John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to thank the member for Mallee for bringing forward this important motion. The NDIS has been a critical pillar of our social security ever since it was created. But, in the last two years as the pandemic has ravaged our communities, the workers at the NDIS have held a special place in our communities. In this time they have had to juggle the huge responsibilities of caring for some of the most vulnerable in the community while knowing that they themselves were the main conduit to the outside world for many of these people. This emotional strain must have been huge, but these workers have stepped up and, through a combination of vaccinations, rigorous health standards and their ongoing commitment, they have kept our vulnerable people safe under incredibly difficult conditions. We have a large number of NDIS workers based in Bennelong, and all do incredible work. I've had the pleasure of working with some through groups like RASAID and my ongoing involvement with Achieve Australia, who are based in Bennelong. I was delighted to work hard with Achieve and Royal Rehab, our incredible rehabilitation hospital in Putney, to ensure that their clients, residents and workers were all vaccinated quickly after initial delays. All these workers deserve our praise and support for their efforts over this pandemic and into the future.

While the coming months will see a return to normal for most of us, carers and NDIS workers will still be working in one of the more demanding jobs, which is why it's so pleasing to see the Australian government is committed to delivering on the NDIS, and that includes ensuring there is a strong and sustainable workforce to support it. Back in June we launched the NDIS National Workforce Plan. It's designed to attract workers with suitable skills, values and attributes, while also improving existing workers' access to training and development opportunities. We believe that 530,000 participants will be supported by the NDIS when it reaches full maturity in the next few years, with an additional 83,000 workers needed to support them. These 83,000 people are the very same that this motion points out will be needed to strengthen the capabilities of the NDIS workforce. It is clear that the government has taken note of the NDIS data and has planned accordingly to meet the growing need. These new roles will be needed across all sectors that the NDIS operates in and will include in-home and in-community support workers, allied health professionals and also managers and other professionals.

The initiatives in this workforce plan will support quality and growth not only in the disability sector but also in aged care and support for our veterans. The care and support sector is one of the largest and fastest-growing sectors in Australia. By 2024, the disability and aged-care sectors are predicted to grow by 31 and 20 per cent respectively.

This plan complements other Australian governments' reforms to build a simpler, fairer, faster and more flexible NDIS. Workers will benefit from improved training, aligned registration requirements and greater access to professional development opportunities. Providers will benefit from better regulation across the sector and more market demand information to drive innovation and enable a flexible workforce to meet the needs of our participants. Importantly, NDIS participants will have access to higher quality supports, improved service continuity and a workforce that reflects the diversity of NDIS participants. We must always remember that participants are at the centre of the NDIS and every reform is designed to improve their experience. I am glad that the government has strengthened its commitment to the workers of the NDIS, because, through supporting them, we are supporting all NDIS participants and ensuring that many of the most vulnerable people in our community have the support they need to live and thrive.

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