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

My question is to the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. How do the Albanese Labor government's groundbreaking reforms to the NDIS help participants on the scheme and ensure that it is returned to its true purpose so that it will be around for future generations?

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

This morning I was contacted by a mother whose son is on the NDIS. I have her permission to read excerpts of her letter. It explains why this legislation should pass. It reads: 'Hi Mr Shorten. I woke up this morning to an article in the newspaper reporting that you've won sufficient support for your proposed changes to the NDIS. I then went to find my 15-year-old son in the kitchen, where he was tearing the place up. It was 4.45 am. He has a diagnosis of level 3 autism and a moderate intellectual disability. He is non-verbal and incontinent, has severe sensory dysfunction and is a beautiful but huge six-foot, 100-kilogram boy. His behaviours are exhausting. They're difficult. At times, they're scary. He will punch, pinch or bite without notice. He defecates on the floor every day, and he smears and eats it. He can do very little for himself and depends on home care from me, my husband and our carers. He's been an NDIS participant for 10 years. We can't survive without care for him but feel unsupported and completely price-gouged and exploited. I wish you every success in your changes to the NDIS. Please help us families who really need support. We're so sick of hearing about funding being used for holidays, lawn mowing and so on when we can hardly survive, maybe because we're so busy and burnt out we can't make as much noise.'

I can promise this amazing mum and her son hope in the new legislation. The first step is the new planning process. It'll be strength based needs assessment. It'll identify her son's strengths, goals, preferences and challenges. The assessment will be done by an accredited assessor who will meet with the family. The assessor will use various tools co-designed with people with disability, and it will respect her son's dignity and rights. The second step is an assessment report—a summary and assessment of the findings and recommendations for the types of supports needed—prepared by the assessor, who'll work with the family. It will be a clear, accurate, evidence based report reflecting her son's strengths, needs and preferences. The third step will be a flexible budget and stated supports—a funding package determined for her son on his report and NDIS rules. A flexible budget gives the money to spend on NDIS supports as participants choose, as long as they're reasonable and necessary. The fourth step will be to choose supports that he wants with this flexible budget—a chance for the son and the mother to plan and buy the supports that suit his needs and preferences by working with a dedicated navigator. The bill will ensure clarity as to what you can and can't spend your funding on.

This bill—hopefully, passed in the next two hours here—will give her son more choice and control over supports to improve his quality of life. The new system will be co-designed with people with disability and their families. It will be based on the steps of assessment, report, budget and choosing supports. The new system will be personalised, transparent and consistent. It will respect her son's dignity, rights and aspirations.

I thank the thousands of people who've contributed to the development of this legislation. This afternoon, this parliament will help all Australians and their families with disability.