Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Payments) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to be speaking on the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Transition Mobility Allowance to the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Bill 2016. Labor acknowledges that the bill seeks to cover an important funding gap for current recipients of the mobility allowance. It is important that those who are currently receiving the mobility allowance are able to continue to receive continuity of support during the rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The mobility allowance is a fortnightly payment of $93.20 paid to people who cannot use public transport without substantial assistance—because of disability, illness or injury—provided that they travel to and from home for paid work, voluntary work, study or training or to look for work.

In the 2013-14 budget the former Labor government agreed that funding for the mobility allowance was to be absorbed into the NDIS, with transport assistance to be provided through the NDIS for participants. This bill will introduce a 2016-17 budget measure to support transition of mobility allowance to National Disability Insurance Scheme participants. From 1 January 2017, changes will apply to the qualification criteria for mobility allowance for new claims and to the period for which mobility allowance is continued when a person ceases to be qualified in certain circumstances.

In addition, mobility allowance will no longer be payable to individuals who transition to the NDIS but subsequently cease to be NDIS participants. These changes will support transition from mobility allowance to the NDIS or other arrangements for continuity of support. Mobility allowance will cease on 1 January 2020, to ensure the NDIS is the main source of support for people with disability who need assistance to enable them to engage in the workplace and other economic activities.

We do need further information on the proposals in this bill, and that is why we have referred the bill to a Senate inquiry. We will reserve our final position in the Senate until completion of that inquiry, but we will not be opposing the bill in the House today. What we do know is that the bill will phase out the mobility allowance completely from 1 July 2020 and, in the meantime, will tighten the eligibility criteria in a number of ways. From 1 January 2017 mobility allowance will be limited to people aged under 65 years of age, and new applicants for the allowance must have a permanent or significant disability to qualify. This measure brings the criteria closer in line with the NDIS disability rules.

The bill requires that the secretary is of the opinion that the recipient's disability is either permanent or likely to last for at least four months in order to be eligible for mobility allowance. This provision appears in place of the existing definition of 'handicapped person' and gives the secretary a similar level of discretion as the CEO of the National Disability Insurance Agency. The grace period that is currently allowed if a recipient stops work or their other qualifying activity, called the continuation period, will be reduced from 12 weeks to four weeks. People who exit their NDIS package of support will no longer be able to reclaim mobility allowance under this legislation.

This bill limits eligibility only to people who are travelling to undertake gainful employment or vocational education. Recipients who wish to undertake voluntary work or a vocational rehabilitation program will no longer be able to access the payment. Current recipients of mobility allowance who are still in receipt of the payment as at 30 June 2020 will continue to receive long-term support.

As I have said, there is a range of legitimate concerns about the bill, particularly around the fact that people with similar transport needs who are not eligible for the NDIS will not be able to access similar support in future and the changes to eligibility in the meantime. Currently, 89 per cent of mobility allowance recipients are also eligible to receive a primary income support payment. Managing the costs of their special transport needs may become more difficult for people in the absence of the allowance, potentially leading to people pulling out of activities that are important for their wellbeing. We do, as I say, have a number of concerns, and we certainly hope that these will be answered through the Senate inquiry process. We will of course continue to do everything we can to ensure that people with disability are protected and receive the support that they need.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme, designed, funded and introduced by Labor, is now improving the lives of thousands of Australians with disability. All Australians deserve peace of mind that, if they or their loved ones acquire a disability, the support that they need will be there. I think we in the parliament are all aware that the NDIS is the biggest social reform since the introduction of Medicare, and thousands and thousands of people with disability in Australia have been campaigning for the National Disability Insurance Scheme for many, many years.

Unfortunately, the rollout of the NDIS, which began in earnest in July this year, has faced and continues to face some significant problems. People with disability should not face any uncertainty about the future of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. I think we are all aware that the rollout of the Myplace portal simply has not been good enough. Many disability service providers went unpaid while people with disability and their families have faced and continue to face considerable delays getting their national disability insurance plans finalised and in place. This is because the government's new IT system was not properly tested and all the bugs ironed out before the National Disability Insurance Scheme transition started in earnest on 1 July. It is also the case that, unfortunately, the government did not adequately resource the National Disability Insurance Agency—a situation the government has sought to rectify recently—to make sure that they had enough people to deal with the transition. That is why we are now seeing so many people who are not able to get their plans in place as quickly as they should be.

The government also, very unfortunately—and I say this in the spirit of goodwill—wants to sack the father of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Bruce Bonyhady, from his role as the chair of the board. Bruce had led the board for three years, and his hard work deserves our gratitude and respect. Unfortunately, Minister Porter has made it clear that he wants to replace Bruce Bonyhady and other board members who understand the needs of people with disability with a much more corporate board. Of course, people with disability are very concerned that this will mean greater direction by the minister rather than in the interests of people with disability. We of course will continue to hold this government to account for the rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. I see the assistant minister here. If she would like to say that the government is proposing to keep Bruce Bonyhady on as the chair of the board, I am sure the parliament would be very, very pleased to hear it.

I know that at the moment there are a lot of very negative headlines about the rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. But I do want to say that, from the experience that is happening in my electorate, where the NDIS is being rolled out as we speak, we are seeing that it improves the lives of thousands of people. I was at a wonderful place called Kalparrin, in Greensborough in my electorate, last week, opening a wonderful new sensory garden. Kalparrin does a great job delivering early intervention to young children with a disability. I met with many families who, overwhelmingly, have had a positive experience with the NDIS, and their children are now receiving the additional supports that they need.

All of us must work together to make the NDIS a success. There is an enormous amount of goodwill in the community towards the National Disability Insurance Scheme. We all need to harness that goodwill to make sure that we get the NDIS that people with disability need and deserve.

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