Ali France (Dickson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to take this opportunity to speak on the tabling of the Thriving Kids No child left behind report. I firstly acknowledge the many people with a disability and their families who contributed to this inquiry, particularly those in my own electorate of Dickson. Your voices matter. Your lived experiences matter, and this report very much puts your stories and the needs of children with a developmental delay or disability and their families at the heart of the recommendations. I also thank the organisations, experts, workers and advocates who contributed to the inquiry and my colleagues on the committee, including the member for Nicholls. As a woman with a disability, I am incredibly proud to have been part of this inquiry as a member of the committee. I love the NDIS. I love that Labor created it, and I love that we will always work to make it better.

The NDIS is dignity, opportunity and independence, but it has to work for everyone. We know from this inquiry that the NDIS has been failing children with developmental delay or disability. We know because we were told over and over again during the inquiry. Families told us that children are waiting too long for diagnosis, missing out on early intervention and struggling to access supports, especially in regional, rural and remote communities where services are patchy or non-existent. Kids have been falling through the cracks, and those cracks are now deep chasms of inequity, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, children in out-of-home care and children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds or whose parents lack financial resources.

The committee makes 16 recommendations. The very first is ensuring that any change is inclusive, co-designed and grounded in evidence and that a rapid review be undertaken two years after implementation to ensure it is delivering what it is intended to deliver.

The committee recommends a staged implementation; safeguards to protect current supports; improved access in regional areas; a multidisciplinary workforce; Medicare funded developmental checks; and a single entry point, with multiple pathways, for families seeking help. During the inquiry it became very clear that leaving the system as it is would be devastating for our kids and their future. This report is a much-needed road map to ensure that every child receives the early support they need to thrive.

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