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

I am very pleased to be able to support the remarks of the member for Menzies on the interim report on the provision of hearing services under the National Disability Insurance Scheme. I want to thank the member for Menzies, the chair of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the NDIS, and all the other members and senators as well as the staff of the committee secretariat. The committee has been conducting a large number of inquiries, and the members of the committee and the secretariat have been taking a lot of time in listening to submissions from stakeholders and, of course, members of the public. I do want to particularly thank those people—the service providers and families—who came along to all the hearings that we had for this very important inquiry, for giving evidence and for making sure that we do understand the issues that the member for Menzies has just highlighted. Although it is the case that only around 20,000 Australians will be part of the NDIS as a result of their hearing impairments, we also know that early intervention, especially for babies and small children with hearing impairments, is absolutely imperative, and we are extremely concerned about the delays that have been occurring.

The committee has made a number of recommendations so far. As this is only our interim report of course there will be further recommendations but I just want to highlight a few today. Recommendation 2 is that the National Disability Insurance Agency reviews immediately the cases of people with hearing impairment who were previously found ineligible and tests their eligibility against the revised guidelines. Recommendation 4 is that Australian Hearing be formally appointed as the independent referral pathway for access to early intervention services under the NDIS and funded appropriately to take on this new role. Recommendation 5 is that the NDIA ensure that the early intervention packages take a holistic approach to the needs of participants. We do want to make sure of funding provision for additional services beyond core supports, depending on need, and that retrospective payment of the costs borne by approved service providers for the provision of necessary and reasonable supports between time of diagnosis and plan enactment is made. The sixth recommendation is that NDIA urgently finalise, publish and introduce the early intervention reference packages. This is, as I say, extremely important for babies and small children with hearing impairments and it is of great concern to the committee that this has been delayed so long. It is because of this delay that the committee decided to do an interim report and we urge the NDIA to finalise the reference packages as quickly as possible so that the committee can get on with finalising this very important inquiry.

Debate adjourned.

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