Robert Oakeshott (Lyne, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to put on the record my wholehearted and continued support for progress of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill 2012 and to congratulate everyone involved in the process of getting it to this point. I am the son of a head and neck doctor and so grew up surrounded by many people with disabilities. I learnt to swim in a hydrotherapy pool at a rehab centre. My playground was the Lismore House With No Steps. Many Christmases were spent running off my father's shoulder, wandering around hospitals, visiting patients. I was not allowed a motorbike when I was a teenager because of the number of head and neck injuries my father had seen.

This bill is a wonderful acknowledgement by this parliament of the good work done by many people over a long period of time in making sure that we are a country that includes everyone. It acknowledges and celebrates that all Australians, regardless of physical or mental impairment, have a contribution to make. I do want to single out one person who is a great example of that. I hope that, as this bill is implemented into law, that person will be remembered as the father of this exercise. That person is John Walsh, who is known by many people involved in this process. I am told by the minister that he is now with PricewaterhouseCoopers. From my point of view, he is a great example of what can be achieved in spite of life's adversities. He should be celebrating that we have got to this point in a bipartisan way. He is someone we should be celebrating in a country like Australia. I know success in a bill like this will have many fathers—it is great that it is bipartisan; it is great that it is happening in a minority parliament—but it is the John Walshes who are at the heart of the actuarial and policy work that has gone into getting this bill to this point. He is a great example of why this should matter to all Australians. A big hats-off to him and his contribution.

I am really pleased with this, but it is one of the few examples of bipartisanship in a parliament that could have delivered bipartisanship on many policy issues important to the nation. Unfortunately, from my point of view, over the past three years we have not seen more of this. This agreement is a shining light of what could be and what can be achieved when bipartisanship occurs. It secures the National Disability Insurance Scheme for the long term across state and political boundaries and really ups the credibility of the bill before the House today. I had previously mentioned a minority parliament. Many people at the start of this parliament were saying that it would be shaky and would not be able to do anything. Well, this bill is a substantial reform that we are seeing passed in a minority-type parliament. That is a credit to the negotiation skills of the key stakeholders involved.

I congratulate the Productivity Commission for their work in getting the matter to this point. I congratulate the minister for driving it from there and the opposition for their willingness to put their hands across the table and make this one of those rare bipartisan moments. I recognise there is a lot more work in detail to go into this. In many ways the detail will be incredibly important, both on the economics and in making sure that this is a contribution to the economy of Australia rather than a burden. As well, the challenge of shaping the boundaries will be incredibly difficult. Even now there are anomalies in existing laws about entitlements or arrangements for younger people with disability compared to older people with disability. The age of 26 seems to pop up in a lot of legislation, with things like hearing aids versus speech processors, who is or is not a designated person and the changing nature of arrangements for individuals. Those are a few examples of the complexities that are going to be involved in shaping the boundaries. No-one should think that it is going to be an easy process. I am thrilled that public policy is not shying away from that and is not standing in the way. If those boundaries can be shaped well and if the economics can stand up to some great challenges that we have in mid-term and long-term budget forecasts, then this will be a significant contribution that this parliament has delivered for Australia.

It is probably only a new Pope being announced and celebrated around the world that would be of more significance today, but I reckon this bill is pretty close to it. It will probably not get the widespread coverage that a new Pope will get, but it should. It is good work, it does matter and it is going to mean a lot to many people's lives. From a social inclusion point of view, it will build a better Australia. Well done to all those involved.

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Disability Reform) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to start by thanking every single member of parliament who has joined in the debate on the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill 2012 and every single person who contributed to the development of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. I think it is right that, without exception, all members have spoken about the need for, and the benefits of, the National Disability Insurance Scheme. I see my colleague the Minister for Employment and Workplaces Relations joining us in the chamber and I acknowledge his role, when he was Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services, in the early stages of the development of this scheme.

It is true that it is rare that a proposed reform of this size strikes such a chord with so many of us across political lines. The consensus in the House does reflect the consensus across the Australian community. It is a reform whose time has come. It is a reform that this government is very, very proud to be delivering so that Australians with significant or profound disability can receive the care and support they need regardless of how they acquired their disability. Just like all Australians have access to social security and universal health care, so it is that we will now have an entitlement to services and support based on need.

