The incoming boss of the National Disability Insurance Scheme will have hundreds of new staff at his disposal over the coming months to ensure the program runs as intended.
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Martin Hoffman was on Thursday appointed chief executive of the National Disability Insurance Agency, which steers the NDIS.
Mr Hoffman has been both a commonwealth deputy secretary and secretary of the NSW Department of Finance, Services and Innovation.
He also has experience in the private sector, having been chief executive of Ninemsn and held senior jobs at Fairfax Media, Optus and the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.
Mr Hoffman said in a statement he's honoured to get the opportunity to help "deliver on the promise of the NDIS for each participant".
His appointment comes as the federal government prepares to unleash a new plan for how the NDIS should run once it has been fully rolled out.
The rollout is 80 per cent complete, with the remaining 20 per cent set to be finished by mid-2020.
The government has signed off on the NDIA having 4000 staff by mid-2020 - 800 more than it currently has - after the organisation said that was how many people it needed.
People with Disability Australia has welcomed the staffing boost, saying it has long campaigned for the NDIA to have enough staff to get its job done.
It stressed the need for the NDIA to focus on employing people with disability, which currently make up almost 12 per cent of its workforce.
"People with disability need the NDIS to deliver on its promise to us about inclusion, equality and support," the group's chief executive Jeff Smith said.
The group also hopes Mr Hoffman can fix delays and hurdles to participants getting the supports to which they're entitled.
National Disability Services, which represents service providers, hopes Mr Hoffman will address pricing and payment delays that affect providers, alongside with workforce planning and growth.
Labor NDIS spokesman Bill Shorten said while he is glad the coalition has boosted NDIA staffing, the agency's bill for external consultants has ballooned from $70 million in 2016 to $430 million in 2018.
"This is a drop in the ocean when it comes to the expertise that needs to be brought back in-house," he said of the extra staff.
About 500,000 Australians with disability are expected to benefit from the NDIS in the next five years.
Australian Associated Press
