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

I move:

(1) acknowledges that the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS):

(a) supports a better life for hundreds of thousands of Australians with a significant and permanent disability, and their families and carers; and

(b) will provide about 460,000 Australians under the age of 65 with a permanent and significant disability with the reasonable and necessary supports they need to live an ordinary life;

(2) notes that:

(a) the NDIS began in a number of trial sites around Australia from July 2013;

(b) the NDIS is now operational across Australia;

(c) as at 31 December 2017, there were 132,743 participants with an approved plan with the NDIS and 9,523 children receiving support through the Early Childhood Early Intervention approach; and

(d) the NDIS roll-out in Western Australia will commence 1 July 2018;

(3) calls on the Government to urgently address delays and inadequacies in the NDIS operations and roll-out, including:

(a) funding adequacy and access to the scheme;

(b) NDIS plan approvals and plan renewals;

(c) access to adequate health services, care and supports, housing and other essential services; and

(d) ensuring that the pricing structure of the NDIS enables service providers to deliver high quality support to participants in the scheme including for group activities that are being threatened by the current model;

(4) reaffirms its commitment to:

(a) ensuring Australians with a disability continue to get the support they need;

(b) the scheme roll-out continuing to ensure a smooth transition for people with disability and support providers; and

(c) an adequately funded and resourced NDIS; and

(5) encourages all Members of Parliament to support the NDIS roll-out and the access to support it provides to people with disability.

The NDIS is something that Labor members of this caucus and of previous caucuses are incredibly proud of. It is something that I am incredibly proud of and, arguably, it is one of the things that ignited my passion for politics and finding a pathway into this place. It was Labor that fought for and introduced the NDIS that would transform the lives of people with a disability and make sure that they were able to achieve the level of independence that many of us here take for granted. We left office in 2013, with a plan to fully fund the NDIS for the next 10 years. This budget is a clear admission that the National Disability Insurance Scheme has always been fully funded. This is a massive embarrassment for the Prime Minister and the Treasurer, who have spent years and years fuelling the anxiety of people with a disability and their carers by telling them that the NDIS is in some kind of danger, that it is not fully funded or that, as a country, we cannot afford it. An elderly couple in my electorate, who have a son in residential care, came to see me. They're incredibly old now and they worry about his life when they pass away. This is the case for many people. With the droning and constant squealing of the Treasurer that the NDIS isn't fully funded, they were terrified that their son's future was being placed at considerable risk. It takes an exceptional type of cruelty and of being so out-of-touch to do this to families. This makes me even more committed to holding this government and its weak-as-water rhetoric to account.

Currently, there are about 142,000 participants with an approved plan who are accessing the NDIS, which includes about 9,500 children receiving support through the Early Childhood Early Intervention, ECEI, approach. An estimated half a million people under the age of 65 will finally receive the care and support that they have been waiting for so long to receive. The Commonwealth Ombudsman raised concerns about the timeliness of reviews in its report issued last week. It stated:

Of particular concern is the issue of delays in completing reviews. In February 2018, the NDIA advised our Office it had around 8,100 reviews on hand, and it was receiving around 620 new review requests each week. The NDIA has acknowledged some reviews are taking up to nine months to be completed.

We cannot afford to stumble on the implementation of the NDIS. It is a groundbreaking scheme. It is a system, a policy and a piece of infrastructure that will change people's lives; it will create an absolutely tangible difference. Fundamentally, this NDIS is a once-in-a-generation reform package, similar to what we had when we introduced Medicare many years ago.

My office has become an NDIS de facto office and shopfront, with people contacting me every single day about their inadequate plans, about the reviews, about needing help or advocacy and also about the staff who mean well but who are, unfortunately, not trained. Take, for example, Tracey, who resides in Penrith, with her husband and their 13-year-old son, Bradley. Tracey has voiced her concerns and frustrations about resources and funding of the NDIS multiple times. Her son Bradley is severely disabled. He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. He has severe spinal scoliosis, is non-verbal and is wheelchair-bound. Tracey is the kind of mother this country should be applauding. So this government should not be running around fuelling her anxiety about what's to come. Tracy is Bradley's full-time carer, and his dad works six days a week to provide what their family needs. Bradley is non-verbal, as I said, and he has been waiting 20 months for communication aids. That's 20 months. I'm not quite sure what the delay is, but we've asked and we've asked and we've asked. He would be one of those 8,000 people who are waiting for a review. The response continues to be 'It's being reviewed.' He's due for surgery in September for a spine fusion. He's going to need a shower trolley. Imagine that! He's going to have spinal surgery. It is 11 months since that request was made. The wheelchair has been approved, which is a small win, but it will take three months to get it from America.

