Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

One of the profound privileges of being a member of this parliament is meeting inspiring individuals, individuals who make incredible sacrifices with little or no recognition and who, in doing so, leave a lasting impression in the fabric of our local community. One of those individuals in my community is Carmel James. I mentioned her late father Kev Dwyer in previous speeches, a former deputy mayor of Ipswich, a loyal unionist and Labor Party stalwart and a great community advocate. Carmel's life bears the imprint of her father's life. An assistant principal in curriculum at St Edmonds' College in Ipswich, she has had daily impact on the lives of boys who attend the school, but it is as a mother that she makes the most sacrifices and has the greatest impact but receives the least accolades. Carmel is mum to three children: Ben, Lauren and 11-year-old Andrew, who is profoundly disabled with medical and intellectual disabilities. Carmel exemplifies the contrasting natures of motherhood: grace and love, juxtaposed with ferocity and strength.

Over the past 11 years, Carmel and her husband Tony have become fierce disability advocates. Just ask the Assistant Treasurer, the Hon. Bill Shorten, who met Carmel in Ipswich when he was the Parliamentary Secretary for Disability Services. Carmel and Tony have used their experiences to tackle inclusivity issues while advocating for a national disability insurance scheme for a number of years. I cannot imagine the depth of concern of having a child with a disability who is reliant upon care—

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The House having been counted and a quorum being present—

The Productivity Commission report into disability care and support makes it clear that the current system of disability care and support is unsustainable and unfair. The report outlines that a national disability insurance scheme would address this issue. I am pleased the Prime Minister announced that the government is immediately starting the work of building the foundations for an NDIS. Essentially this will entitle all Australians to appropriate levels of support in the event of significant disability. That support will be there regardless of whether a child is born with a disability or it is acquired. We know that transformational reform of disability services is needed and that work has to start straight away.

For 12 long years, the coalition ignored people with disability and their carers—they effectively defunded the system. Disability funding under the coalition grew by 1.8 per cent a year—less than the rate of inflation. The previous coalition government showed little support and little interest in the area of getting people with disability into work. Those with disability who wanted to work had to wait for up to a year to get help through the disability employment services and, when they did, their pensions were reviewed almost immediately.

The Welfare to Work program was another coalition failure. The coalition paid lip service to the sector with a succession of failed attempts to support disability pensioners who were keen to contribute more actively in the community. At the last election, the coalition proposed to support just 6,000 children with disabilities and their families. I wonder what the 158,000 students with special needs in Australian schools—and their families—would think. I am confident the coalition do not have a plan to address the 164,000 students in Australia living with disability.

I am proud that, in the last budget, we allocated $200 million to support young people with disability in our schools. I have spoken to former and current principals and teachers at Ipswich Special School and Ipswich West Special School—people like Peter Davis, Andrew Thompson and Steven Leese. They warmly welcomed this funding. In my electorate of Blair, those living with disability are well served by a host of providers. Blue Care and UnitingCare provide invaluable nursing services to those living with disability, respite support for those who are carers and employment services to assist people with disabilities gain and maintain employment. Ozcare Ipswich, CODI, ALARA, Community Access and Transition Services Inc., known as CATS, are just a few of the organisations providing support and care for my constituents in Blair. Focal Extended is another great local organisation which rose out of the ashes of de-institutionalisation and the closure of the local Challinor Centre. These wonderful organisations and so many others provide individual support through personal care in-home and community access support. There is after hours school care in Ipswich Special School, vacation care during some of the school holidays, the independent pathways program and the independent living program to support those over 18 years of age.

These organisations do terrific work and we are going to make sure that those with disability are not overlooked or ignored. Their families and their carers need support and care. On 10 October I am expecting a large number of care providers and local agencies to attend a forum where the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, the Hon. Jenny Macklin, and I will discuss the NDIS in the Ipswich and West Moreton community.

Further to that, on 2 December I will stage the second Blair Disability Links, an expo where disability care and support providers set up information stalls in the Brassall Shopping Centre for members of the community. Last year I held the inaugural event—a very successful event it was—with the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers, the Hon. Senator Jan McLucas attending. These events connect people with the appropriate services so they have a greater chance to realise their potential by increasing engagement with employment, education, training and, indeed, sport. More than that, they provide a networking opportunity for these service providers.

It can be a difficult pathway to navigate when you suddenly have a child who has a disability or when your life is turned around through a profound accident that leaves you with a disability. Carmel and Tony James will tell you that one of the most frustrating things for their family is dealing with the mountain of bureaucracy involved in accessing funding and programs. As a schoolteacher, Carmel often sees families who do not cope with these stresses and sees that they get support. But they need more, and it takes determination and energy to ensure you get access to everything you need.

Even then in the Ipswich and Somerset region, in spite of the myriad of great services, you cannot get overnight respite easily. I am proud to be part of a federal Labor government that is turning the spotlight onto those with disability and confronting the cold, hard reality that we can no longer ignore the fact that by 2030 an estimated 2.3 million Australians will live with a profound or severe limitation.

I am proud that the foundations of an NDIS are being addressed. We no longer want in our country those with disability feeling invisible. Based on the Productivity Commission recommendations, the government has begun the foundations to this major reform, delivering an immediate additional $10 million to support the technical policy work, establishing a COAG select council for ministers from Commonwealth, states and territories to lead the reform, establishing an advisory group to the select council led by Dr Jeff Harmer to provide expert advice in delivering the foundations for reform. This vital work will be crucial for the care providers and its agencies in Ipswich and the Somerset region.

We are also providing additional funding of $147 million for the Better Start for Children with Disability initiative. This will be a great help for early intervention. There is the $60 million Supported Accommodation Innovation Fund. That is all in addition to the $7.6 billion provided to the state and territory governments through the National Disability Agreement to deliver increased and improved specialist disability services such as support accommodation, target support and respite.

The Productivity Commission recommended that the reform process will take seven years to be done right and to be financially sustainable. I know the James family has been fighting for 11 years to see significant reform. They appreciate that unravelling the various Commonwealth, state and territory systems and programs will be a mighty challenge. But, like them, we want to see reform sooner rather than later. As their federal member, I still have to look them in the eye and explain why the process is long, but we are determined to deliver an NDIS. Only then will people like Carmel and Tony James have the confidence that Andrew and others like him will receive the care and support that he and others will need throughout their lives. As their local federal number and part of a government that makes the tough decisions in the nation's interest I am pleased to support a national disability insurance scheme. I will continue to advocate for families like the James's, for kids like Andrew and for the many carers and support agencies in Blair that have committed themselves to supporting those with disabilities.

Carers Queensland say that there are more carers in my electorate than in any other electorate in all of Queensland. This is not just a peripheral issue. This is a mainstream issue that affects average families and individuals throughout the length and breadth of this country. Communities like mine, the Ipswich and Somerset regions, will benefit greatly from an NDIS. I commend the motion to the House.

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