Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers) Share this | Hansard source

This motion from the opposition is more about politics than outcomes for people with disability. It is about the opposition trying to find a place in the political sun rather than doing the hard work to design an NDIS to deliver real outcomes for people with disability, their families and carers. Irrespective of the words of the motion, the coalition does not have a clear position on supporting an NDIS. Our Labor government is getting on with the job of building a national disability insurance scheme. We have delivered $1 billion to fund our share of the first stage of a national disability insurance scheme. Twenty thousand people with significant and permanent disabilities, their families and carers will benefit from the first stage in up to four locations around the country. The first stage will start in the middle of next year, a full year ahead of the timetable set out by the Productivity Commission. We are getting on with the job because we know how long people with disability have been waiting for change. They waited for change for 12 years under the Howard government while disability funding went backwards. We asked the Productivity Commission to look into care and support for people with disability because we knew the system was letting people down. This motion from the opposition is about politics. It is not about doing the right thing for people with disability.