A support worker cut keys to a deafblind National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participant's home without their knowledge, a parliamentary inquiry has been told.
The claim was one of a raft of concerns raised today at an inquiry into the scheme's integrity, with evidence also given that many people with disability do not formally report misconduct due to a perception the scheme's watchdog is a "toothless tiger".
The work of the NDIS watchdog and provider complaints body, the Quality and Safeguards Commission (QSC), and whistleblower protections were among several topics discussed at length.
Deafblind Australia told the committee that deafblind NDIS participants routinely reported, "feeling like an ATM" and providers were "primarily interested in … retaining the highest possible percentage of a person's plan, rather than assisting them to achieve [their goals]".
The inquiry also heard a deafblind participant unknowingly had keys to their home cut by a support worker.
The group's Ben McAtamney told the hearing many deafblind participants did not "see a point" in formally reporting misconduct due to a lack of faith anything would be done.
"There is definitely a feeling across the community that the Quality and Safeguards Commission is largely a toothless tiger. You report things, you make your complaint, but nothing ever...
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