The NDIS is out of alcohol control

and I very much doubt "changes to section 10" of the Act which is responsible for it will make much difference.

The information for it came to light after one of our Senators accused the informant of "making it up". Yes, I am sure that the Senator in question will be feeling angry and embarrassed by the evidence. He is not going to want to accept that there were two hundred and ninety three claims for alcohol last year - and a total of $46,777 was apparently spent. That is serious money.

Given the general lack of oversight and the ease with which dubious claims can be made I do not believe this will be an end to the story. I have seen some of this sort of thing at first hand. 

Just last week I saw a profoundly disabled NDIS recipient in the local shopping centre. She had been brought there by two "carers". The carers were sitting there having a cup of coffee and a chat with two friends. N...was just sitting there. There was no attempt to include her and she was not given a drink - something she can manage through a straw.  Yesterday I saw her grandmother in the same place and I mentioned seeing N...  

"Yes, they were supposed to be taking her to the doctor. Apparently it takes two of them to do it and the entire morning." 

 N..'s NDIS money is used to pay for this. Her parents are deceased. Her grandfather tries to keep watch on what her money is spent on but constantly runs into problems. More than once he has queried expenses and he will query this one but, by then, it will be too late. The outing was not just about taking N... to the doctor but a couple of carers enjoying themselves. 

It is one of just many such stories of waste, of lack of accountability and more. The money is there. It is seen as endless.

Of course some of it goes where it is supposed to go. It may be that even most of goes where it is supposed to go but the system allows two carers to spend part of their morning socialising on government money intended to care for a person with a disability. It is what allows someone to charge more than twice the amount he should to mow a lawn. It allows someone to be paid to put the bins out when a neighbour has offered to do it for nothing. 

I would like someone to go as far back as records allow and find all the instances they can of alcohol being bought. These people need to be prosecuted. If the NDIS recipient has asked them to do it then they also need to be prosecuted. It is not what NDIS money is for. It is not there for alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs, sex-services or holidays. It is there for the basic right to the activities of daily living and it has to be always for the benefit of the NDIS recipient. 

I suspect there would be an outcry if there was a very close investigation of how NDIS money is being used. There will be an "investigation" of course - but the rorts will continue.