Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Families and Payments) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to talk to the Disability Services Amendment (Linking Upper Age Limits for Disability Employment Services to Pension Age) Bill 2017. This bill amendments the Disability Services Act 1986 to link the upper age limit of the Disability Employment Services Disability Management Services program, referred to as DMS, to the age pension eligibility age under the Social Security Act 1991. The key change to the bill involves the removal of the reference to '65 years of age' and replaces it with the term 'pension age' as defined under the relevant subsections of the Social Security Act.

Labor supports this bill. Labor has a proud record of supporting vulnerable groups in our society. Labor is proud of the track record of support for people living with a disability and very supportive of the Disability Employment Service Disability Management Services that have enabled disability clients across the country to access a range of services that assist them. A gap in service provision would be created without the amendment to this bill. Labor also notes that the financial impact of this recommendation is a modest one, estimated to be $4.6 million over the forward estimates. I commend the bill to the Senate.