Interim Report on Long Term Options for Dispute Resolution under the National Disability Insurance Scheme

The Independent Expert Review (IER) Oversight Committee has developed an interim report on possible long term, structural solutions to improve the handling of disputes of NDIS decisions. The report was informed by early experiences of the IER program and its expert committee and broader sector consultations in late 2022. The report makes six recommendations on possible long-term structural solutions to improve the handling of disputes under the NDIS. 

An Oversight Committee leads the IER program. Mr Graeme Innes AM chairs the committee. He is a former Human Rights Commission and current NDIA Board member. 

Committee members include people with lived experience of disability and disability advocates, as well as representatives from community legal services, the NDIA and the Department of Social Services. Further information around the Oversight Committee can be found on the NDIS Website(Opens in a new tab/window). 

The interim report was developed prior to the announcement of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal's (AAT) abolition and was considered by Commonwealth, state and territory Disability Ministers at the Disability Reform Ministers Meeting on 13 December 2022. The report has also been provided to the Expert Advisory Group(Opens in a new tab/window) which is guiding the delivery of a new federal administrative review body. 

Further work will be undertaken in 2023 on alternative dispute resolution for the NDIS drawing on the interim report of the Oversight Committee and the experience of the Independent Expert Review program. This will contribute to the broader discussion of the replacement of the AAT, announced by the Australian Government(Opens in a new tab/window) on 16 December 2022.