Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister. I almost don't know where to start, apart from admiring your ability to try and say that is not a $60 billion cut. In your own budget papers, it's mentioned 18 times that $60 billion is being cut out of the budget, through some heroic but as yet undefined method, by this government. Minister, would it help if I go and get your own budget papers and actually bring you the 18 sections of your budget that demonstrate that you are cutting the scheme? Your budget papers say specifically that you will be realising $60 billion worth of savings. You might call it 'Shorten-omics' or whatever, in terms of $60 billion coming out of a budget not being a cut, but I think the NDIS participants, who know that that cut will come from their plans, are not fooled by this.

If I can get it correct, you are saying that, by 1 July 2026, somehow this year-on-year, quarter-on-quarter growth—as in, comparable growth—which was 20 per cent last quarter and 18½ per cent this quarter, is going to magically dip down to eight per cent in two years, with no information, data or actuarial evidence. Clearly, as to these numbers, to make these budget savings which your budget says are coming from this bill, it's not part of a process; your own budget says it is this bill that is going to make the $60 billion worth of savings by reducing the scheme. There are only two ways to reduce the scheme. You either cut participant numbers or cut the average value of participant plans. Those are the only ways to realise $60 billion worth of savings out of your own budget.

You say, somewhat disingenuously, in my mind, that the Q4 report is not an issue for this place. Of course it is. The Q4 report dropped late, after our last hearing into this bill, and we did not have the opportunity to inquire of any NDIS official or the actuary about the figures behind this. In fact we have spent probably 18 months to two years doing a very unseemly lack-of-transparency dance with this government to get any information out of it—out of Minister Shorten, in particular—about this scheme.

So here we are in committee stage on this bill. The government is still saying that a $60 billion cut to the NDIS budget is not a cut. Well, that is simply not good enough. We have thousands and thousands of people on the NDIS who are scared out of their minds because, unlike your attempt to convey 'Shorten-omics', people understand that the only way you can realise these savings is by cutting the scheme. If anyone looks at this legislation, it is all about giving Minister Shorten godlike powers to unilaterally cut people's plans, and the states and territories hate and do not agree with that. To do that, you must have actuarial data available to tell us how many people will be impacted, whose plans will be impacted and how much they will be impacted by. That is what 660-odd thousand Australians are worried to death about today.

You're making cuts with this legislation, but you are not being in any way transparent with participants. Minister, I'd like to ask you this, if you can answer this question. We'll take the $60 billion bit by bit. The legislation and the budget confirm that the intraplan inflation in this scheme will be cut and that you will cut it down to four or five per cent per annum. How much does that work out to over the forward estimates, Minister?