Emma Husar (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Cheryl McDonald lives in Lindsay. She is a constituent of mine who called my office. She's a mum, she's a wife, she's a retired office worker and she's a nanna. I want to thank her for allowing me to get up and tell her story in here.

She is an amputee and is in need of a pump for her leg. She has a prosthetic leg. In the past, she has been independent and able to drive, walk and play with her grandson. Without a working pump to drain her stump she is virtually housebound—housebound due to a simple, ineffective pump. Her NDIS plan says that she has an assistive technology budget of about $1,000. Her request for a new pump is currently again under review, because there is not enough allocated in the budget. Normally, a review would take two weeks. The plan has now been referred to another review committee with no time frame given. Cheryl is articulate and can advocate for herself, but her need for a new pump has cost her dearly. Delays and inaction in providing this new pump have resulted in a haematoma in her stump. Now she needs a new prosthetic leg and will possibly require surgery.

This uncaring government is fumbling the NDIS rollout for constituent after constituent day after day, in my electorate and in electorates all over this country. There are major problems with plan reviews, and, in this instance, the delays have cost this constituent her independence and caused considerable pain and distress, not to mention the additional costs that will now burden the health system. This government is obviously unacceptable. The way that she has been treated by this government is outstandingly terrible. (Time expired)