Pat Conroy (Shortland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

Today I will be advising the House of one of the most offensive cuts to a constituent's NDIS plan I have even seen by the Morrison-Joyce government. The NDIS is being undermined by the Liberals and Nationals. They are cutting the support packages and plans of vulnerable Australians. In a country as prosperous as ours and one that prides itself on being the land of the fair go this is just not on. I am so angry. Labor will not cop the ongoing attacks on the NDIS by the Liberals.

Ian from Belmont South is vision impaired and has had a guide dog for 40 years. The provision of this guide dog has been part of his NDIS plan until a recent review by a bureaucrat who conducted it in December and determined it was not reasonable and necessary for this vision impaired man to have funding for a guide dog. Let me repeat this. The Morrison-Joyce government has cut funding for a guide dog to a man who is blind. How can this happen in Australia in the year 2022? The reason provided by the National Disability Insurance Agency for this cut is that Ian has been provided funding for an extra two hours of a carer a week and so there is no need for a guide dog. What a load of utter garbage. How can they equate an extra two hours of carer funding with the loss of a guide dog? This is what this government is resorting to now.

Unfortunately, the internal review by the National Disability Insurance Agency confirmed the savage cut so Ian is forced to go through the appalling, time consuming and expensive process of appealing to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. He shouldn't have to do this. I call on the minister to personally intervene to restore the funding, to ensure that this funding is provided to Ian for his guide dog. A vision impaired participant in the NDIS who has had a guide dog for 40 years, and recently funded by the NDIS, should not be a victim of this budget cut mentality. We are talking about the quality of life of someone living with a disability here. Ian deserves dignity and respect from the NDIS. I call on minister to act urgently to remedy this situation.

Unfortunately, Ian's case is not isolated. This government has broken the sacred bond it committed to when it supported the Gillard government's establishment of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. This scheme is all about empowering Australians living with a disability to live their best possible lives. This government is cutting plans left, right and centre. They are destroying the lives of Australians with a disability, all with a callous disregard for the impact on those people and communities like mine. I stand with Ian. He deserve to have his guide dog reinstated. We won't stop until we achieve victory on this very important issue.

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