Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Government Services and the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Has the minister received any advice from any government agency that the NDIS has contracts with any person or entity with links to crime groups?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I couldn't hear the full part of the question because there were interjections. I will ask the shadow minister to state the question again.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Has the minister received any advice from any government agency that the NDIS has contracts with any person or entity with links to crime groups?

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

I thank the member for his question. I'll certainly go back and check any specific matters, but, in terms of criminal activity and the NDIS, it's Labor who's now turned the real focus onto tackling it.

The NDIS, when it works well, works tremendously well, and under Labor it's here to stay. But we do want to make sure that every dollar gets through to the people for whom the scheme was designed. One of the issues and challenges with the scheme is that, when there is government money, sometimes people—opportunists, criminals and others—become attracted to trying to siphon that money off for their own good rather than the best interests of participants. I certainly had the view in opposition—and it's been confirmed in government—that there is an element in the Australian community who are basically taking money from participants—robbing people on the scheme—and sometimes not only in an unethical manner but, indeed, in a criminal manner.

It is the case, however, that under Labor we've had to invest in crime detection. It was Labor who set up what we call the Fraud Fusion Taskforce in the October MYEFO budget of last year. What we've done is to invest roughly $140 million. That's allowed greater cooperation between the AFP, the Australian tax office, our own NDIA and the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission to start working together. I'm very pleased at the work of the Fraud Fusion Taskforce, but I do have to say, for the record, it didn't exist before Labor got elected.

I had the view in opposition—it's been confirmed in government—that under the coalition the backdoor of the scheme was open to rorts, shonks and cheats. I'll give you one proof point of this.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

I'll just caution the coalition members, before they, in a knee-jerk manner, respond to what I just said. In about 2021 there were 26 criminal investigations going on. Under Labor now, there are 46. We've put extra—

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That's not true.

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

Well, under the coalition there was $115 million worth of payments being investigated; now there's $400 million worth of payments being investigated. It's only under Labor that you can read in the Daily Telegraph that we're cracking down on crime gangs in Western Sydney and elsewhere.

There was one other issue of fraud which did come up which we are investigating. It's dodgy contracts within the NDIA which were done under the previous government. The member for Bruce talked about some of that. So we are certainly looking at that. If the Manager of Opposition Business can tell us where Mr John Margerison is, that will be helpful in our inquiries. He was a Queensland LNP fundraiser. But let me reassure the opposition and Australians listening: under Labor we will make sure, and do our very best to ensure, that every dollar gets through to the people for whom the scheme was designed and the shonks can get off our— (Time expired)