A single mum in my electorate who contacted me has two children, a six-year-old and an eight-year-old, who have both been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. She contacted me, pleading that, under the current NDIS budget, she's concerned for the wellbeing of her kids. The care plans in place for the children are inadequate and will not fund the critical support services that they need. Her son attends behavioural therapy, and mum has noticed significant improvements, as we do. The core budget gives this family some room to hire additional support at home. Without this, she will struggle to manage. Her request for a review has been lodged; however, it will be some months before it's considered.

Briefly, I would like to acknowledge the news in the media in recent days about the National Disability Insurance Agency's categorisation of autism. Both the NDIA and the government must work with stakeholders to make sure that the NDIS delivers for people who have autism spectrum disorder and must not through some kind of cost-saving exercise make it harder for people with autism. People with autism account for about a third of the participants accessing the NDIS, and a further third will. I am incredibly disappointed with the NDIA's handling of this issue in recent days. It has been poorly managed. It is so typical of this government to bungle anything. Quite frankly, I don't think it can be trusted to deliver a pizza at this rate, let alone a life-changing opportunity for hundreds of decent Australians.

Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is there a seconder for the motion?

Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Lindsay for her motion. I know from our service together on the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme that this issue is important to her, as it is to all of us. The NDIS is one of the largest and most complex healthcare projects undertaken since Federation. That's why the government has been working soberly and proactively with stakeholders to get this right. It was, after all, the Turnbull government which reached agreements for the full rollout of the NDIS with all the states and territories. It was also our chairing of the COAG Disability Reform Council which saw it endorse the frameworks and strategies needed for rollout.

Last year we introduced the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, and properly resourced it with $209 million over four years and 300 staff. As a result, the overall story from the NDIS rollout is a positive one. When asked directly during our inquiry into mental health services under the NDIS, every one of the organisations involved stated that the rollout has seen a huge positive impact on the lives of a great many people. Service providers have taken on new staff, others have begun offering new mental health or disability services and some are expanding into new geographical sites. Many people are getting help that previously did not. Many have certainty and structure in their care, and many are enjoying the additional control they have over their own lives. As at 30 September 2017, when more than 112,000 Australians had NDIS plans, 84 per cent of participants surveyed rated their experience with the NDIS as either good or very good.

As we address what I acknowledge are emerging areas for improvement, we should not lose sight of the fact that, in general, the NDIS is already making a life-changing difference for tens of thousands of people. There certainly are challenges, but the government is acting to address them. There are concerns about people's ability to get continued access to services which are not covered by the NDIS or for which they will not be eligible. Last year, the government addressed that concern when it came to mental health, with $80 million for community health services to help people with severe mental illness who are deemed ineligible for the NDIS.

In this year's budget, the government has gone further, allocating a further $92.6 million for other existing clients of Commonwealth disability support programs who are ineligible for the NDIS. There are also concerns about the workforce capacity needed. Again, the government has responded in this budget with $64.3 million for a Jobs and Market Fund to support the growth of disability service providers and the disability-care workforce. There are concerns about the funding of advocacy services. Providers had been offering this support unfunded. But, last August, the government responded with a $60 million funding package to pay for that advocacy.

While the NDIS may face challenges, we must reflect on how much worse the situation would have been under Labor. This government has taken the decisions needed to fully fund the NDIS. While we waited for the results of our economy-building policies to flow through, we took the tough decision to raise the Medicare levy. Now that our jobs-and-growth agenda is having its effect, we are instead spending the dividends of our strong economic management on supporting our community's most vulnerable. In contrast, a Labor-run NDIS would have faced a budget shortfall of more than $5 billion a year, and a true budget black hole of $57 billion in the years to come. Labor claim, of course, that the NDIS was fully funded all along. But I'm afraid their track record of managing it does not give us any reason to believe them. It was Labor, after all, that dived into trials of the NDIS a year earlier than the Productivity Commission recommended, so that they could have it as part of their election campaign. It was Labor that signed the Commonwealth up to one-sided agreements which took 100 per cent of the financial risk with little or no control over the levers to manage that risk. And let us not forget that, in just one quarter of operation under Labor, the average cost of an NDIS package blew out by an average of 30 per cent.

Under this government, the NDIS is fully funded and on track to roll out on time. As with any project of this size there are challenges to be overcome and where they are identified this government is responding with swift and prudent action. Personally, I cannot wait for the NDIS roll-out on the Sunshine Coast, from 1 January 2019.

