6th December 2012 1.00 pm
New South Wales has become the first state to strike a deal with the Federal Government on funding the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Prime Minister Julia Gillard and NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell made the announcement at a joint press conference this lunchtime, on the eve of Friday's COAG meeting.
They said the Commonwealth had agreed to cover 51.4 per cent of the cost of trialling the scheme in the Hunter Valley.
The Government introduced the NDIS legislation into Parliament last week, setting out the structure and eligibility criteria for the scheme.
New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and the ACT have all previously agreed to host launch sites for the NDIS, but NSW is the first to finalise the details.
Queensland previously said it did not have the money to fund a trial site, and instead announced its own version of a disability funding scheme.
Ms Gillard praised Mr O'Farrell for becoming the first state premier to sign up to the scheme.
"What today shows is you can get it done. We have just done it," she said.
More to come.
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