Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill 2012. Like most, many or indeed all in this place and the other place, all of our lives have been touched by the issue of disability one way or the other either directly or through our family and friends. As an able-bodied person who has been very fortunate—and indeed my family has been very fortunate in these things—I cannot pretend to know what it is like for people to live with a disability. I also cannot pretend to know personally what it is like to care and be the primary carer for someone in that situation and the burden that places on them. Like everyone in this place, I seek to empathise and to understand, but there is a constraint on truly understanding this for those of us who thankfully have not had that terrible misfortune. That misfortune can come through accident at birth or through accident itself, as many disabilities do—and, in that regard, it is very important that we do all we can to ensure that we keep Australians safe. There are so many great initiatives out there—public, private and in the not-for-profit sector—that are designed to teach children, particularly, how to ensure that they can live safely and do not find themselves in the position of receiving a serious injury.

I say that at the outset because I think there could be nothing more offensive to someone who suffers from a disability or cares for someone with a disability than for us to somehow think that we truly get it or understand it. That is why I provide that qualifier. But, coming from that position of disadvantage, let me say to everyone outside this place that, in this House and in the other place, there is strong support for the intentions and measures that are put forward in this bill. This scheme is long overdue and it is something that we all hope to see achieved in our lifetimes. I sincerely hope it is and I sincerely hope that the momentum that has been created over a very long period of time will continue. I hope that the advocates of many, many years ago are encouraged by what they see taking place here, with equal measures of support across this chamber.

The coalition supports the recommendations of the Productivity Commission, and we have pledged to work constructively with the government to implement these measures in the most timely and effective manner. We do live in the lucky country, and most Australians assume that, because we are an advanced and wealthy nation, there is adequate support and resourcing provided for people with disabilities and their carers. There is not. For such a long time, that burden has fallen—and, sadly, for a time it will continue to fall—on individuals, families, friends and communities, who will be the primary support for those who suffer.

The Productivity Commission identified $6½ billion in unmet disability care and support—money that could have been spent on Australians in need, to support those with disabilities and those who work tirelessly alongside them. That has been the subject of other political debates.

As my colleagues have outlined in this place, the coalition will look to engage constructively to take this important issue forward. When this legislation before us was first introduced into the parliament last year, the coalition, in agreement with the government, referred the bill to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee to systematically work through the detail and inquire into these matters in a spirit of bipartisanship. That report will be presented to the Senate next month, and we look forward to receiving its findings and actioning them accordingly, where appropriate.

In that spirit of goodwill, the coalition also propose the establishment of an ongoing joint parliamentary committee, chaired by both sides, to oversee the implementation of the NDIS. As well as providing a formal tool to facilitate that bipartisanship, the committee would provide an opportunity to sound out questions about design, implementation and eligibility and put together a potential timetable. Regrettably, to date the Prime Minister has not adopted our suggestion. Disappointingly, the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers has gone so far as to say it was a bad idea. This is disappointing. The coalition, if there should be a change of government, will make the same offer again, because the NDIS is something that should go forward with practical cooperation, regardless of where you sit in this place.

We support the introduction of this legislation into the parliament. It establishes a framework for the NDIS and the National Disability Insurance Scheme Launch Transition Agency. But we must be careful in this place that we do not raise expectations about what is to be delivered by this bill, particularly in the short to medium term. I can think of nothing more cruel than to raise the expectations of people who are living with this challenge on a day-to-day basis. We should be honest about the progress and we should be clear about our resolve, but we should not pretend that things are going to change quickly, certainly not overnight. To that end, making statements about having 'delivered' the NDIS and things of that nature are not helpful. I look forward to the NDIS being delivered, but it certainly has not been delivered yet, and it will be some years before it has. It will certainly be some years before the benefits of such a scheme, enjoying the support of the entire parliament, are actually experienced by those who are intended to receive them.

The bill would enable stage 1 of the scheme to be launched in five sites across the country from July, to the benefit of more than 20,000 people with a disability, their families and their carers. The scheme would provide funding to individuals or organisations to help people with a disability engage and participate in economic and social life. This could be through the provision of an entitlement enabling aids or equipment, or personal attendant care and supported accommodation.

The NDIS in principle is person centred, operating on a self-directed funding model. At its heart, the bill is about empowering those with disabilities to reach their full potential and encouraging them to embrace opportunities, set goals and live a full life. But it is important to note that, without funding, this is nothing more than a hollow gesture, a hollow promise. Where the money is to fund the NDIS is not clear. The government has allocated $1 billion of $3.9 billion required over the forward estimates for stage 1. The detail of where this funding is to come from to give reality to what we are discussing in this place is still to be revealed, if it will be revealed at all.

Labor have brought forward the launch sites by one year ahead of the Productivity Commission's plan. They are still yet to explain how they intend to fund a full national rollout. We believe the Productivity Commission's timetable is achievable, with prudent government and good economic management. The coalition has supported the initial work of the Productivity Commission, including the five launch sites and the introduction of the legislation into this parliament. We will continue to support milestones on the road to the NDIS.

Much has been said in this place today about how the NDIS is an opportunity for once-in-a-generation reform, and this is true. Admittedly, it will be a work in progress, as I have mentioned, for many years, but it is important that reforms of this nature, which will touch so many lives, are carefully worked through. We have a responsibility to work in this place constructively and collaboratively to ensure we get the detail and the blueprint right. We cannot afford for this policy to be rushed in implementation and catastrophically bungled, like the project delivery we have seen across this government in so many other portfolios.

In reflecting on the promises of this bill before us, it is also appropriate that, in this place, we recognise the work that is already being done in this space—quietly, behind the scenes, in homes and organisations around the country—because the burden will continue to fall on them for many, many years to come. We cannot allow the NDIS to—

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