Julian Hill (Bruce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm speaking up today on behalf of Caddie Whitehead and her son, Xabian Paterson, a gorgeous young child who has severe cerebral palsy. Caddie drives an hour and 20 minutes each way so that she and Xabian can attend the Cerebral Palsy Education Centre in my electorate, because CPEC's flagship transdisciplinary group program, which has been operating for decades, is the best thing Caddie has found for her son. Yet, shockingly, this brilliant program will have to stop if the government fails to act quickly to fix the NDIS pricing structure, which is now making it unviable. After trying other early interventions, Caddie quickly realised that this program was going to make Xabian into the best person that he could be. The family had actually moved from New South Wales to Melbourne as Caddie's husband had a work contract. Xabian was born shortly after. When Grant's contract for work was up they decided to stay in Melbourne instead of returning to the comfort and help of their family in New South Wales, because they wanted to continue on with CPEC, as they could see the benefits for Xabian and their family.

The class is eight children and four instructors—a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, a speech pathologist and an aide—plus the parents and carers. Learning from the transdisciplinary team of instructors is important, but having other families present is a key part of its magic. I visited a few weeks ago and saw this firsthand. To work, however, this program requires a one-to-two funding ratio. The program has been evaluated formally for over 20 years—individual outcomes have been evaluated, video recorded and annual assessments. It's evidence based.

So, what's the problem? It's not a lifelong program; it's early intervention for kids between 0 and 6 years old to moderate the severity of their condition, giving them skills for life and saving costs to governments later in life. The problem is that the government is making a growing mess of Labor's visionary NDIS. The NDIS pricing structure is still one-size-fits-all and requires a ratio of one-to-three for group programs, which means for every therapist you need three kids for it to be financially viable. This simply doesn't work with the severity of CPEC's participants.

The NDIA also won't fund the critical planning, preparation, resource development and support activities for this cohort, which take about 10 hours a week. So, right now, CPEC is limping along with bandaids and sticky tape trying to hold it together while cutting back places and seeing their waiting lists grow. Ridiculously, they're now covering the costs for this critical program through fundraising and higher fees. But it can't be sustained. I've written to the Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services asking her to act. We may be on opposite sides but she's a wonderful colleague and a credit to you mob. She actually cares about what she's doing. It's shameful how you've just knocked her off in preselection. I still figure it's better to approach her than the hapless Minister for Social Services.

I call on the government and the NDIA to intervene urgently to save this program. There is no time for your normal dithering with correspondence and do-nothing approach. This flagship program will die if changes aren't made urgently. This is not an isolated problem. I've been told that due to the NDIS pricing structure therapeutic group programs have been phased out by providers across the disability sector nationwide.

We hear a lot about bipartisanship. When it's convenient, it gets thrown at us—bipartisanship on the NDIS. Let me be clear: bipartisanship is not a slogan; it's not a sticker; it's not a gag on us; it's not a leave pass for scrutiny for you; it's not an excuse for inaction or bastardisation of Labor's visionary scheme. Bipartisanship is a conditional offer on the government being competent, honest and faithful to the intent of the NDIS and doing the right thing.

Unfortunately, this group-pricing saga is one of many growing problems of the NDIS under the Liberals—not placing the patient at the centre of the scheme, as was intended. There's cultural problems at the NDIA. They've got thousands of contractors and expensive consultants and not enough staff, because of the government's fake staffing cap. We heard news just today of secret plans to kick thousands of people with autism off the NDIS nationwide. The draft plans are not available for review. The IT system is a debacle—the myplace portal. The workforce challenges are a joke. The Productivity Commission says one in five new jobs in the next few years in this country will be disability-related, such is the scale of this change. Yet there's no workforce strategy. There's no national advertising campaign to try to get the workforce we need—nothing. So, we are watching.

The truth is, of course, that in their DNA the Liberals hate universal services, and they hate these universal entitlement programs. They oppose them at every step. If you look through Australian political history, Medicare was scrapped by the Liberals after Whitlam introduced it and was brought back by the Hawke government. It's always under attack by this mob. There are public schools and the NDIS: we build it, you cut it. Every groundbreaking reform, since 1908 with the invalid pension, since 1991 with the disability support pension and the NDIS— (Time expired)

Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bruce. Before I call the member for Bennelong, I'd just like to issue a general reminder to the chamber and to the member for Bruce to direct remarks through the Chair, and also give a reminder to use moderate language in the chamber.

John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you to the member for Lindsay for raising this important issue. The National Disability Insurance Scheme provides life-changing support to Australians with disability. This is why the Turnbull government has committed to fully funding the NDIS. The time for political games over the NDIS is well and truly over. Australians want to see the scheme fully funded and support being provided to those who need it. The Turnbull government has recognised the importance of the NDIS and has ensured that they have covered the $56 billion funding gap that had been left behind by Labor.

