A former Coalition minister lobbied then-Treasurer Josh Frydenberg to help create an insurance scheme which would cover seniors who suffered catastrophic injuries but were too old to access the NDIS.
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The Canberra Times can reveal former NDIS Minister Linda Reynolds wrote to Mr Frydenberg last October, encouraging him to work with states and territories to set up the National Injury Insurance Scheme which the Productivity Commission had recommended more than a decade ago.
Senator Reynolds didn't receive a response before the Morrison government was dumped from office and Mr Frydenberg lost his seat at the federal election in May.
Now an opposition backbencher, Senator Reynolds is breaking her post-election silence on the portfolio she once held to call on the Albanese government to pursue the reform through national cabinet.
"It is time to address this tragic and significant gap in no-fault insurance," she told The Canberra Times.
The injury insurance scheme would extend coverage to over-65s who are excluded from the NDIS because of the scheme's age barrier.
Senator Reynolds' push offers a different avenue of hope for disabled seniors and their advocates, who have so far been focused on campaigning for the age barrier to be scrapped.
The Canberra Times last weekend reported on a class action lawsuit being prepared against the Commonwealth, which is seeking compensation for people who have so far been excluded from the NDIS and a removal of the age cut-off.
The Productivity Commission recommended the accident insurance scheme be set up alongside the National Disability Insurance Scheme in its landmark review in 2011.
The scheme was to be funded through the state and territories and provide lifetime support for people who suffered catastrophic injuries from four types of accidents: motor vehicle, workplace, medical and general accidents.
The commission made the case that it would help reduce the cost of the NDIS, and could tap into expertise from existing compensation schemes and offer acute care and rehabilitation.
While the states and territories have implemented workplace and motor vehicle accident schemes, progress has stalled on the general accident component.
That means over 65s who suffer catastrophic injuries have to turn to the aged care system for support.
In a letter to Mr Frydenberg obtained by The Canberra Times, Senator Reynolds said the failure to introduce the general accident scheme was placing pressure on the aged care system and the overall sustainability of the NDIS.
"It is important to ensure all Australians have access to care if they have an accident no matter their age and ensure the states and territories meet their obligations to support the NIIS," she said in the letter.
"It [the scheme] will also contribute to scheme sustainability for the NDIS, and ensure states and territories are paying their fair share to support those that need it most."
Senator Reynolds wanted Mr Frydenberg's feedback about how to negotiate with the states and territories to establish the accident scheme as a "matter of priority".
Her letter revealed that her predecessor as NDIS Minister, Stuart Robert, had also written to Mr Frydenberg amid "public concern" about the absence of insurance coverage for over-65s struck down by a catastrophic injury.
Senator Reynolds has not waded into the politics of the NDIS since losing the portfolio after the election, choosing to remain silent even as the new minister Bill Shorten lashed the former government's handling of the scheme.
That will change on Wednesday when the WA senator uses a speech to the upper house to call for the long-awaited accident scheme.
"As the former minister for the NDIS, I was, and remain, deeply concerned that the Australian states and territories, after 10 years of deliberation, have not yet implemented the general category of the NIIS, which would provide no-liability, all-age insurance for those who suffer catastrophic accidents," she told The Canberra Times ahead of the speech.
Senator Reynolds is pushing the reform as a backbencher, not on behalf of the Coalition.
Senator Reynolds said she had written to Treasurer Jim Chalmers and NDIS Minister Bill Shorten to recommend the pair pursue the reform through national cabinet.
She has pitched three potential avenues for the federal government, which are based on the fact that it doesn't have the power to compel states to act.
Under one option, she has suggested the federal government renegotiate funding agreements so that the states and territories increase their share of funding to the NDIS to make up for their failure to establish the accident scheme.
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Dan Jervis-Bardy
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
