Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Siewert for her question and her ongoing interest in the needs of people with disability in our community. As the senator pointed out, the government has taken the lead on fundamental reform of disability services because we know the current system is not serving the needs of those with disability, their families and their carers. As she understands, we have worked with the states to try and get a combined approach to ensure that we implement the recommendations of the Productivity Commission, which recommended this approach. We have continued to invest heavily in people with disability and their support services. As she knows, the government has a strong record of investing in those services.

As to her central point, there is no doubt that her point is a good one: this is a scheme that is designed to meet the needs of people with a disability and their families, and it is important that they be involved from the very start in that work. The reality is that the demand for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and support for it came out of the disability sector, the people with a disability and their families and carers who have been campaigning for many years to try and ensure a much more comprehensive response from governments for the needs of people with disabilities. I am sure they will be centrally involved in the development of the scheme and its design. I do not have any specific briefing on the mechanisms for that engagement. I am happy to take that part of the question on notice. But I know Minister Macklin is absolutely committed to working with people with disability to make sure the reform serves their needs, because that is what it is all about.