Despite Labor's unwillingness to support our initial plan, the government has ensured that the NDIS is fully funded without any increase to the Medicare levy, thanks to our strengthened economy and the government's strong budget management. It is now more important than ever that Australia has the strong economic management that only the coalition government can deliver to ensure we can fund the NDIS into the future. Now it is time to deliver the NDIS in the most efficient and effective way.

The recent budget guarantees the funding for the NDIS. In addition to this, the government is ensuring that those ineligible for the NDIS will continue to receive support. The government has committed $92.6 million for continuity of support for existing clients of Commonwealth disability support programs for people who are ineligible for the NDIS, and $64.3 million for a Jobs and Market Fund to support the growth of disability service providers and the disability care workforce to meet the needs of the NDIS. At its full operation, 460,000 Australians will be supported by the NDIS, with an estimated 2,129 people in my electorate of Bennelong being supported by the scheme.

There are a number of fantastic stories and lessons about the NDIS that have come from my own electorate. Royal Rehab, the Rehabilitation and Disability Support Network, is an incredible rehabilitation hospital in my electorate that has worked with thousands of people every year since its inception in 1899. It was responsible for the rehabilitation of the injured rugby league player, Alex McKinnon. Royal Rehab runs a supported independent living program as part of the NDIS and have repeatedly expressed to me how happy they are with the scheme. Particular recognition must go to their Chair, Tony Stavely, and the outgoing CEO, Stephen Lowndes, for all of their amazing hard work and dedication in serving the local community of Bennelong. Stephen concludes his tenure as CEO in June of this year, and I would like to thank him for his 10 years of committed service to Royal Rehab and to the people of Bennelong. I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome the incoming CEO, Matthew Mackay, and wish him the very best of luck in this role.

Naturally, the transition of such large-scale and established service provider systems like the NDIS brings with it a number of challenges. However, the government continues to work towards improving the implementation and understanding of the scheme. Two weeks ago, my office was made aware of difficulties faced by the Estia Foundation, located in Gladesville, in managing their client's NDIS budgets. Estia was initially established to provide short-term overnight accommodation to people with disabilities. However, they found that towards the end of the financial year, many clients who unexpectedly required short-term respite did not have sufficient funds in their NDIS plans. This caused Estia to undertake a restructure and turn towards more long-term group accommodation. I'm happy to report that Estia will continue to employ staff and support individuals with expert levels of care. Their work is a great asset to our local community. Experiences such as these are not ideal, but play an essential role in developing and improving the scheme.

Another great NDIS success story in Bennelong is a local organisation called RASAID, the Ryde Area Supported Accommodation for Intellectually Disabled. I've spoken about RASAID a number of times in the past. RASAID brought together 19 local families to secure accommodation for their 20 children with intellectual disabilities and with high-care needs. Last year, upon hearing that RASAID was on the verge of closing its doors due to complications with supported independent living, I immediately approached Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services, Jane Prentice, who boldly leapt into action and ensured the organisation was the beneficiary of an early trial of a new tool kit that ensured funding was secured. I cannot thank Assistant Minister Prentice enough for both her work for RASAID and her continued advocacy for the NDIS to ensure all Australians have— (Time expired)

Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm very pleased to be supporting this motion moved by the member for Lindsay and to reaffirm my commitment to Labor's visionary National Disability Insurance Scheme. I am particularly concerned about reports that there are secret plans to remove support from those who have autism. We know that early intervention with autism is absolutely crucial to helping kids achieve the very best that they can and supporting parents to do this. Those reports are extremely concerning.

Today, I want to talk about the NDIS from the perspective of just one of the many people who has had to battle to have a fair go. Rachel Privitera is a young mum from Bligh Park in Hawkesbury in my electorate of Macquarie. She has an eight-year-old son, Cameron, who suffers from severe cerebral palsy and epilepsy, is tube fed and is legally blind. Rachel is tough. She is a fighter. But she has been forced by an underfunded and unsupported NDIS to fight harder than she should have to just so that Cameron can have access to the things he needs just to get by.

Rachel has found the battle with the National Disability Insurance Authority all-consuming. When I met with her recently with the Leader of the Opposition, she described devoting every waking moment to fighting for her son. She was doing things like walking away from the car, leaving the boot open and accidentally leaving bags in places, all because of how totally consuming her battle with the NDIA was. She wasn't being selfish. She wasn't fighting for what anyone would consider to be luxuries. This was about keeping her son sufficiently hydrated. I'm not going to go into the personal medical details here, but Rachel did share them with us when she spoke with us, and it's clear that the NDIA and this government are not doing enough.

