Ged Kearney (Cooper, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Skills) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Is the member for Monash right to say the Prime Minister's plan for the NDIS would see participants subject to the whim of:

… an unelected, unaccountable, for profit organisation? Whose sole purpose is to return a profit to shareholders …

What is the Prime Minister's answer to the member for Monash's question:

Have we not learned from the aged care debacle?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question and I thank the member for Monash for his distinguished service to this House. I have known the member for Monash for many years now in serving in this place. I have always appreciated the candid way in which he has raised issues in our government and in our party room. We haven't always agreed on quite a number of issues, but I greatly respect and appreciate his service as a member of not only the government that I lead today but the many governments that he has been a part of. The challenge we have, whether it's in the National Disability Insurance Scheme or in the delivery of in-home aged-care places, is to ensure that we bring as many hands to this task as we possibly can, to ensure that we can enlist the workforce and the capacities of our country to deliver the care and the supports that are needed, whether they're in the National Disability Insurance Scheme or any other parts.

This is not an ideological discussion about the private sector or the public sector or, indeed, the not-for-profit sector. As we have seen, whether it has been in disability care or aged care, there have been failings that have occurred across all levels. Indeed, the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety followed revelations about the Oakden aged-care facility in South Australia, which was a public run facility. I only make reference to that because I understand there are issues in relation to all the providers. The role we have to play is to ensure that we get the best standards, the best quality and the best services for Australians who need that care. That's what our focus is on. I'll ask the Minister for the NDIS to speak about the progress we have made in that regard.

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

When it comes to independent assessments, as those opposite know, these were recommended by the Productivity Commission in 2011. Those opposite appointed a great Australian, John Walsh, to that commission in 2009. Mr Walsh has served with enormous distinction, and it was a magnificent appointment. Mr Walsh, who is considered the godfather of the NDIS for all the work he has done, said five days ago on the ABC News that independent assessments were a 'fundamental building block' of the original scheme, and:

These changes … will provide people with much greater opportunity to explore a whole range of innovative services and supports that are not currently available.

This is about people with disability—not about governments, not about service providers—so we need to give the control back to people with disabilities.

I think he's right. Independent assessments should be paid for by the Commonwealth. This will save participants up to $170 million from having to get their own reports. It ensures complete equity between the barrister on Brisbane River and the young lady out the back of Burke to ensure they can get the same access to the scheme and we should support Mr Walsh and independent assessments. (Time expired)