David Smith (Bean, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. What changes has the Albanese Labor government made to deliver better outcomes for participants and improve integrity in the NDIS?

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 Bean. As people may be aware, he represents Norfolk Island as well as an area of Canberra. Before there was an NDIS, there were no disability services on Norfolk Island, and now nearly 50 people there receive NDIS support. They're part of the more than 661,000 people who are receiving support from this vital scheme.

I'm pleased to tell Australians listening to question time that there's been a marked increase in participation rates in community and social activities for those on the scheme, and there's been a 10 per cent increase from those who have been on the scheme more than six years. I'm also pleased to report that, for young participants between 15 and 24, there are more of them now in paid employment, and it's also great that over half of all families and carers, 52 per cent, are reporting an increase in paid employment. Also, where it once took up to 100 days in many parts of Australia for a person with a disability, who was on the NDIS and was fit for discharge, to actually be able to leave hospital, we've got it down, in the first six months of the year, to an average waiting time of 17 days. These are all genuinely good outcomes that we've accomplished the last 2½ years.

I'm also pleased to advise that the process to register most service providers—long overdue—is now well underway. I'm pleased to advise that we've now strengthened the safeguards commission, from 367 staff to nearly 1,000, as they're dealing with a lot more complaints and issues. Half of the NDIS board are now people with lived experience, and we've got the first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander director of the scheme. We're also doing a lot more co-design than has ever happened before, with a range of activities including engagements, workshops, surveys, discussions and research in partnership with disability organisations.

Importantly, also, we're cracking down on fraud. The tip-off volumes—because we now properly resource the agency—have increased have increased by 250 per cent. When we came to office there were fewer than 1,000 tip-offs a month, and now they're up to about 2½ thousand on average per month, with $779 million of NDIS funding being investigated. Over 11,000 NDIS participants who have been potentially impacted by fraud and non-compliance cases are now getting the justice they deserve. I'm able to say that at the end of June this year there were 100 active operations across the agency, the commission and Services Australia, and 531 investigations underway. A lot is being done and a lot has been done to straighten up the scheme. I'm also pleased that we secured parliamentary support for the legislation.

I want to finish on a little note from Mr Robert Chataway in the electorate of Wright. He says: 'I commend the government on what you're doing to reduce rorting and poorly targeted spending to make the scheme more sustainable. My wife and I care for an intellectually disabled young man. He receives support from the NDIS, which is very helpful, but we've seen the misuse of funds and the potential for serious fraud.' And he concludes on this, 'I'm a former long-term supporter and member of the Australian Greens, and I'm incredibly disappointed in their opportunistic conduct with NDIS reform.'