Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Families and Social Services, Senator Ruston. Today is the International Day of People with Disability. Can the minister outline how the Morrison government's sound budget and economic management is guaranteeing the essential services Australians with a disability and their families rely on, including measures to support acceptance and celebrate their achievements?

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Senator Brockman, for this really important question. We, on this side, understand that building a more inclusive and accessible society for the more than 4.4 million Australians—that's one in five Australians—who live with a disability, and today, as International Day of People with Disability—

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, can I call a point of order on those on the other side? I think it's disrespectful to people with a disability that they're interjecting.

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

Senator Wong, on a point of order?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm not sure if the minister did call a point of order, but I will respond on the point of order which you appear to be entertaining. She began her statement with a partisan statement: 'We, on this side, understand'. So people on our side, understandably, given how much the Labor Party has fought for the rights of and services for people with disability, were pretty annoyed by it.

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

Order! Senator Wong, I know it's the last week of the Senate, but that last bit wasn't a point of order. Senator Cormann?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the point of order, the only thing that was out of order in the last few minutes was the constant interjections from that side. Interjections are always disorderly, as Senator Wong well knows, and the level of interjections that we've been experiencing is—

Senator Pratt interjecting—

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

Order! Senator Pratt.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

even as a point of order is being raised!

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

On that particular occasion, I think I heard the first interjection before I heard the first word out of the minister's mouth. It is the last week of the Senate. People tend to be somewhat more boisterous, but can I remind them that interjections are always disorderly. It is a sign of a lack of courtesy to your colleagues, who cannot necessarily hear a response. I say that to all senators in the chamber. Senator Ruston to continue.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Shall we start again? Today is the International Day of People with Disability, and today is a day when we have the opportunity to celebrate with the people of Australia the 4.4 million, or the nearly one in five Australians, who live with a disability—to celebrate their achievements and the contribution that they make to Australian society. Today is also a day that we should be asking ourselves: what more can we do to make sure that the lives of people who live with disability can be enhanced?

The theme of this year's International Day of People with Disability is promoting the participation of persons with disabilities and their leadership. I'd like to acknowledge Kurt Fearnley, who is the international people with disability day patron this year. He is one of the most inspirational athletes you will ever meet. Today we don't just celebrate the achievements of people like Kurt or Dylan Alcott, our famous tennis player, or Ben Gauntlett; we celebrate the achievements of every Australian who lives with a disability. Every Australian deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential and that must include our Australians who live with disability. This year, as part of international day of disability, we're trying to encourage schools to participate through the Grow Inclusion competition so that we can mainstream the idea that people with disability have every right to have the opportunities to set goals for themselves, just as every other Australian takes that as their right.

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

Senator Brockman, a supplementary question?

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister. How is the government breaking down barriers and encouraging employers to hire more people with a disability?

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We are absolutely committed to improving the employment opportunity of all Australians, but, given my position as the minister responsible for social services, I am particularly focused on making sure that disability employment is a very, very important part of our policy platform. My one simple goal is to make sure that we give people who have disability the same access to the broad suite of employment opportunities that every other Australian has access to. I want every person with a disability who has the capacity and wants to work to be able to get a job. I want to make sure that employers see employing people with disability as a mainstream, everyday activity that they build into their business model. And I want everybody who's living with a disability, if they want to be, to be a taxpayer because I know it's great for them, it's a great outcome for their communities, it's a great outcome for their families and it's a great outcome for our society as a whole.

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

Senator Brockman, a final supplementary question?

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, how is the government supporting people with a disability through the National Disability Insurance Scheme?

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The National Disability Insurance Scheme is having a profound effect on the lives of people who live with disability. For the first time they have an absolutely unprecedented opportunity to actually have choice and control for themselves and for their families. We will continue to make sure that the NDIS is fully funded through a strong economy. We have seen 311,000 Australians who live with disability now being supported by the NDIS. And one of the most phenomenal figures that's contained in that 331,000 people is the 37 per cent, or nearly 115,000 people who live with disability, who are getting supports for the first time in their lives. We understand that this is a very, very important scheme for people with disability and we remain absolutely focused on rolling this scheme out in the best interests of people who have disability.