This bill establishes the framework for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and the National Disability Insurance Scheme Launch Transition Agency. The legislation will enable the National Disability Insurance Scheme to be launched from July this year. The launch will benefit around 26,000 people with disability and their families and carers—people living in South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory, the Hunter in New South Wales and the Barwon area in Victoria. In New South Wales, where we have reached agreement to roll out the National Disability Insurance Scheme across the state by July 2018, around 140,000 people will benefit. We look forward to working with people in other states so that those with disability right across the country can be supported by the full scheme.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme will transform the lives of people with disability, their families and their carers. For the first time, they will have their needs met in a way that truly supports them to live with choice and dignity. It will bring an end to the tragedy of services denied or delayed and, instead, offer people with disability the care and support they need over their lifetimes. It will end the cruel lottery that besets people today when the care and support that they receive depends on where they live or on how they acquired their disability.

I would particularly like to recognise the efforts of the disability and carer community in coming together with providers to advocate for this overdue reform; it is because of their extraordinary efforts and their willingness to come together that we are here today. They know, as the Productivity Commission found, that the current disability support system is unfair, underfunded, fragmented and inefficient. I would especially like to thank those people who have really rolled up their sleeves, who have worked so hard and so constructively to provide input into this bill—who have considered the detail and what it means for people with a disability, their family and their carers—for a scheme that each and every one of us has so much hope for.

I also want to thank the advisory group—Jeff Harmer, Rhonda Galbally, Bruce Bonyhady, Joan McKenna Kerr, Ken Baker, Fran Vicary and Lorna Hallahan—and all those organisations who have reached out, worked with their members and with people with disability, their families and carers and with service providers right round the country to gauge their views and test ideas and practices. All of this has been fed back into making sure that the bill that we will pass today is so much stronger. I want to thank them sincerely and all those people who have put up their hands, raised their voices to be heard not only in principle but, day by day, in practice.

The rights of people with disability, their families and carers are at the heart of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and at the heart of this bill. The bill will implement a nationwide, demand driven system of care tailored to the needs of each individual and established on a durable, long-term basis. The bill reflects the extensive work on design, funding and governance that we have undertaken with the states and territories; with people with disability, their families and carers; and with providers and other key stakeholders—work that of course will be ongoing as we continue to build and refine the scheme.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme will respond to each individual's goals and aspirations for their lifetime. The National Disability Insurance Scheme Launch Transition Agency will be established as an independent statutory body with an independent board by the passage of this bill through the parliament. The board will be supported by an independent advisory council, as set out in this legislation, and its members will bring to the scheme experience of disability and of caring. The agency will work with people to plan how they will achieve their goals, taking account of their individual circumstances and needs. For the first time, people with disability will receive the care and support they need in the course of their lifetime.

The bill sets out the objects and principles under which the National Disability Insurance Scheme will operate, including giving people choice and control over the care and support that they receive, and giving effect in part to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The bill sets out the process for a person becoming a participant in the scheme, how participants develop a personal goal-based plan with the agency, and how reasonable and necessary supports will be assured to participants. People will be able to decide for themselves the type of care and support they receive and choose how they want to manage these supports. They will be able to access assistance from local coordinators who understand their local community. They will also be able to access early intervention therapies and supports where these supports will improve a person's functioning or slow or prevent the progression of their disability over their lifetime. The bill also provides that the agency will be responsible for the provision of support to people with disability, their families and carers.

What sits behind this bill as well, given its size, is the hard work of people in the Australian Public Service and in state and territory governments. I want to thank in particular officers of the National Disability Insurance Scheme task force—those from my own department, led by Serena Wilson, and those from Prime Minister and Cabinet, led by Rebecca Cross. I also want to thank the officers of the agency, David Bowen and his team. Each and every one of you have put enormous effort into this scheme that all of us are working to build, and I know that each of these officers have put their heart and soul into it.

I know this is unusual, but I want to mention the particular role of the secretary of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Dr Ian Watt, and the secretary of my own department, Finn Pratt. It is extraordinary that we have had the benefit of these two outstanding leaders in the development of this bill. Finally, I want to acknowledge the role played in my own office by my personal staff; and I thank Corri McKenzie and Kate Costello, who have also dedicated so much of their time to this bill.

I will shortly be moving amendments to the bill, and these amendments have come out of considerations by the Council of Australian Governments and other agreements that we have negotiated with the states and territories; from ongoing engagement with people who have a disability, their families and their carers; and from advocates and service providers. The amendments also respond to matters that were raised in submissions to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee during its inquiry into the bill.

This bill is an enormous step in ensuring that people with disability, their families and carers receive peace of mind. Thank you.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.