Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It was my great pleasure to visit the Kids Plus Foundation in Geelong last week. Kids Plus is doing an incredible job, providing one-on-one early intervention therapy for babies and children with cerebral palsy and other similar disabilities. During my visit, I met a wonderful little girl called Tully, who is 2½. She was with her mum, Beck Seabert, and grandmother Debbie. They were working on some exercises to improve Tully's mobility. It was so uplifting to see this fantastic work in action.

Prior to the commencement of the Barwon region trial of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Kids Plus received no government funding. All moneys raised were through private donations. But now many clients are using their services as part of NDIS funded support packages. While Kids Plus still needs more support and larger premises, this has made a real difference.

Several weeks ago, Prime Minister Abbott opened the national headquarters of the National Disability Insurance Agency, in Geelong. Despite the scare campaign run by Labor, as confirmed by the budget our government is proudly funding the full rollout of the NDIS within the agreed funding envelope. There are lessons to be learned from the trial sites, but already there are some 2,700 participants in the Barwon NDIS trial. In delivering more independence, more dignity and more funds to people with a disability, this is making an extraordinary difference in our community. (Time expired)

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