As rallies were held around Australia yesterday supporting a national disability insurance scheme, Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced a limited introduction of the scheme would begin next year.
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In a joint statement with the Minister for Disability Reform, Jenny Macklin, and the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers, Senator Jan McLucas, Ms Gillard said the scheme would begin in July next year in up to four still to be selected locations.
About 10,000 people with significant and permanent disabilities would then begin to receive support. By July 2014, that would increase to 20,000 people. This would mean the timing of the first stage of the scheme would be a year ahead of that proposed by the Productivity Commission.
''For the first time in Australia's history people with significant and permanent disability will receive lifetime care and support, regardless of how they acquired their disability,'' Ms Gillard said. The Australian government's share of the cost would be included in next Tuesday's budget.
A national disability transition agency, to be funded by the government, would run the delivery of care and support to disabled people, their families and carers in the selected locations. Those locations would be determined in consultation with the states and territories.
The Disability Advocacy Network Australia, meeting in Canberra yesterday and today held a rally in Northbourne Avenue yesterday to support the introduction of the scheme. It coincided with similar rallies held around Australia.
Deputy chair of the network Christina Ryan said the scheme would provide certainty for people with disabilities. It would provide them with service and the ability to get into the world, ''so people are able to live a life that everybody else would expect to live''.
At present, less than half of the people with disabilities with high-support needs had access to the support they needed.
''We are hoping the insurance scheme changes that and makes support something that isn't such a difficult thing to access in our society.''
There was also a need for people to have access to social activities which everybody else took for granted.
Secretary for People With Disability Australia Craig Wallace said the rate of unemployment by people with disabilities was incredibly high.
''Often that is because people cannot get the support that we need … to access services and equipment in the workplace. We are sick of being labelled as bludgers because that support isn't there.''
