Ben Morton (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm excited to see the introduction of the NDIS in parts of my electorate this year and in the whole of my electorate by the middle of next year. Last month, I had the pleasure of welcoming to my electorate the Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services, the Hon. Jane Prentice, to get some feedback from disability service providers as Tangney prepares for the arrival of the NDIS.

One organisation we visited was Elba Incorporated, a service provider made up of over 100 care workers who provide services to people with a disability, as well as their families, in their own homes. What delighted me in our discussions with the CEO and the director of operations was a genuine interest in providing people with a service below the suggested price guide. I was pleasantly surprised when asked by those at Elba if they could charge less than the price recommended by the government. This showed me the willingness of service providers to embrace the opportunity of new-found competition under the NDIS. While price limits exist in the NDIS model to protect participants from paying too much for any given service, the market growth and competition tension between suppliers can and will encourage providers to give their customers the best product they possibly can for the cheapest price. For the first time in the disability sector, it will be people power driving the price of the services they receive. Organisations will no longer have absolute power in service availability, pricing and quality. This will truly lead to greater outcomes for people with disability and their families.

We also had the chance to catch up with Barbara, Jody and Paula from WizeTherapy, an organisation that provides physiotherapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy to babies, children and young adults. With the introduction of the NDIS in Western Australia, smaller companies such as WizeTherapy will be able to compete against the larger organisations that have previously priced them out of the market. Providing a more local experience, companies like WizeTherapy will be able to be competitive by providing a higher quality, more personal experience. This is a welcome departure from the current system, which locks people with a disability into block funding for services from one provider, a system that only benefits larger organisations. Disability service providers in my electorate are already receiving expressions of interest as people with disabilities and their families begin planning towards a commitment to a better quality of life.

The NDIS will provide people with a disability in my electorate with a greater sense of independence and control over their lives as they make their decisions on what's important to them, whether that be in education, health and wellbeing or community involvement. The people in my electorate who live in the city of Melville can expect to see the NDIS rolled out in their area by 1 July this year. Those in my electorate in the city of Canning can expect to benefit from the scheme on 1 July 2019. By 2019, the NDIS will support about 460,000 Australians with a disability and invest $22 billion a year in services and equipment. This funding is only possible because of the hard work of the Turnbull government. The NDIS is a fantastic initiative, established by the Gillard government. However, as with most of Labor's commitments, they overpromised and underdelivered.

When the Liberal-National government came to power, the NDIS was unfunded and unachievable, but, thanks to the hard work of the Turnbull government, the NDIS is now changing people's lives in the community and giving them a brighter hope for the future. On this side of the House, we believe that decisions are best made by those who are most directly affected. While those opposite often like to see more bureaucrats and more red tape, our NDIS model gives the power to the person who's going to be most directly affected. Individual choice is critical in making sure that people are receiving the best possible service for the best possible price. Empowering people to make their own decisions about their own care for their own lives will ensure not only the highest standard of quality and lowest possible price but also quality of life and dignity.

Thank you to Assistant Minister Prentice for allowing me to showcase enthusiastic support for the incoming scheme in my electorate. Thank you to everyone who has given us valuable feedback so that we can provide the best possible outcomes for all Western Australians with disability.