Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I withdraw. The quote from Mr Shorten insinuated that the government at the time was not telling the truth, and the direct quote was that it was a lie. That was not true. You can't cover up one mistruth with another. It's not true. In the lead-up to the 2022 election, as I said, we were providing significant investment into the NDIS system—$157.8 billion. But it was true that the system, if it were to continue with the design of scheme that it had, would become unsustainable. And that is exactly what the Minister for the NDIS is now saying. He says one thing in opposition, in the lead-up to an election—maybe to win votes from that particular sector—and now, in government, he is hiding. He won't even have a proper inquiry that will actually properly engage with the community to understand exactly how it can be fixed and how it can be made more sustainable because he doesn't want to reveal exactly what's going on. I'm sure that is the case. In government, mugged by the reality of the complex growing scheme, he now not only questions the sustainability of the NDIS but blames young people with autism and those with psychosocial conditions for the cost pressures. That is shameful. It is shameful to put the blame on those young people.

I held an inquiry with my colleagues into the rise of disruptive classroom behaviour last year because Western Australia now has some of the most disruptive classrooms in the country. One of the most significant contributing factors is the fact that children with neurodiverse disorders and learning difficulties, many of them with ASD, on the spectrum with autism, are not getting the support they need and it's actually impacting upon their learning and indeed upon the learning of the other students within the classrooms and the teachers, who are getting exasperated by the fact that they are not able to get the support that they need. It's little wonder we have teachers leaving the education system in droves.

The whole system is like a matrix and it has to come together. Of course, the NDIS is a major part of the solution. Students are now requiring assessments and reviews to take place, and we know that they take months and months. In the case of Western Australia, it can take up to two years to see a child psychologist. Until they get that diagnosis, they are not provided with the resources and the funding that they need that would come through the NDIS. Years ago, the states used to provide it and you would get it in a much more timely fashion, whereas now, under this system, there are delays. So it, of course, needs to change. For the minister to just put the blame at the feet of youth and people with autism or other learning difficulties is an absolute travesty.

My final point—and I have said it multiple times—is: pause, put it to a proper inquiry, get the feedback and come back to the table. (Time expired)