Geoff Lyons (Bass, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise in the chamber today to speak on the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Labor believes that all Australians deserve care and support if they acquire or are born with a disability. We believe that no-one should be left behind, that accident or disability should not take away the chances for a decent life.

This is good news for people with a disability, their families and carers in our community. It means that next year Australians with a disability in the launch sites will begin to receive the care and support under a National Disability Insurance Scheme. I am very thankful that Tasmania is included in the launch. There is strong local support in my electorate of Bass for this initiative. The people of Tasmania are thrilled that the Gillard Labor government is getting on with the job of building the NDIS. I was lobbied by many parents, organisations and advocates for the NDIS. Some of the strongest voices that come to mind were from Margaret Reynolds, Jane Wardlaw and the team from St Giles, such as Ian Wright and Danielle Blewett. The launch will commence in the middle of next year, a full year ahead of the timetable that the Productivity Commission proposed. We are doing this because we know that Australians with a disability have waited long enough. The critical stage will give us vital information as we progress the national rollout.

For people with a disability in these locations the launch means that they will have their care needs assessed by a new disability insurance agency. They will start work on their individual care plans with local coordinators. They will be able to choose the services and providers that best meet their needs.

We the Gillard Labor government have proven that we are prepared to do the heavy lifting to bring about this fundamental reform, yet, as we know, the conservative Liberal states play politics on the issue and deny thousands of Australians the right to better care. Five state leaders have shown their willingness to be part of the launch.

It is disappointing that Premier Campbell Newman has chosen to play politics with the lives of Queenslanders with a disability, instead of making this crucial reform happen. One in five people in our community have a disability. Many of these people struggle to get the services and support that they deserve. Caring for those who are vulnerable is deeply embedded in the Labor cause. We know that it is not the case with some of those opposite. We know that, every chance they get, the conservative Liberal governments run their agenda of supporting big corporations over the little guy.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme will give people with a disability the kind of care and support that we expect for them and give all Australians the confidence that, if they acquire a disability or a child or grandchild is born with a disability, they will get the care and support they need. It will deliver quality care and support to people with a disability regardless of how they acquired their disability or where they live. It will provide opportunities for people with a disability and their families and carers, with the breakdown of barriers to work, education and being involved in their communities.

The Liberals want people with a disability to wait, just as they waited for 12 years under the Howard government. What we have shown is that we are not going to wait around while the Liberals battle it out. We do not think that people with a disability should have to wait around either. The coalition had 12 long years to act on services for people with a disability, and they sat on their hands. They stood by while demand grew for disability services and while disability pensioners struggled with the cost of living. They failed to invest in services. The Howard cabinet also rejected increases in pensions despite the growing cost-of-living pressure on people with a disability. Under the former coalition government, Commonwealth contributions to disability funding grew by a measly 1.8 per cent a year, less than the rate of inflation. In other words, funding went back.

Every Australian counts. A person who is born with a disability or acquires a medical disability should not receive inferior services to a person who acquires a disability in a motor vehicle accident. I am pleased to be part of a government that cares for the vulnerable. This is a great Labor reform. I know it will make a big difference to the lives of many in my electorate and around Australia.

Question agreed to.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 13:02