Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

This is a Labor government that is getting on with the job of building a National Disability Insurance Scheme. We understand how long people with a disability in Australia have been waiting for change and we understand the importance of delivering this for them. That is why this government, in a budget where we saw more revenue downgrades and more savings, delivered $1 billion in new funding for the first stage of a disability scheme. This is why the government has established the transition agency and agreed launch sites in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT. That is also why this government is introducing the legislation to which the senator referred in the question.

We have made clear our commitment to this issue. I note that those opposite, despite the fact that they said it is not real unless we can show costings now, are nevertheless going out and campaigning on a National Disability Insurance Scheme, notwithstanding they have never shown how they can get anywhere near their $70 billion of savings or cuts that they need nor how they would fund the National Disability Insurance Scheme. We have said very clearly that we understand the importance of this policy. We understand the importance of ensuring that it is fiscally sustainable and we will have more to say about this before the next budget. (Time expired)