Disability Royal Commission Public Hearing COVID-19 Report

The Australian Government welcomes the COVID-19 report of the Disability Royal Commission.
The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has seen significant challenges in the way all Australians live our lives, however, the Government recognises the unique factors that need to be considered when managing the health care needs of people with disability.
One of our most important tasks during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic has been protecting those with disability.
To that end, it is a profoundly important human outcome that we have been able to keep Australians with disability overwhelmingly safe with significantly lower positive case numbers and lives lost in the disability community, than in the broader Australian population, which itself has been one of the strongest outcomes in the world.
Through the course of the pandemic, Australia has had 108 cases of COVID diagnosed per 100,000 people for the general population. By comparison, 43.4 cases per 100,000 people have been diagnosed for NDIS participants which is less than half of the national rate.
Each life lost is an agonising tragedy. In this context we owe a debt of gratitude to our carers, health workers and support community for ensuring that our rate of 2.18 lives lost per 100,000 NDIS participants is over 40% below our national loss of life, 3.6% lives lost per 100,000 Australians.
Australia acted swiftly in responding to protecting both the overall population and in particular our most vulnerable Australians.
Based on our best advice, Australia was one the two earliest nations to have a special, dedicated COVID response plan for our disability community. From very early on we took action.
Minister for Health Greg Hunt said the Government acknowledged people living with disability often have specific health needs, which is particularly pertinent in the context of a global pandemic.
“This is why the Australian Government through February, March and April acted early on disability consultation and led the establishment of the Management and Operational Plan for COVID-19 for People with Disability (April), which provides a targeted response for people with disability, their families, carers and support workers,” Minister Hunt said.
“The development of this plan involved significant collaboration between governments at all levels, disability and health sectors, academics and people with disability.”
“New flexible approaches for service delivery such as telehealth, home medicines delivery and infection training has changed the landscape of the health care sector.”
“We also continue our work with jurisdictions to ensure flexible testing arrangements for people with disability and continued access to personal protective equipment (PPE).”
“Since the pandemic began, the Department of Health, through the National Medical Stockpile, dispatched over 690,000 masks, 30,000 gloves, 85,000 goggles and face shields to the NDIA and to individual NDIS participants. This is in addition to the 29 July announcement which allowed NDIS participants and providers to claim the cost of PPE from the NDIA, in designated hotspots,” Minister Hunt said.
Minister for Social Services, Anne Ruston, said the Commonwealth worked quickly and collaboratively with people with disability and their representative organisations, service providers, state and territory governments and health authorities in response to the COVID19 pandemic.
“The Government established the COVID-19 Disability Information Helpline, introduced measures to meet the immediate needs of National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants and provided additional disability employment support,” Minister Ruston said.
“This year we have committed about $46 million to disability advocacy and representative organisations, including funding specifically earmarked to support organisations provide the Government with information about emerging issues affecting the sector during the pandemic.”
Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme Stuart Robert said the Commonwealth’s response to the pandemic for NDIS participants was swift and ongoing.
“The Government commenced planning for issues of disability when COVID started striking in February. Disability ministers from around the country gathered on 18 March, and we’ve gathered four times throughout the pandemic to ensure the needs of people with disability are considered and responded to quickly,” Minister Robert said.
“The NDIA rapidly implemented a range of temporary measures to support NDIS participants, such as providing low-cost assistive technology, including smart devices, so participants could access telehealth services; the ability to claim for the cost of PPE; and greater plan flexibility.”
“The NDIA also made over 81,000 proactive outreach calls to vulnerable participants across Australia and paid more than $666 million in advance payments to more than 5,000 NDIS providers, ensuring much needed financial supports and continuity of services.”
“In Victoria and, more recently, in South Australia, the NDIA and the Government were able to be agile to ensure the health and wellbeing of NDIS participants by turning on these temporary measures. Should community outbreaks occur in the future, the Government has the appropriate governance and structures in place to respond flexibly as circumstances require, consistent with public health orders.”
“The Government continues to identify and strengthen our systems and processes and bolster support for at-risk NDIS participants and other vulnerable groups,” Minister Robert said.
The Australian Government will work across relevant portfolios and Ministers to respond to the Commission’s recommendations as a matter of priority.