Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] My question is to the Prime Minister. How many Australians with a disability have been infected with COVID-19?

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said in a press release I put out last week, the government's committed to providing updates on numbers every day in terms of Australians with disability who have been impacted by COVID-19. I can report to the House that, since March 2020, cumulatively, 102 participants have tested positive to COVID-19, and currently there are 23 active cases. Numbers will continue to be put out every day to ensure all Australians are up to date.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister might just pause. The member for Maribyrnong is seeking to raise a point of order?

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] Yes. I didn't ask how many NDIS participants had been infected. I asked how many Australians with a disability had been infected. The NDIS participants are a cohort, or a smaller group. The number of people with a disability, including those in aged care, is larger, logically.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Maribyrnong has raised his point of order on relevance. The minister.

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If I can just inform the House that there's a survey of disability and aged care that comes out, done by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It reports that 4.4 million Australians have a disability of some sort. As I've just explained to the House, those with permanent and significant disability are in the NDIS and the numbers I've just given, which are reported daily to ensure accountability.

In terms of numbers of people with a disability as a whole, it would require the states and territories knowing who every single Australian is who replied to that survey saying they have a disability. It would require those Australians to self-report in some way to the states and territories, and then for those states and territories to report them.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] Have you even asked?

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If the member is suggesting that that onus, that responsibility, should be put on the states and territories, then I would suggest that the member speak to the states and territories and ask them to do that. The Commonwealth responsibility is to the NDIS, a responsibility we take seriously, which is why I can report with great accuracy the daily numbers, why I can report exactly where we're up to—why we can report on everything. But in terms of all Australians with any disability—

Mr Shorten interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Maribyrnong has had his point of order.

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

that is a question, quite rightly, for the states and territories, who have the responsibility, within all agreements, to care for Australians with a disability who are not in the NDIS.