Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

During the parliamentary break that we've just had, hardworking disability workers united with employers, with service providers and with people with a disability at an NDIS rally organised by the Australian Services Union in my home town of Newcastle and, indeed, at rallies across the country. Rally participants wanted to highlight the really massive insecurity that disability workers now live with every day of their lives, and they wanted to shine a light on how this sorry state of affairs is hurting the people who rely on the NDIS.

As a former disability support worker, I was very pleased to attend the Newcastle rally and to stand in solidarity with my friends in the disability sector in calling for action to make the NDIS the very best scheme it can be—and that call is necessary. Make no mistake, the NDIS is the greatest social reform this country has seen. First championed, of course, by the legendary Gough Whitlam four decades ago, it became a reality under the incredible stewardship of the member for Jagajaga, Jenny Macklin, in the former Labor government. Indeed, the Leader of the Opposition, in his role as minister for people with a disability, was instrumental in ensuring this scheme got through this parliament. For the first time, the NDIS gave people with disability choice and control over the support they received.

Newcastle was one of the first national trial sites for the NDIS rollout. We had more than 10,000 participants. We were by far the largest site in Australia and, indeed, the most complex, dealing with people of all ages and disabilities. I had the great privilege of seeing so many positive impacts of the NDIS firsthand. From those of us on this side of the House, there's absolutely no disagreement with government members about the positive stories of the NDIS and what it can deliver. But we mustn't let our love for the NDIS blind us to what is happening right now. The implementation of the NDIS under this government, as is the case with most social reforms under conservative governments, has been far from optimum. It has indeed been a shambles, with people with disability and their families paying the price.

Around 240,000 Australians should be benefiting from the NDIS right now, but we know the actual number is in fact close to 200,000. That means that there are 40,000 people missing out today. Something isn't working. Neglect, under-resourcing and an addiction to hiring contractors and consultants instead of permanent staff has seen progress come to a screeching halt. Reviews are being been delayed without notice. Items are being cut from plans so that people are finding it very hard to get the support they need. None of this is surprising when you consider that this government has underspent $2.5 billion in the last 12 months alone. Let's be clear: this is not an achievement; this is negligence—pure and simple.

The organisation is also being starved of human resources, thanks to a staffing cap imposed by the then Abbott government in 2014. Regretfully, this cap remains in place today. It was not lifted by the Turnbull government and it sure as hell is not being examined by the current Morrison government. This arbitrary, senseless cap means staff are already stretched beyond their limits, the rollout is falling behind schedule and people with disability aren't getting the service they need and deserve. The cap is not only crippling the entire NDIS system but also has the perverse incentive of driving millions of dollars of spending on contract staff. In fact, the NDIA has committed over $145 million for contract and temporary staff. They've spent $61 million on consultants and outsourced its call centre to multinational megacorporation Serco. It's outrageous that the NDIA is spending these vast sums of money on consultants and contractors instead of investing in a skilled, permeant workforce that can deliver quality support and services to the people that need and deserve it most, and that is people with disability. (Time expired)

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