18 MARCH 2016: North Queenslanders living with disability will have access to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) from November 1. The NDIS will enable participants in Mackay, the Whitsundays, and Isaac region to get lifelong individual support packages, with the right to select the support and services that are right for them. It’s one of the largest social policy reforms in Australia’s history.Now that the Queensland Labor Government has finally agreed to the dates and details for rolling out the full NDIS across the state, we can get on with the job, and empower people with disability. Those living in the regional areas of Mackay, Whitsunday and Isaac will be able to request access to the NDIS from November 1, through the Mackay Disability Service Centre. More than 91,000 Queenslanders living with disability will now have certainty that the NDIS will be completely rolled out across the state by 2019.People who currently receive disability services will be contacted before the area transitions. Those who do not currently receive services will be able to apply in November. This is a significant change for people with disability and the disability services sector, and that’s why we are introducing the scheme in stages to ensure that it is carefully managed. The NDIS is already operating in Townsville, Charters Towers and Palm Island, under an early transition that began on 1 January this year. The staggered introduction will continue from 1 July 2016, with further regions added to the scheme gradually over three years.The State timeline is:

• Remaining children/young people in Townsville and Charters Towers from 1 July 2016
• Remaining Townsville population from 1 October 2016
• Mackay, Whitsunday, Isaac from 1 November 2016
• Toowoomba from 1 January 2017
• Ipswich from 1 July 2017
• Bundaberg from 1 October 2017
• Rockhampton from 1 January 2018
• Beenleigh, Cairns, Brisbane, Maryborough and Robina from 1 July 2018
• Caboolture/Strathpine and Maroochydore from 1 January 2019.
• Six of Australia’s states and territories have now reached agreement with the Commonwealth on the full roll-out of the NDIS: Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory. To find out more, go to www.ndis.gov.au/qld