Jason Wood (La Trobe, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week in La Trobe we had a National Disability Insurance Scheme information session in Pakenham. Can I first of all thank the organisers who attended: Ben Leigh, the CEO of Latrobe Community Health Service; Chris Cahill, who is an acting director of NDIS; Sharna Goulding, Assistant Director, NDIS; and Debra Inverarity, Early Childhood Early Intervention Manager. In particular, I want to thank all those people who attended who have a disability, and who have waited so long for the NDIS to roll out; and all those carers who have a child with a severe disability, who've always been so concerned about who would look after their child when they can no longer do so.

This was a fantastic day and the great news is that at the moment in La Trobe there are roughly 5,000 people who receive disability support services. This number will increase to 10,000 people, and it will ease the great burden which has been placed on so many families, especially when it comes to those special needs for equipment, and the one-on-one support that people with disabilities need. This will take the burden away from the parents, in particular, who have been carers for so long. It was a great session, and I very much look forward to this rolling out throughout La Trobe in the next 12 months.