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

Well, here we are yet again, after 12 months of this place seeking the most basic of information, accountability and transparency from this shameful government. Not only have we heard the minister trotting out the same old rubbish—the things that are, quite frankly, not true—in response to this; we have now passed legislation in this place—which I note I did not vote for—which will actually make the situation exponentially worse for 650,000 of Australia's most profoundly and permanently disabled. Sadly, the approach to this is becoming very emblematic of how those opposite govern. They are all spin. It is all about the politics. It is never about the policy and good governance, unless it is something provided to them by their union masters.

Let's have a look at the fraud they have perpetrated on Australian taxpayers, who think that the measures those opposite have got through this place will save $60 billion over the next 10 years. Well, we know that's not true. We can count. So how have they perpetrated this fraud? What they've done is they've hidden all of the financial modelling—the sustainability framework that they have supposedly agreed with the states and territories, which the states and territories have clearly said is not true. At Senate budget estimates and additional estimates, they hid all of the modelling and the numbers. Why? Because they haven't made those savings. They haven't made those savings. What they've done is wasted the last two years on a review that was never ever necessary.

Thirty reviews before that had demonstrated to us quite clearly what reforms were needed to the NDIS. Instead, that shameful minister, Minister Shorten, went out there before the last election and promised the sector: 'We have no problems. We don't need any savings. We don't need any reforms. It is all that crazy Minister Reynolds and the coalition government who are out there lying.' And do you know what? When you promise something like that to people who are desperate, of course, they're going to believe you. And what happens? 'Oh, my goodness me, we've come into government. We never read any of the budget documents. We never read any of the quarterly reports of the NDIS. We never read any of the actuarial data.' And guess what? The scheme is in trouble. So they spent two years—two years—doing a review. We don't have a government response to the review. The legislation that they passed does not implement the review. They've said, 'Oh, well, we're slowly moderating costs of the NDIS,' but they're hiding most of the data to actually underpin that.

Let's have a look at the facts. Planned inflation for the NDIS continues to increase. The last quarterly report shows that there has been a 10 per cent increase in total payments, which they have not budgeted for. In fact, year on year, for the last quarter, it is up 19 per cent, which they have not budgeted for. So guess what the shameful minister and government are doing to try and artificially reduce the cost? With inflation—their inflation—out of control, they've got tens of thousands of people seeking plan adjustments so they can continue to get their supports. Guess what? They're not processing any of them. There are now tens of thousands of people who have applied to join the NDIS, and guess what? They're sitting on their applications, but they are not releasing those numbers, so we don't know how many people are in the queue. How are they going to fund it? How are they going to pay for it? It is not transparent at all.

They made a big thing about complaints before the last election. Complaints have now spiked to almost 18,000—three times the norm—yet, of course, they've hidden the data on that. Shame on those opposite. This country and our disabled need so much better than you.