The National Disability Insurance Scheme has reported a 13 per cent jump in the number of Australians it is supporting.
According to the organisation, it was supporting 183,965 Australians at the end of June, a 13 per cent increase on the previous quarter
Almost 55,000 of these participants, or almost 1-in-3, had not received any government support before the NDIS.
In the latest report developed for the Council of Australian Governments, 71 per cent of participants aged 25 and over indicated the NDIS has helped them with daily living activities, while 88 per cent of rated their experience with the NDIS as either ‘good’ or ‘very good’.
The report also found significant growth in the provider market. The NDIS now has almost 17,000 providers, a 17 per cent increase during the three months to 30 June.
According to CEO Robert De Luca, “The NDIS is now fully operational in New South Wales, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory with the first regions of Western Australia joining the NDIA administered Scheme on July 1 this year.
“This means hundreds of thousands of Australians are now benefitting from the NDIS and its life changing support, right across the country."
Mr De Luca said that while figures show NDIS participant satisfaction increased during the quarter - up from 84 to 88 per cent - further improvement work will continue.
“The results of the survey are very encouraging, however, there is still room for improvement and we continue to work on a number of initiatives to further enhance the experience,” he said.
According to the 2018-19 Budget, spending on the NDIS will rise from $7.8 billion in 2017-18 to almost $24 billion in 2021-22.