The reality is that this government doesn't see Rachel and Cameron as a priority. If they did, they would not be throwing money at big banks and big businesses; they would be committing resources to ensure that the NDIS was working effectively and working the way it was intended to, so that everyday mums like Rachel don't have to have their lives turned upside down repeatedly by bureaucracy. Rachel has fought her way through the inadequacies and the downfalls of a poorly implemented NDIS, and secured her son what he needs.

What is so impressive, though, about this young mother is that she's not satisfied to have adequate resources for her own son alone. She's concerned for every man, woman and child who doesn't have the ability to fight the way she fought for Cameron. She's concerned that many are not having their voices heard or their needs addressed because the system simply isn't accessible. You shouldn't have to fight for something that you have a right to. The loudness of your voice and the people that you know should not determine whether or not you access the NDIS.

Rachel has now gone even further in her fight: she's taking up the fight for all families who have children with a disability. I want to share with you her words about the sort of facilities she wants to see in our communities. She wants to see fully inclusive playgrounds, like Livvi's Place playgrounds, so families like hers can feel like part of the community, not separate from it. She says:

When our family goes to a Livvi's Place playground, we can stay for hours, we invite other friends from Cameron's special needs school, we have a BBQ! These are things that a normal family do. In a normal park, without equipment for Cameron, we can only stay for half an hour. Cameron cries, he's excluded, he can hear other kids playing & laughing.

They're the words of a mum who knows what our community needs. It's not Cameron's disability that holds him back; it's his lack of access to things that the rest of us just take for granted.

As many Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains residents know, neither place is completely accessible. In the Hawkesbury, we have bumpy and slanted walkways, a legacy of our heritage. We have heritage guttering, high enough to ensure that a trip down the street counts as a leg day at the gym. All of this is a challenge not just for wheelchairs but for prams and elderly walkers. The mountainous terrain naturally creates its own challenges, especially for people to access recreational areas. There is certainly a demand from the community for greater inclusivity in our play areas. I'm determined to see more inclusive facilities across Macquarie, and I'll be standing alongside Rachel and Cameron and other families to fight for what is their right and for a fair go.

Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Firstly, I congratulate the member for Lindsay for moving this very important motion this morning. The member for Lindsay has been a very passionate advocate for the rights of people living with a disability in our community and has been a great supporter, not only in her time in the parliament but previous to that, of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. I'm pleased that she's moved this motion today because, just like Medicare, the prices and incomes accord or Mabo, the NDIS is one of those great Labor nation-building initiatives that moves our nation forward, providing better quality of life for a marginalised group of Australians.

I must pay credit, also, to the Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten, who is actually the person who provided the impetus in this parliament for the NDIS to come to fruition. When Bill was the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services in the previous Rudd government, he consulted widely. He travelled around the country consulting representative groups and people living with disabilities; he planned, crafted and helped deliver the National Disability Insurance Scheme. It should never be forgotten that Bill Shorten was the initial architect of that scheme. Finally, those living with a disability were getting support and most importantly the help that they needed for new opportunities in life and for living a rewarding and fulfilling life. That's the basis upon which we introduced the National Disability Insurance Scheme. It's progressively being rolled out throughout the country, with, as the motion points out, 132,743 participants and 9,523 children receiving support through early childhood intervention.

There have been some teething problems. You would expect as such with a large policy and a new rollout. Certainly in Kingsford Smith, many participants in the scheme, their families and friends have consulted me about the plans and the fact that some of them have had issues—not supporting current supports, not supporting goals and new aspirations—and I'm pleased to say that, in most cases, we've been able to work them out, working with the local office that's situated in Maroubra, and I thank the staff there for the work that they've been undertaking.

This motion moved by the member for Lindsay goes to a very important point—that is, ensuring that the pricing structure of the NDIS enables service providers to deliver high-quality support to participants in the scheme, including for group activities that are being threatened by the current model. This is becoming a big issue in the community that I'm in. Already, one of the service providers, HeadEast, which provided support for people who were victims of brain trauma associated with car accidents, has had to close. They simply couldn't continue to operate under the current pricing structure. Other providers have also contacted me, saying that, if the current pricing structure continues, they simply won't be able to provide services for people living in our community.

The government commissioned McKinsey to do an independent report in February 2018. Recommendation 9 of that report was:

The NDIA should update the pricing structure for the core support item ‘Group based activities in a centre’, to allow providers to charge a high intensity loading where a more skilled worker is required to serve a participant …

The NDIA have had a look at that and responded to that recommendation. In the NDIA's response they recognise that this is an issue. They recognise that the current pricing structure is inadequate. They say that the recommendation is supported and will be implemented by 1 July 2018. That's weeks away. Some of these service providers have been contacting the NDIA and saying: 'When is this change going to be implemented? What is the new pricing structure going to be?' The NDIA can't give them an answer, and that is putting at risk the support that many of these providers are providing, particularly to people who need high-end supports in a one-to-one situation.

