Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the request of Senators Marielle Smith and Gallacher, I move:

That the Senate—

(a) acknowledges that:

(i) many Australians face challenges physically accessing the wider community, whether they live in urban, regional or remote areas, and

(ii) many Australians living with disability do not have access to reliable, affordable and safe transport;

(b) notes that:

(i) around 4.4 million Australians live with disability,

(ii) the lives of many of these Australians can be significantly improved by the National Disability Insurance Scheme with the right commitment, funding and effort to work through the issues that they face on a daily basis,

(iii) too often, barriers to transport, both economic and practical, prevent Australians living with disability from participating fully in the social and economic life of our community,

(iv) too many Australians with disability are not able to access reliable, affordable and safe transport when they need it most, and

(v) further research and publicly accessible data is required which details the use of transport by Australians with disability; and

(c) calls on the Government to prioritise the transport needs of all Australians living with disability.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

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

Leave is granted for one minute.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

NDIS transport supports are not intended to replace state and territory responsibilities for ensuring accessible public and community transport. States and territories are responsible for ensuring that public transport options are accessible to people with disability and are compliant with relevant non-discrimination legislation. The NDIS funds transport supports for a participant where it is reasonable and necessary, represents value for money, and the supports are related to the impact of their impairment or impairments on their functional capacity.

Question agreed to.