Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

The member for Banks put it very, very well: the more fortunate helping the less fortunate. I commend his remarks. As the population ages, as medical intervention at birth increases and as health know-how improves, the number of people with a disability will increase. At the same time the number of unpaid carers—family members and friends who are willing and able, financially and physically, to provide support—will decrease. It is therefore time to take stock and plan adequately for the future. We need a vision for equity, for fairness and for justice for those with a disability and for the fantastic people who look after them.

On 6 April this year at the Wagga Wagga RSL Club organisers of an information session held about the National Disability Insurance Scheme put out 200 chairs. Another 200 were required; more than 400 people turned up to tell those politicians present—and I was one of them—and others how much this is needed. All Australians feel the need to have control of their own lives and it is incumbent upon the Commonwealth government to provide this freedom.

By highlighting my utmost support for this program I was told I was the first parliamentarian in New South Wales to sign up to the wonderful Every Australian Counts campaign. I would do it all over again, as I feel this is an extremely valuable scheme for our society. A national disability insurance scheme represents a fundamental reform to the way services are funded and delivered. In a budget of $350 billion, surely we can find it in our hearts as well as our finances to find the necessary dollars. As the member for Hughes said, it is an extra $6.5 billion. But I see this is an investment, not a cost.

The member for Hughes also stated what a compassionate nation we were—and we are—as well as acknowledging the fact that the current system is broken. The Productivity Commission certainly thinks we can find the money. We just need the political will, hopefully the bipartisan will. The economic case for reform for the National Disability Insurance Scheme has been described in terms of the number of people with a disability increasing significantly in the next 20 years, while at the same time the number of people willing and able to provide unpaid care will fall. Government is responsible for funding the difference between the two.

The resulting increase in costs has the potential to overwhelm already overburdened state treasuries. If current growth continues, the amount spent on specialist disability services alone will double in 14 years. A National Disability Insurance Scheme will ensure governments have the ability to meet current and future needs, whatever the economic climate. It will also provide other important economic benefits. As I said, I see it as an investment. By focusing on early intervention and identifying those support services which are most effective and efficient, the scheme will maximise the potential of and facilitate greater independence for those who most need it.

By providing people with what they need when they need it the scheme will ensure people with disabilities, their families and their carers have every opportunity to reach their full potential. Surely this is such an Australian ideal. This is about providing people with a disability with what they need when they need it and it should also reduce the pressure currently experienced by families of those unable to fully participate in work, life and the community. It will also enable much-needed respite.

The scheme could be funded by all taxpayers through general revenue or through a Medicare-type levy. Financing will have to be arranged. The modelling also needs to be worked out. As I said, the Productivity Commissioner said that we can do it, so surely we need to follow that lead. If the commission says we can do it then we have to find the necessary political will to be able to do it. This needs bipartisan support. Funding for essential care, support services, therapy, aids and equipment could then be drawn from this consistent pool of funds. The principal beneficiaries would be people whose disability has a significant impact on their daily life. Most importantly, the scheme would provide support no matter how that disability was acquired, because it can happen to anyone at any time. People born with a disability or who acquire a disability through accident or injury or as result of a medical condition or mental illness would all be eligible for assistance. Recipients with a lifelong disability should not, as they are now, be required to constantly prove their disability to continue to receive assistance. Eligibility for the scheme would be transparent, based on careful assessment. The system could be person centred and individualised, based on the choices of the person with a disability and their family. It would focus on early intervention and provide the supports that provide the best long-term outcomes.

Importantly, as I said, we must not forget that disability can happen to anyone at any time. Let us not wait for what might happen; let us act now and put in place a system for those who may need to rely on a little more assistance than many of us do. We need to plan properly for this and make sure it is done correctly but put it in place as soon as is humanly and legislatively possible—not in seven years time. As the member for Hughes said, that is far too long.

Debate adjourned.

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