Lucy Gichuhi (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Families and Social Services, Senator Fifield. Will the minister update the Senate on how this government supports Australians with a disability through the National Disability Insurance Scheme? How is the Liberal-National government working to improve the experience of those receiving support through the NDIS?

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks, Senator Gichuhi, for the question. I'm pleased to advise colleagues that during the June 2018 quarter the NDIS reached a major milestone: over 180,000 Australians with disability now receive life-changing support, with over 54,000 people receiving supports for the first time. Delivering this important reform to improve outcomes for Australians with significant and permanent disability will inevitably involve some challenges, but the important thing is to address issues quickly as they arise. The National Disability Insurance Agency is rolling out a range of improvements to enhance the experience of participants and also service providers. The schedule is being finalised with states and territories.

The improvements include a stronger focus on community, mainstream, informal and employment supports during pre-planning; face-to-face plan-implementation meetings; and improvements to participant and provider portals. It's worth noting that 188 people with disability and carers, 76 providers and 124 frontline staff have contributed to the pathway review through workshops and individual interviews. The agency held 37 workshops across the country, and more than 1,100 people attended these. The workshops focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the remote and very remote communities, complex support needs, psychosocial disability and early-childhood intervention. The feedback has directly influenced the NDIS pathway reforms. Additionally, the NDIA will hire 750 additional staff in 2018-19 and provide targeted training to 6,000 planners and frontline staff to further support the reform of the work.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Gichuhi, a supplementary question.

Lucy Gichuhi (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How will the NDIS support economic growth and job creation?

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The work of the NDIS will provide hundreds and thousands of Australians with economic benefits as well as provide benefits to the communities around the nation. At full scheme, 460,000 Australians are expected to be NDIS participants. Demand for disability services is projected to require up to 90,000 full-time-equivalent workers over the next five years, and NDIS providers are growing in response to this increased demand. In the June 2018 quarter the number of active registered providers increased by 15 per cent, from 7,327 to 8,457. Importantly, many Australians with disability will be better placed to work when they have the right supports through the NDIS. For instance, getting the personal care support that you need first thing in the morning, when you need it, puts you in a much better position to pursue work.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Gichuhi, a final supplementary question.

Lucy Gichuhi (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How is the government delivering this important service in a sustainable and reliable way?

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A good bunch of management is the underpinning of being in a position to provide good social support in the community. You do not have to choose between good social policy and good economic policy; they're two sides of the one coin. You need a good economic policy and a good budget policy so that you can sustain a good social policy, and the NDIS is very good social policy.

I do want to acknowledge that this is one of those areas that has been a cross-party venture, where colleagues across the chamber, both here and in the other place, have been united to see Australians with significant disability get the better deal to which they are entitled. This is a scheme that involves significant resources on behalf of the community, but this is an area where the community says that absolutely the resources are justified, and we will see the NDIS to completion.