providing national level expert advice on mental health/psychosocial disability, Local Area Coordination and community capacity building.

Prior to this, Eddie was Western Australia's first Mental Health Commissioner for the period 2010-14, Acting Director General of the Department for Communities in WA and had  a long career and various director positions with the WA Disability Services Commission.

Eddie has worked extensively and published across Australia and overseas in areas of human services reform, Local Area Coordination and individualised funding and personalised support. He is a Salzburg Global Fellow.

Bruce Bonyhady AM

Professor Bonyhady is a disability reformer, economist, one of the key architects of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and was the inaugural Chair of the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) from 2013 to 2016. 

John Walsh AM

John is one of Australia’s leading actuaries and worked on the early Productivity Commission report leading to the NDIS. He was an inaugural member of the NDIA Board from 2013 -2020 and was recently also Principal Member of the Independent Advisory Council until 30 June 2020.

Kirsten Deane OAM

Kirsten is Campaign Director, Every Australian Counts (EAC) and has been a powerful amplifier of the voices of hundreds of thousands of people through the campaign that fought for the introduction of the NDIS and won. EAC continues to engage with Australians with disability and their supporters and campaign for the NDIS to reach its full potential.

Dr Sam Bennett GM

General Manager for Policy, Advice and Research at National Disability Insurance Agency will provide some reflective commentary on the Australian experience and help contextualise this to England. Sam has been working at the NDIA in Australia since 2018 and previously had extensive experience in England including his role as Program Director at TLAP and also leading national reform on integrated personal commissioning.

Clenton Farquharson MBE

Clenton Farquharson, MBE, is Chair of the Think Local Act Personal partnership board.  Clenton is also a member of the NHS Assembly which was set up to oversee the NHS Ten Year Plan, he is the current chair of Quality Matters, a trustee of the Race Equality Foundation, ambassador for Disability Rights UK, director of Community Navigator Services CIC, and a Skills for Care Ambassador.

Caroline Speirs

Caroline is the Head of TLAP. She has over twenty years' experience of  local government social care departments working in policy, commissioning and leading on personalisation. She is a strong advocate of co-production and says, "co-production is not an optional extra.  Rather, it is fundamental to an approach that is based on mutual respect and sharing of power".