Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Hansard source

The government will be opposing this motion in relation to the NDIS. I'm aware that the Minister representing the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme has outlined that the government has claimed public interest immunity over the document requested by the Greens political party, as disclosure would prejudice relations between the Commonwealth and the states and territories. I do thank Senator McKim for this matter of urgency motion, because the NDIS is something that, as a Labor senator, I am so incredibly proud of. Of course, this is the 10th year that the NDIS has been in existence. It started I think on 1 July, with four trial sites, under a Labor government.

Back in 2022 this government began a large-scale independent review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The review came about after the coalition neglected the scheme for nine years when they occupied government. The NDIS is a transformational scheme. We know that. It's a scheme that has increased freedom and control for more than 600,000 participants across the country. It is a scheme we should all be deeply proud of and a scheme we should all fight to protect and advance. The NDIS is a life-changing piece of economic and social policy, and it is our duty to make sure it is here for generations to come.

The review of the NDIS had one underlying purpose: to ensure that the scheme is viable and relevant for many more years to come. Through the review, 2,000 Australians shared their experience with the scheme, from access issues to issues that they face daily. Through the review, this government has listened to the concerns of the community and participants and recognised that genuine change is required to deliver a scheme that works for people with disability. The 2023-24 budget invested a total of $910 million over four years to improve the NDIS and support and safeguard people with a disability and the scheme. This includes investing in the capacity of the NDIA, improving the agency's capability and systems to improve the experience of participants. I know Senator Steele-John, who spoke just before me, knows through his work in the Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS that this was an issue that was constantly part of submissions about participants being able to work with the NDIA access the scheme. It was about the experience participants were having under the former government.

To support these changes, the government is investing significantly into capability, better planning and flexibility, something that was also called for. To ensure the NDIA can help deliver the best outcomes for participants and to allow for the systems which will result in better consistency and equity in decision-making, the government is providing a $429.5 million investment to the scheme, with a $73.4 million investment to better support participants to manage their plan within budget, including assistance from the NDIA during the year and holding plan managers, support coordinators and providers to account. In acknowledging that participants are dealing with lifelong disabilities, the government is providing $63.8 million to ensure the scheme takes a lifetime approach to ensuring plans are more transferable and flexible for life events. The government is providing $56.4 million to strengthen supported independent living decisions, including by introducing a home-and-living panel with highly trained staff to improve consistency across decisions. The funding will allow for updated guidelines for planners to improve participants' ability to live independently. To support the quality and effectiveness of services provided to participants, the government is providing $29.3 million. This funding will improve— (Time expired)