Guide to the Commonwealth-Queensland Bilateral Agreement Schedules
What is a Bilateral agreement?
A “bilateral” agreement quite simply means an agreement between two parties. A bilateral agreement is likely to be created when two parties are required to work together to achieve a single outcome—for example,when both parties are financial contributors. The bilateral agreement between the Commonwealth and Queensland governments details the different aspects of Queensland’s transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Schedule A – Participant Transition Arrangements In Queensland
This schedule talks about how participants will phase into the scheme. It includes:
- Location timeline and list of LGAs per location
- Definition of ‘existing clients’
- Quarterly targets and caps for intake of participants
Schedule B – Financial Contributions for Transition in Queensland
This schedule talks about transfer of funds from the state to the Commonwealth as participants enter the scheme. It includes:
- Fixed amount that Queensland will pay for each client that transitions
- Frequency of transfers of funding
- Responsibility for ongoing costs
- Transition of intergovernmental payments from Commonwealth-Queensland Government to Commonwealth-NDIA
- Payments to Queensland from the DisabilityCare Australia Fund
Schedule C – Cross-billing and Budget Neutrality Arrangements in Queensland
This schedule talks about budget arrangements during the transfer of responsibilities for provision of disability services from Queensland to the NDIS. It includes:
- Arrangements of when and how payments will be made by Queensland to the Commonwealth to transition funds for support for different cohorts
Schedule D – Continuity of support arrangements in Queensland
This schedule talks about a commitment by Queensland and the Commonwealth to provide continuity of support for people who currently receive support but who are not eligible for the NDIS, or who are eligible but currently receive support that does not meet the definition of ‘reasonable and necessary’ under the NDIS Act 2013. It includes:
- Definitions and principles
- Arrangements for people aged 65 and over and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 and over
- Arrangements for people within the NDIS age groups who do not meet the access criteria or whose supports do not meet the reasonable and necessary criteria
Schedule E – Sector and System Readiness in Queensland
This schedule talks about ensuring asmooth transition to the NDIS for existing disability sector clients and providers, using assurance processes to monitor the overall readiness of the NDIS, the sector and participants to operate in the new system. It includes:
- Commitments to readiness initiatives
- Commitments to audit and monitoring of readiness throughout transition
Schedule F – Transition arrangements for quality and safeguards in Queensland
This schedule sets out the quality and safeguards assurance arrangements during the transition. It includes:
- Agreement to continue to work on a national framework
- Agreement to continue Queensland’s quality and safeguards arrangements until a national framework is operational
- Roles and responsibilities in relation to quality and safeguards during the transition period
- Quality monitoring of new providers and agreement on quality and safeguards appeals processes for participants
Schedule G – Integrated National Disability Insurance Scheme Performance Reporting Framework
This schedule talks about how the National Disability Insurance Scheme will be monitored and how its performance will be reported. It includes:
- An integrated NDIS Performance Reporting Framework
- Data sources for reporting
- Annual review of NDIS operations in Queensland
- Annual review of NDIS performance
- Tables depicting regular reporting that occurs from the NDIA to relevant bodies
Schedule H – Workforce
This schedule talks about the first offer of employment for existing Queensland Government employees employed in roles impacted by the transition to the NDIS. It includes:
- Commitment to meeting staff requirements of the NDIA as well as requirement of the Queensland Government to retain enough staff to meet workloads throughout transition
- Recruitment process for NDIA positions, including identification of required roles and engagement of staff
- Security checks
- Continuity of service arrangements
- Agreements on employment conditions including probation, leave, terms of employment, access to unions, etc.
Schedule I – Arrangements for the interface between the NDIS and mainstream services in transition
This schedule talks about how the NDIS will work with other systems that provide services to people with disability, for example, Health, Mental Health and Education. This includes the principles that determine the responsibilities of the NDIS and other service systems.
Schedule J – Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) – Queensland early transition of the NDIS in Townsville, Charters Towers and Palm Island
This is an MOU between Queensland and the Commonwealth for the early transition/launch and includes an attachment.
Schedule K – Cross-billing and Budget Neutrality Arrangements in Queensland: 2013-14 to 2015-16
Like Schedule C, this schedule talks about budget arrangements for transfer of responsibilities for provision of disability services from Queensland to the NDIS, but for the 13-14 to 15-16 financial years only. This schedule will expire on 30 June 2016. It includes:
- Arrangements of when and how payments will be made by Queensland to the Commonwealth to transition funds for support for different cohorts.