Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Minister for Government Services. The minister designed the NDIS and has been the responsible minister for over two years. Is it still possible for taxpayers' money to be spent through the NDIS for prostitutes and cocaine?

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

Even though the question is—

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Give us a little bit of French!

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

No 'au revoir' today, my friend.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How about 'au pair'?

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

All jokes aside, returning to the issue of the NDIS, which is very important, it has never ever in the time of the NDIS been legal to spend money on illicit drugs or on prostitutes. I do say, though, that when I was looking back through my file of NDIS—

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

Order! Member for Deakin, just before you take the point of order, the minister was asked a direct question. He was directly answering exactly when you stood up.

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of order is on relevance. The reason why it's not relevant is that I asked if it's possible, not legal. That can't be relevant.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd simply add to the point of order that he took that, given that the timeframe he referred to in the question went from the start of the scheme through to the present, then clearly, within that timeframe, the whole of the period the opposition were in government is relevant as well.

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

This is a sensitive matter, which I'm sure the House wants to deal with in an appropriate and diligent way. Under the standing orders, which I am governed by and which every member is, the minister was asked a question regarding issues and substances. He was directly talking about that. I don't know what he's going to say next. I can appreciate the member wanting to clarify the question, but that's not an appropriate time to do that. I appreciate his assistance in this matter. The minister is just going to return to the question.

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

The scheme does have its problems with fraud, though; that is true. We heard at estimates the work that this government is doing to crack down on it. I went through my file about when did the ministers of the government start talking about fraud. I went through all of the seven coalition ministers for the NDIS. They never put out one press release on challenging or detecting fraud, not one—zip, nada, zilch! So the assumption that the opposition member is making is that somehow, under this government, fraud has started and it never existed under the previous government.

The real story of the NDIS is that it's a great idea and it's changing lots of lives. There are a lot of good service providers in it, and participants are benefiting. But it is not working as it should. Yes, I agree that some people are manipulating participants. There are reports, which this government has been discovering.

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You've been there for two years. What have you done?

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

We are the ones discovering fraud.

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

I reminded the House of the sensitive nature of this issue and topic. I want it handled sensitively and I want it dealt with appropriately and professionally. The minister will continue but the member for Deakin is now warned, and I would ask his assistance not to interject for the remainder of the answer.

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

We've done more to fix up the NDIS in the last two years than they did in the previous nine years. We do more every day to fix up the NDIS than they did the last nine years. I remember the previous government. Their interest in fraud was sending out half a million unlawful debt notices to the victims of robodebt, and they let the crooks in the NDIS drive by.

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

Order! The minister is now straying into territory that he wasn't asked about. He won't be able to refer to that for the remainder of the answer.

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

I remember very clearly under the previous government the previous Prime Minister gave himself a medal for the strawberry wars when he personally took on the strawberry issue. Unfortunately if they'd spent as much time trying to fix up the crooks as we do, then we wouldn't have inherited the problems we have.

I promise taxpayers and I promise participants that every day this government is in power we are making the NDIS better for the participants in the scheme. I'll tell you something else: the crooks and the fraudsters know that under this government the easy ride is over—the easy ride the coalition gave them for nine terrible years.