It's not good enough to have this uncertainty about whether high-dependency support for families in vulnerable situations is going to be able to continue under the new service model. The NDIA have to get their act together. The minister has to step in here and get the NDIA to publish what they will do in the future to ensure that these service providers can continue to provide this support and, importantly, that the people with high-end needs who rely on these services can continue to get the supports to live fulfilling and rewarding lives.

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

The National Disability Insurance Scheme is a world's first scheme to provide support to people with a disability. The mission is for it to change the way people with a disability, their families and disability providers work together. Naturally, making such a vast change to the system will create challenges. It's bigger than the original snowy dam project or even building our Navy ships. Late last year the NDIS reached a major milestone, with over 140,000 Australians with a disability now receiving this life-changing support.

During the last week of April and the first week in May we held four NDIS forums in Gilmore. The idea was to get the providers, the NDIS and the NDIA in the same room as the carers and clients of the system. This was an enriching event for all who came. They initially expressed frustration and anger at the process, but they had some issues resolved and some pathways determined. There is a real need for the planners, the LACs and the people involved to have complete dialogue with each other, as many of the issues that become frustrating can be fixed fairly readily if there is full and compassionate communication. This is confirmed by 83 per cent of participants who entered the NDIS in the December quarter rating their experience as good or very good. Also, since the scheme began, the overall average satisfaction rating has remained high at 90 per cent.

There has been a large increase in the number of providers registered, which is now more than 12,300. There is room for more. I was told last week that many small businesses, like plumbers and other trades, could also be providers, but they don't realise it.

While the government is continuing to work with the National Disability Insurance Agency and the state and territory governments to make sure the success of the NDIS with regard to participant outcomes, financial stability and the economic benefits to the country, I must mention that it seems as if the state governments—at least in New South Wales—have retracted some of the block funding before time, so there are gaps appearing for continuity of service. It makes me feel a little concerned.

An independent evaluation conducted over the last 4½ years has confirmed the NDIS is improving the wellbeing of people with a disability. The story of Cameron McMullen in Ulladulla is a perfect example. He was proud to let us know that his life has been completely changed for the better. He has more activities and his goal for personal freedom is about to be delivered in the form of a modified vehicle. As the report indicates, the NDIS is one of the most important social policy innovations. The hundreds of good stories are often lost when the few that really do need our attention to help resolve come to our notice.

I, for one, will be thrilled when the current trial program is universally available. That will mean that the plans that are developed for clients are shown to them and/or their carers before being delivered to the government for approval. What an amazing difference that will make, leading to fewer reviews, less dissatisfaction and happier results overall. I'm hopeful that the organisations responsible for Early Childhood Early Intervention in Gilmore have the sensitivity and background knowledge that help families and their children with disabilities to navigate the system and get the best possible outcomes. Such a group that has been an outstanding provider so far is Noah's Ark. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for them.

Some parts of the NDIS truly need help. The planners need the proposed services to be described in everyday language, but the NDIS needs the technical descriptor or medical explanation. This needs to be resolved, and was brought up in each of our fora. Mental ill health is part of the NDIS, but accessing the program can be difficult at best and impossible at worst. The very support structures that have been in place under the state government are now withdrawing their funding, as is supposed to happen, in June this year. How can we deliver a no-disadvantage system to people who pass the New South Wales state eligibility criteria for mental health support but have been rejected by the NDIS? The consequence is that very important support they have been receiving is no longer available. Sunflower House is a place where women in particular go for mental health support. Last week I spoke with a number of very concerned staff, and also Leanne, who stayed back to give me her story:

Prior to attending Sunflower House, I was totally housebound. I would not even go to my letterbox. I was socially isolated and disconnected from everyone and everything. I had attempted to take my life on numerous occasions throughout the years, the last one almost successful. This service has helped me in so many ways, I have a safe place to attend, I've made friendships, my children are no longer worried about me as they were.

Leanne has been accepted by the NDIS, but many of her new friends at Sunflower House have not, and she asked me to ask the government why not, for many of them with mental health problems are at the same risk as she was. I will ask and follow up.

Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I begin by commending the member for Lindsay for bringing this very important motion on the National Disability Insurance Scheme to the attention of the House. The NDIS, as we all know and acknowledge, is an historic reform initiated by the previous Labor government, designed to support Australians with disabilities to have the best opportunity for the same quality of life as the rest of us in the community. This is why this government must match its rhetoric with action to ensure the commitment it has repeatedly given to Australians with disability and their carers provides adequate funding and resources to support and provides all measures necessary to live their lives without barriers to the fulfilment of their potential.

