Libby Coker (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On this International Day for People with Disability, it is incumbent on all of us to look at every person through the prism of their abilities, not their disabilities. It is our job to empower those with disabilities to live life to the fullest. I'm delighted to be joined today by constituents Dylan Logan, his dad, Marc, and Lynne Foreman. Dylan is profoundly deaf, but, as a talented teenager, he competes as a member of the Australian Deaf Swimming Team. Lynne is a remarkable advocate for Every Australian Counts, an amazing organisation responsible for many advances like the NDIS. The NDIS has been life-changing for tens of thousands of participants, and I thank the member for Maribyrnong. But the scheme does have significant problems, many of which are preventable. They are preventable because the government has withdrawn $4.6 billion from the NDIS to prop up its dodgy budget surplus. They are preventable because the NDIA doesn't provide enough properly trained staff, respite services or independent housing, and it makes participants jump through unnecessary hurdles. But I'm pleased that many of the planning problems are being addressed in a bipartisan way by the Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS. Our committee's interim report on the planning process was released today and makes 13 substantial recommendations. I urge the government and the NDIA to implement every recommendation. (Time expired)