Russell Broadbent (McMillan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm always entirely and emotionally disarmed when I meet with young mums and sometimes older mums who have disabled kids, and I'm honoured to represent them as the member for McMillan. At a meeting in Leongatha last week, when I was back in my electorate, they outlined the problems that they're having with the introduction of the NDIS, the change from where they were to where they are going and the difficulties. There was no angst, no anger; they just laid out the problems. It was meant to be a half-hour meeting; it went for 1½ hours. It is difficult, as all the members in this House would know, when you're not in a city-centric area where all the services are available to you but a region where the services are just not there.

But we are moving forward. At the moment the hospital has come in as a provider. We are going to start working with the hospital and with other providers throughout Gippsland. But remember that in regional areas you can't just pop down the road to the service in the next town. It's an hour-and-a-half's drive. If someone drives their child to the service they don't get charged the hour to go, but if they have them drive over to give the service in their town they have to pay for the hour. There are huge difficulties, but we are working together. Thank you, mums from Leongatha.