In March this year the NDIS began rolling out in my electorate, giving my constituents the very-long-awaited opportunity to finally transition to and access the scheme. My constituents will join thousands of others across the north-western region of Melbourne who will be required to submit their care packages for assessment and hopefully approval. For some the process they have engaged in is already providing a source of anxiety and frustration. The longer-than-expected rolling-out in the federal seat of Calwell has been a source of concern to begin with, but now the assessment experience itself is proving a challenge, as is the pricing structure.

For instance, to date we do not have a local area coordinator for the Brimbank area, which is at the north-western end of my electorate. Many of my constituents are facing unnecessary delays and unwelcome hurdles to accessing the NDIS as a result. Despina Havelas, who is a parent and activist for families with autistic children and has founded a local support group, Autism Angels, tells me our local parents are very worried and concerned about the lack of help provided to help them navigate a very technical and different approach to assessing their cases. Most of these families are of non-English-speaking backgrounds, and that in itself is an additional disadvantage to defending the rights of their child, family friend or relative who is trying to access the NDIS.

So far the rate of approvals has been disappointing. Complaints by people trying to access the scheme are mounting, as people believe their individual needs are not being properly considered. Those who have gone through the assessment often cite the phone interview as a major obstacle, as this method of interaction does not allow person-to-person contact, which is vital in helping assess the needs of the applicants. The lived experience cannot be gauged by telephone-only assessments, as the approach by the case workers appears to be primarily driven by cost-saving attitudes and measures, which means the experience is more about deleting or refusing services that once were provided in the package in order to save money. This should not be the overriding concern of the assessment process. The best package for the individual's needs to be the primary concern. People with disabilities have a right to access the NDIS fully, not partially. They should not be made to feel that they have to fight every step of the way in order to justify the most appropriate package to help them and their carers live fruitful and valuable lives.

One of my constituents, Andrew, attempted to access the NDIS and was refused for both the NDIS and the disability support pension. Andrew's a good example of someone who hasn't been able to convince, despite medical records, either providers that he is eligible. He has an impairment in his back, hip and shoulder that make it difficult for him to work. Andrew cannot stand for long periods of time, he cannot lift heavy things, he finds it difficult to write and has restricted movement when sitting. Andrew's treating doctor considered him eligible for the NDIS and the DSP. Despite this, an unnamed delegate told Andrew that he could not access the NDIS because the delegate was not satisfied that Andrew has a physical impairment. He is 64 years old and very soon he will not be able to even access the NDIS. He won't be able to access the age pension age pension for six month. So, the question is: what is someone like Andrew expected to do in order to support himself?

Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased to join the discussion initiated by the honourable member for Lindsay about what is a very significant and important topic—the rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The scheme is now in its second year of transition and there is a long way to go because, if you look at the numbers, as of December 2017 over 140,000 Australians with disability were enrolled in the scheme, but this has to reach an estimated number of almost half a million—about 460,000—in the next couple of years or so. So the work which is undertaken by the National Disability Insurance Agency and by state territory and Commonwealth governments to bring about a full and proper rollout of the scheme is quite substantial and will be significant in the years to come.

There are a number of issues which arise from the operation of the scheme. Along with the honourable member who moved this motion, and another member here in the chamber, Mr Wallace, we are part of the joint standing committee which oversights the National Disability Insurance Scheme. In this parliament, we've issued a number of reports looking at various aspects of the operation of the scheme, including: early childhood and early intervention; a second report on people with psychosocial disability related to a mental health condition; and a third completed report on transitional arrangements. The committee is currently undertaking a number of inquiries into general issues relating to the scheme. One is into market readiness, which is a huge issue right across the country, particularly in those areas where there are, to use the cliche, thin markets—in other words, large areas, usually, without the same distribution of services that you would find in a major metropolitan city. There is also an ongoing inquiry, which we hope to see the fruition of soon, in relation to hearing services.

I think it's fair to say that, in common with all who have looked at this, regardless of what side of the chamber we happen to sit on, there are a number of issues that are ongoing in terms of the work which needs to be done by the agency and, in some cases, by the state, territory and commonwealth governments. One is in relation to planning, and, particularly, the process of planning. The general view is that plans that have been entered into and created over the telephone are not as good as plans which are done in person. And related to that is the question of communication, particularly between planners and participants in the scheme and, more generally, between the agency and participants.

