Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

If I've got anything further to add in terms of whether they are in full or not, I'll provide that later—if that assists. The amendments in this bill give effect to review recommendation 3 and interconnected elements in recommendations 5, 6 and 7. The amendments also support the partial implementation of recommendation 17.

I'll just point out for the chamber that the government is working through these issues carefully, in an orderly way. The task of reform here is a very significant task indeed. There was no reform in the unhappy 2013 to 2022 period. The government is taking responsibility here for undergoing a process of reform to make sure that this scheme is sustainable and has a deep reservoir of support across the community not just for 2024 and 2025 and not just for the budget forwards but for future generations. That will take time and careful work.

As should be evident from even a casual observation of this piece of legislation, it is designed to deal with a number of recommendations. It resolves some issues and sets up a process for the development with the disability community itself of a fair and sustainable approach to questions on things like the needs assessment. This process will go on for some time, in terms of both further legislative responses and working with the state and territory governments in a careful and thorough way. It is not a one-hit wonder.

I would anticipate that most Australians would understand that reform of a scheme of this magnitude that intersects with the rights and life experiences of so many Australian citizens ought to be done carefully and in the most collaborative way possible but also with some urgency. This bill will set up a process that will determine some of those questions, and there will be further reform in this area. I expect wave after wave of consistent approaches to that reform and improvement in terms of the delivery of services, the interaction with the disability community itself and the ongoing sustainability of the scheme.