Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. I want to acknowledge the work of the former Victorian Liberal government in putting $25 million on the table and actually making it a condition, when the former Labor government announced that decision, that the Liberals in Victoria wanted to see the national headquarters in Geelong. There has been a great celebration that we are rolling that out. Techni Development has been chosen to develop the building and this is going to deliver hundreds of jobs to our region—both direct and indirect jobs—which is absolutely wonderful. This is going to be a landmark building. Some 450 NDIA staff and contractors will be based there, and we are already seeing that, at full scheme, we will have some 105,000 participants across Victoria, with an estimated 14,850 full-time jobs created. So we are seeing an absolute boom as a result of our government's commitment.

I am a passionate supporter of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, which is already supporting nearly 3,000 participants in Corangamite. I do want to acknowledge the work of Barwon Child, Youth and Family, which was recently awarded a $4.3 million contract to support the rollout of the NDIS across the Barwon region. BCYF will draw on its early childhood knowledge to help determine appropriate supports for children aged from newborn up until six who have developmental delay or disability. That is a great win for Barwon Child, Youth and Family. They are based in both Geelong and Colac. That is a really good recent example of the way in which local agencies are working to support the rollout of the NDIS.

There has been a lot of discussion about the need to fully fund the NDIS, and I would like the minister to update the House on how the government is fully funding the National Disability Insurance Scheme so that all Australians with a permanent and significant disability can access the care they need to live. Is the minister also aware of any alternative approaches?

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