2018-10-25
Thursday, 25 October
Australian Greens disability Rights spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John said he was relieved the NDIA had reversed an earlier decision requiring Tegan Sharp and her family to use compensation money – provided after Ms Sharp suffered third-degree burns at the hands of a support worker– to pay back more than $100,000 of her NDIS funding.
“The fact that this case has taken not only judicial, but also political and media intervention, before the NDIA backed down is simply outrageous,” Steele-John said.
“This horrific situation could have been solved by the CEO at the stroke of a pen, instead Tegan and her family have been put through hell for almost a year by the very agency created to serve them.
“No disabled person should have to fight a system whose sole purpose is to support their rights and wellbeing!
"Tegan’s case is not an anomaly and its outcome rested entirely on the discretion of the CEO. I know of several cases of disabled people struggling against the same systems failures we've seen in her case who may not have the same capacity to leverage a positive outcome!
"The NDIA must now urgently review the process failings at the heart of this case to ensure that this does not happen again."
Media contact:
Tim Oliver (Senator Steele-John) – 0448 316 387