Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise to take note of the minister's response. I should say at the outset that, when I listened to that response, I looked through Senator McAllister to Mr Shorten, the member for Maribyrnong. Senator McAllister has been sent into the chamber to give the statement on behalf of the member for Maribyrnong. Minister Shorten is denying the information that should be provided. Senator Reynolds made the observation: should Senator McAllister have come in and given that statement? I think that's a question only Senator Allister can answer. For the people sitting in the gallery so they know what is going on in this regard, the Senate asked for key information relating to the NDIS scheme, one of the most significant social welfare schemes that this parliament provides for the people of Australia. What was that information? Documents going to the heart of the financial sustainability of the NDIS scheme.

This was in a context where, as my good friend Senator Reynolds said, up to $74 billion, on the government's own records, is going to be cut from that scheme over the next 10 years. If the government, through budget documents, has said $74 billion is going to be cut from the scheme over the next 10 years, the question is: how is that $74 billion going to be cut? As Senator Reynolds said, there are only two ways in which you can cut the $74 billion: you decrease the number of participants, or you decrease the amount that is provided for each participant in the scheme. There's no other way to cut the cost, and what this Senate is seeking is key information with respect to how that saving is going to be crystallised. The Labor government promised transparency. We on this side of the chamber remember all of the promises they made around transparency before the election. Judge them by their deeds, not their words because the Labor government are saying they're not going to provide this information because it may harm Commonwealth-state relations.