Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Banks—the new member for Banks—who is already making a terrific contribution in this place. Twelve years on from its launch, the NDIS has profoundly changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people with disability. The level of progress since the big disability institutions that I used to visit more than 30 years ago is simply beyond profound. But it's also true that the scheme has grown too big too fast.

When we came to government three years ago or more, the scheme was growing by 22 per cent per year. In part, that's because the NDIS simply doesn't have the integrity and disciplined systems to ensure that every dollar is being spent effectively and efficiently. We need more discipline around pricing, for example, drawing on the experience of independent pricing in aged care and hospitals. We need better regulation of the providers who are delivering services and making substantial money. Australians, frankly, are just sick and tired of the drumbeat of stories about shonks and fraudsters not only ripping off taxpayers but, more importantly, ripping off people with disability. It is gobsmacking to me that 15 out of every 16 NDIS providers are unregistered. We have no idea who they are, what their qualifications are or what their character is, and that has to change. Everyone deserves a more robust evidence base for the services that are being provided under the scheme. We deserve to know that they are actually going to make a difference to the lives of people with disability.

As well, though, that growth I talked about highlights in part the need to return to the scheme's original purpose, and that is to provide support to people with significant and permanent disability. One in six grade 2 boys should not be on a scheme designed for permanent and significant disability. That is a figure that, alarmingly, rises to one in four in some parts of our country. That is why last week I announced that this government, in partnership with states, will roll out the Thriving Kids program to support families whose children have needs that are more mild-to-moderate with broad based, mainstream supports.

We are on track to get that growth down from 22 per cent to eight per cent by next year, and that will be a substantial achievement. But I also made the point last week that, going forward, eight per cent is not a sustainable growth rate for such a large social program. Seven in 10 Australians think that the NDIS has grown too big and is riddled with inefficiencies and dodgy providers. Six in 10 Australians think the NDIS is actually broken. They all expect us to get the scheme back on track to secure the NDIS for the future and to lock in that transformation of lives for people— (Time expired)

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