Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Social Services. Will the minister update the House on the government's broad-ranging disability reforms, including the National Disability Insurance Scheme and how this will improve the lives of the people with disability, especially those in my electorate of Gilmore? How will these reforms be paid for and are there any alternatives?

Christian Porter (Pearce, Liberal Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question. As the member knows, and I thank her for her support in this area, this budget contains a range of measures—not just a single measure; a range of measures—upon which people with a disability, their families and carers will rely and which will improve services. The budget provides $33 million for a local care workforce package to help the NDIS providers deliver needed workers. The budget also provides for a new independent national body, the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, that will be established to oversee service standards and to enforce participants' rights. That will cost—and is funded—$209 million over four years and will deal with the very issues the Leader of the Opposition raised this morning. There are also very significant reforms to disability employment services.

Of course, as the member knows, the single biggest measure designed to make real the promise of an improved life for Australians with a disability is the 0.5 per cent increase in the Medicare levy. Every day the list of groups—important advocates—that support this measure grows. They support the measure as necessary and fair. Here are just some of the groups that support the measure and want members opposite to agree to this measure and to end this funding uncertainty: the New South Wales Council for Intellectual Disabilities; People With Disability Australia; the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations; National Disability Services; First Peoples Disability Network; Disability Employment Australia; and the Disability Advocacy Network Australia. And they are but a few.

The other thing that increases by the day is the number of identified times that the Leader of the Opposition has previously said that this was a fair and necessary measure—and you do not have to look very hard to find the strength of his support. In fact, if you were to go onto the Leader of the Opposition's website today you would find a media release. This is not from a screenshot in 2013; this is on the website of the Leader of the Opposition today. It says that a contribution of around 96c a day is 'modest' and that:

That’s about a dollar a day from the average Australian towards a better life for people with disability, their families and carers in our community.

It will also provide peace of mind to all of us that if we or a loved one acquire a disability, we will be supported.

It goes on to say further:

… we believe in bringing hundreds of thousands of people out of their second class status in Australia and trying to give them some power and some money, but we are also explaining how we will fund a sizeable proportion of it through this levy.

What is fascinating is not only the level of support but also the fact that the Leader of the Opposition does not say the increase in the levy would fund all of the NDIS; he says it will fund 'a sizeable proportion'. All we want now is to fund the rest in precisely the way that Labor has always said is fair.