John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The NDIS is one of the great pieces of bipartisan legislation. Disability funding had never been properly envisaged or sustainably managed before the NDIS. But, from the day this came into force, the 2,129 people in Bennelong on the scheme have been able to look forward to certainty of funding, no matter who sits on the government benches. It is important to note that the system is not yet perfect and that we must always monitor the scheme to ensure it remains fit for purpose, is accessible to everyone who needs it and is able to fund the needs of participants. That is why the Tune review was so important and why this motion from the member for Maribyrnong is also timely.

An independent review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act was promised at the last election. In January 2020 the minister for the NDIS, Stuart Robert MP, announced the release of the independent review of the NDIS Act by Mr David Tune AO PSM. The review's findings reaffirmed what many of us know: that while many participants have had excellent experiences and are benefiting from the scheme, others have had frustrations with wait times, complexity of process and a lack of understanding of their needs. The government will use the findings to update and clarify the legislation and remove barriers to a better NDIS. The response to the Tune review will be released shortly, along with an exposure draft of the legislation changes, so that NDIS participants and their families, carers and other stakeholders can provide feedback prior to finalising a bill for passage through the parliament.

Furthermore, as part of the consultation phase of the Tune review, discussions were had across the country between late July 2019 and early November 2019. Mr Tune met with 17 national peak and representative organisations for people with disability, carers and disability service providers to hear issues of concern from their perspective. The NDIS Act review team received a total of 201 submissions—of which 152 were authorised to be made public—and 1,740 usable responses to the survey, and 15 community workshops were held across every state and territory. Across all engagement platforms, responses to the review were materially consistent, with attendees expressing a desire for faster processes and better service for participants. This is consistent with the terms of reference for the review, which were designed to examine issues driving negative experiences with the NDIS.

Following the release of the report, the disability advocacy sector has welcomed the recommendations to provide more flexibility for participants. It's great to see that we are already making some progress on this. The latest quarterly report also demonstrates the backlog of children with disability accessing early intervention has been slashed over the last six months. As at 31 December 2019, the average wait time for children under six to get access has gone from 43 days last June to three days last December, while the wait time for children waiting for a plan has gone from 104 days in June to 44 days in December. These are excellent gains that mean more kids are getting help sooner.

I was honoured to welcome the Minister for the NDIS, Stuart Robert, to Bennelong towards the end of last year. I was delighted to take him to one of Bennelong's organisations that we are most proud of—the great Royal Rehab in Ryde. This rehabilitation hospital, which, incredibly, turned 120 last year, has helped thousands of people every year to get a sense of normality back following a catastrophic accident. Getting Alex McKinnon back on his feet was one of the most public miracles, but he is just one of tens of thousands they have helped. It was a delight to be able to show off to the minister the cutting edge of rehabilitation and their wonderful facility and, more importantly, to be able to give them a voice directly to the minister so they can work out their concerns and give the minister firsthand demonstrations about how the scheme works within their supported independent living arrangements. As always, I would like to thank the CEO, Matt Mackay, and the chair, Tony Staveley, for their incredible work, as well as everybody who works in this amazing facility.

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