Thousands of mentally ill Victorians have been left high and dry by the National Disability Insurance Scheme, according to the state government which says it has had to provide $70 million in stopgap funding.
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Victorian Mental Health Minister Martin Foley said up to 2600 people in the state have a mental illness and are either not eligible for the NDIS or yet to shift to the national scheme, and the Victorian money would help keep services for them running.
Those numbers are estimated to grow to up to 5000, the minister's office said on Thursday.
The NDIS is meant to change how treatment is paid for, with individuals each getting an individual funding plan, which is worked out with the National Disability Insurance Agency.
But Mr Foley said 4400 Victorians with "psycho-social disability" had been approved for funding plans under the national scheme, but only 1800 had been activated.
People with "psycho-social" disabilities often have non-acute mental illnesses but are "disconnected" from the community and need services like counselling or life skills training to prevent a relapse or worsening of their condition.
Mr Foley said $50 million of the state funding would go to community mental health organisations to continue their operations and keep hundreds of specialist staff employed to support clients while they wait for their NDIS plan.
There will also be $20 million in grants to help community health services adapt to the post-NDIS environment.
"We’re stepping in so people with a mental illness don’t fall through the cracks left by the federal Liberal government’s mishandling of the NDIS rollout," the minister told The Age.
Both the National Disability Insurance Agency and federal Social Services Minister Paul Fletcher were approached for comment.
Mr Foley was also on the election campaign trail on Thursday with Premier Daniel Andrews, promising a package worth more than $50 million to improve the lives of Victoria’s carers if Labor is successful at November’s state election.
Mr Andrews said the money would be spent over four years to help fund an extra 100,000 hours of respite care each year, and broaden the eligibility to include carers of people with a mental illness.
Labor is also promising half-price public transport for the state’s 736,000 carers, with the Premier saying the 50 per cent travel concession would help with cost-of-living pressures and make it easier to stay connected with their communities.
Labor’s carers policy package, announced on Thursday morning, also includes $4 million for carers in regional Victoria, young carers and the LGBTQ community.
Young people with caring responsibilities have also been promised more help at school with a new system in Victorian government schools to identify carers among their students and help them to stay in full-time education.
"Carers have told us what they need and only Labor will deliver it, with more respite care hours, more support services and help to ease the cost of living with half price public transport," Mr Foley said.
