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

Senator, in answer to your questions, I need to provide some clarity for you. This is not a name change. National Disability Insurance Scheme was the name that Mr Bonyhady took to the 2020 summit some years ago. It is a name that was then picked up by the Productivity Commission in their work. There have been a number of senior and key players who have had conversations about whether or not the word 'insurance' should rightly sit in that name.

It was always the plan of the government to provide a name that is accessible and means something to Australians broadly, particularly Australians with disability, in the same way that Medicare comes from the Health Insurance Act in Australia. We do not have a Medicare act; we have the Health Insurance Act. In the same way Centrelink is delivered through the Commonwealth Service Delivery Agency Act—that is how we have Centrelink. So it is not unusual; it is, in fact, predictable. It is not a point that, I think, carries much weight, so can I suggest we get on with the main job. Your question was in terms of the agency. That is a matter for deliberation down the track; it is not a consideration at present.