That leads to a second area of ongoing challenge, and that relates to reviews of plans. I'm not necessarily speaking on behalf of the committee, but it does seem to me personally that if there's an opportunity for face-to-face planning and there's an opportunity for those plans to be reviewed by the participant and their family prior to the finalisation of the plan, it's more likely that two things will result: firstly, the plan is more likely to meet the needs of the participant, having had the opportunity to actually review it, and, secondly, if that's the case, then it cuts out or reduces substantially the number of reviews that need to be undertaken. It would seem from a point of simple bureaucratic efficiency that this would be a better way, not to mention the justice that I believe would flow from a better process.

There are also issues in relation to the involvement of providers and their appropriate input. And while there are always issues in this regard about conflicts of interest, nonetheless in other areas of public policy we've been able to resolve the conflict of interest and allow for the appropriate input of providers, and that should appropriately be the place in relation to the NDIS as well. Also related to providers, there are questions of pricing that are being looked at by the agency at the present time as well as the timeliness of payments to providers. If payments are not made in a timely way, if tens of thousands of dollars are outstanding to providers, then what we're placing at risk is the actual provision of services, and that would be a worse outcome for those who have disabilities than it is at the present time.

As I said, this is a work in progress. I welcome the specific measures that have been announced by the government in relation to the Early Childhood Early Intervention gateway, the introduction of typical support packages to benchmark the amount of support for participants with specific characteristics, the increases in risk-based quality assurance of the access and plan approval, the very necessary increase in staff training, and the redesign of the participant pathway to look at goals and sustainability in relation to participants themselves. It's a work in progress, but a very valuable scheme. (Time expired)

Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

First of all, I would like to thank the member for Lindsay for moving this motion this morning. The NDIS has really been the best social change that we've had brought in by this parliament since Medicare. It's made a huge difference for many of the people I've been caring for in my working career over the last 40 years as a paediatrician. It really has made a huge difference for many people, and at a level that really requires us to stop and think about what was happening previously.

Many of the people that I saw, as they got older, would have a constant worry about what would happen to their child as they approached adult life with a disability and when their parents could no longer look after them. Many parents who were elderly and who had children with, for example, Down syndrome were finding that, as their children approached adult life, it was physically difficult for them to care for them and they worried about what the future held for them. Many of them would save every cent they had by skimping on holidays, by not affording themselves the little luxuries of life to try to save for their child with a disability's future. The NDIS has now brought them certainty that we as a society will take over their role, that we will say to them: 'We are part of this journey with you. We will care for your child, whether with cerebral palsy or Down syndrome or an intellectual disability, and we will make sure that their future is secure.' That has been a huge change for them.

I can remember speaking to Julia Gillard long before she became Prime Minister, and it's my belief that we owe her a huge debt of gratitude, as well as the previous Prime Minister, Mr Abbott, who developed a bipartisan approach to the NDIS. It is very important to note that the NDIS, from its inception, had bipartisan support and commitment to funding. The attempt to politicise the NDIS has been a bit of a tragedy, and I won't have any part of that. The NDIS has bipartisan support. We should all accept that. It has bipartisan funding, and that should be the end of the argument.

There are many issues with the rollout of the NDIS. It was rolled out quite quickly, and I think it was important that we did roll it out as soon as we possibly could because the need in many cases—and the need for many of the people who I see—was urgent. So I don't think we should make any apology for the rapid rollout of this scheme. But there have been some problems. Some of them have already been mentioned. No. 1 is the lack of training of the planners; that has been a mistake and I believe it's now being remedied retrospectively. There has also been an issue with people trying to do NDIS plans over the telephone, which I don't think is appropriate. I think we've accepted that. Now that that's occurred and we've seen the problems that planning over the phone can cause, face-to-face planning is the rule rather than the exception.

We also know from talking to disability service providers, such as Macarthur Disability Services in my electorate, that there have been a number of issues with things like funding for transport. That is very important if you're disabled; trying to get to different services can be a major cost and time impost on getting appropriate intervention. That's one area. Personal care costs also have not been appropriately examined, and I think are something we're trying to fit retrospectively to make them fit for purpose.

A huge issue—and this has been identified today by the member for Gilmore—is the lack of appropriate funding for people with severe mental illness, such as one of my old patients, Nathan. He has severe schizophrenia, often medication resistant and with frequent relapses. If you ask Nathan if he has any problems, the answer, because of his fear of interaction with bureaucracies and medical and health professionals, is, 'No, I'm fine; I have no problems.' And yet Nathan has intractable problems: he sleeps on the street, he has epilepsy that's uncontrolled and he often has wounds and sores that are not being properly treated because he sleeps on the streets. So attention to people with severe mental illness is vitally important as part of the NDIS.

But I would stress that it's a wonderful program, it has bipartisan support and we support it. Thank you. (Time expired)

Sharon Bird (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.