Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Senator Steele-John. Can I acknowledge upfront that this is a very, very major reform and, like all things that are as major and complex as this one, there are always challenges in the introduction and challenges built on the fact that it's a multijurisdictional reform. You raised the question in relation to those different jurisdictions. In relation to participants in the NDIS and those people who are eligible under the NDIS, the act itself and regulations obviously prescribe how they interface with the NDIA and all of the activities. But you do raise a very good point in relation to the many people in our community who live with disability and who do not come under the NDIS but equally require assistance in their lives to ensure that they have the capacity to live the best possible life they can through the provision of various supports.

As has always been the case, the states and territories are responsible to ensure that they provide the level of support for people with disability, and, whilst the Commonwealth doesn't have a day-to-day, hands-on approach to that, we certainly take a very keen interest. With the new NDIS activities, it increases our level of desire to have an overarching influence to ensure that nobody falls between the gaps in the rollout of this major reform. To that end, Senator Steele-John, I will be in your home state of Western Australia in a few weeks time. I'll be addressing the Disability Reform Council, which, as you would be aware, is the council of ministers who have responsibility in their various jurisdictions for disability. The No. 1 agenda item that I have for that particular council will relate to the consultation and the process involved in developing the new National Disability Strategy, which takes into account many of the issues that you raised in your contribution previously. I very much look forward to discussing those issues with the council, but, equally, I look forward to discussing the issues with the disability sector and their advocates, as I have done to date in relation to the royal commission. That group was tremendously informative to me and I took a lot of value out of our meeting. I thank you and acknowledge your support and your assistance in setting it up.

I acknowledge what you're saying and I agree entirely on the importance of making sure that everybody in Australia who lives with disability gets the appropriate supports that they are entitled to.