Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

I too stand to make my contribution to the debate on the motion relating to the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024. The coalition have always been of the view that we support sensible measures in this bill, measures the coalition actually sought to implement when we were in government; at the time, Labor campaigned against it. These sensible measures were put forward by a senator in this place, Senator Reynolds, because we believe that we need to protect and preserve the scheme's integrity and ensure the sustainability of the system to allow it to continue to improve the lives of some of Australia's most vulnerable.

I think there wouldn't be anybody in Australia who would not see that as a worthy outcome. However, insufficient time has been provided for proper consultation on this bill with the sector and the wider community who have already expressed significant and wide-ranging misgivings about the contents of this piece of legislation. It is the purpose and duty of the Senate to take this opportunity and have a more thorough investigation of a very significant bill, a bill that will have a very significant impact on the lives of many Australians who live with disability. So we do not support this bill being pushed through this place without adequate consultation. And I have to say that this government is building up a bit of a track record on this. We are seeing legislation shoved through this place and policy announced before the necessary stakeholders have been consulted. This is just another one example of that. We've had 2½ days of hearings on a massive bill that has massive consequences. The lack of detail provided by the government for this bill means that those significant concerns have not been able to be considered.

Given there is a huge and broad consensus about the need for greater consideration, the coalition will reiterate its willingness to work with the government and others in this place, including the Greens and the crossbench. It is really disappointing that the government has sought to reject a very reasonable request for an extension of the reporting date and for a meaningful hearing with the National Disability Insurance Agency, the very organisation that oversees the implementation of this extraordinary—and first in the world—insurance scheme to look after and support Australians with a disability. It seems to me to be—well, it is—an absolute disgrace. That the Labor Party will not allow proper time for further scrutiny of this bill reflects really badly on them, because 660,000 Australians actually rely on the NDIS. They are 660,000 of Australia's most vulnerable people, who will be impacted by the changes that are being proposed by this bill, and this government doesn't think a few more weeks is necessary for us to make sure that we thoroughly consider this bill.

We are absolutely, and always have been, fully committed to the NDIS. We know that Labor underinvested in the NDIS when it was first established and are failing to invest in unmet needs of people with disability. In opposition, Labor stood on the way of the coalition when we made attempts to put the scheme on a sustainable footing. Bill Shorten even accused the coalition of 'pearl-clutching kabuki theatre', claiming that the NDIS was 'tracking just as predicted' and that the coalition was 'hyping fictional cost blowouts'. I have to say that it is really quite distressing for us to be in the position we are in here today of having to force the government to actually allow proper consideration of its own bill. I condemn the government for this action and commend the referral of the bill.