Jenny Ware (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I thank the House for the opportunity to make a short statement as a member of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme who was recently part of the inquiry into the capability and culture of the NDIA. At the outset, I'll say that this statement is in the nature of additional comments provided by the coalition members of the joint standing committee, those coalition members being the deputy chair of the committee, Senator Hughes, as well as Senator Reynolds and me.

There are just three additional comments that I wish to bring to the House's attention today. The first recommendation that we have proposed is that the NDIA co-design and implement a sex and relationship policy to give NDIA staff and participants clear guidelines on the approach to related supports. This recommendation relates to evidence that was given to the inquiry on the absence of proper supports relating to sex education, particularly for children and teenagers with disability. The failure to provide these supports has, in the past, seen many with cognitive and intellectual impairments fall foul of the criminal justice system, either as perpetrators or as victims, due to the lack of a framework existing within the NDIS which they can understand, and this has had, particularly, unintended consequences—for example, of teenagers who are going through puberty being excluded from sex education within schools. So this recommendation is part of our additional comments.

Recommendation 2 relates to the Information, Linkages and Capacity Building Program. We say that that should be administered by the NDIA with robust links to the Department of Social Services, rather than, as is currently the case, the Department of Social Services having responsibility for this program. The Information, Linkages and Capacity Building Program is meant to be the third plank of the NDIS, providing support to community groups to assist people with disabilities. So we say that, for the effective implementation of this program, it would be more appropriate for the NDIA to administer this program and to be given the supports to do so.

Lastly, recommendation 3 relates to improving the overall transparency around the future financial sustainability of the NDIS, and I'll say this. As part of our additional comments, we are calling upon the government to resume a practice that was instigated under the former government where the NDIS monthly summaries were released. We are also calling for the immediate release of the outstanding 2022-23 Annual financial sustainability report and the NDIS independent review, in full.

This inquiry related to the capability and culture of the NDIA. The NDIS is a world-first and life-changing insurance scheme for people with disabilities. Financial sustainability and transparency lie at the heart of the future success of this insurance scheme. To not have the monthly accounts provided by this government is a complete breach of transparency and accountability. In closing, they are the three recommendations that are presented as additional comments to this report.

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