James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The government has proposed that from 1 July 2017 people will no longer be able to qualify for a disability support pension on the basis of substance abuse alone. DSP claimants who indicate they have a disability related to substance abuse will now also be required to undergo treatment for their abuse before any associated functional impairments can be considered to be fully diagnosed, treated, stabilised and assessed under the remaining DSP impairment tables. Once table 6 is removed, permanent impairments caused by substance abuse can be assessed under the remaining tables. However, they would be functionally based rather than based on diagnosis alone. For example, a permanent brain injury acquired from long-term drug use can be assessed under table 7, brain function. Our changes ensure that people with drug abuse issues are directed to the help they need.