Kelly O'Dwyer (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If there is one thing that I think all of us in this place can agree on it is that we as a nation will be judged on how we care for those who cannot care for themselves. Today, of all days, being the day when we see the Every Australian Counts campaign launched here in Parliament House, I think it is appropriate for us to reflect specifically on this particular issue and on the importance of caring for those Australians who cannot care for and support themselves. I am very pleased to associate myself with that campaign because I think there is now a recognition on both sides of the House, by both the Labor Party and the Liberal Party, that there is a huge problem when it comes to disability services funding and support and that it is, as the Prime Minister has quite rightly said, a cruel lottery as to those people who will receive support and those people who will not. Part of the reason that it is such a cruel lottery is that there has been over the years a dispute between the state and federal governments as to who will be supported and how. It is simply not good enough.

The carers in our community are the unsung heroes, looking after their family members and loved ones. They do it out of love for their family members and know that we need to provide them with every support possible—and they are telling us that they do need support. Recently I have sat in my office with the ageing parents of a disabled woman who is now 51 and they have told me of their concern that once they are gone their daughter will not be able to receive the same level of care and support that she has received over the past 51 years. They have pleaded with me that it is important that the government and the opposition support the implementation of a national disability insurance scheme.

I have sat down with a father who has told me that, after a very fateful night, his son, who was attacked when out celebrating, is now permanently in need of care. While he himself, through the support of his friends and family, has been able to put together a fund so his son will be cared for for the remainder of his life, he asked me: what will happen for all those other parents who do not have the same support? He again pleaded with me to take action now to put in place a national disability insurance scheme.

The Productivity Commission has done some great work on these issues. The Productivity Commission, as most people in this House will know, delivered its final report into disability care and support to the government on 31 July 2011. That report was publicly released by the government on 10 August 2011. It recommended the implementation of a new national disability insurance scheme to provide for long-term care and support for people with a disability. Shockingly, it found that the unmet need in the Australian community for Australians with a disability is about $6.5 billion. It is very serious and very important that we get this right. I cannot help but reflect that the current interest bill we are paying each year is about the same figure. It is important we get our finances right so we can address these issues that should be a priority for any government and certainly a priority for us on this side of the chamber.

If we can get this right, about 410,000 people will receive funding support through this scheme. We need to do something urgently. I am pleased, as I said earlier, to associate myself with this campaign. I believe it is important that we bring into effect a sustainable national disability insurance scheme, and I will be a strong advocate for it.