Rebecca White (Lyons, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Women) Share this | Hansard source

I present the revised explanatory memorandum to this bill and move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

The Albanese Labor government is committed to ensuring the NDIS is a pillar of Australia's unique social safety net.

That means that we are committed to ensuring the National Disability Insurance Scheme provides essential disability supports for people with permanent and significant disability today and into the future.

We are committed to an NDIS that is fair, consistent and empowering for people with permanent and significant disability—an NDIS that is sustainable, effective and safe and operates with integrity.

This government has been committed to taking fraud and misconduct in the NDIS seriously.

Those who defraud the NDIS are exploiting the hundreds of thousands of Australians who rely on the life-changing support the NDIS delivers.

We were left with a mess in coming to government. Under the former coalition government, the NDIS was a soft target.

Our government acted quickly, investing over $550 million in tackling fraud and noncompliance, setting up the Fraud Fusion Taskforce and passing the getting the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Act to place it on a sustainable footing.

But there is more work to do, and this bill is an important step.

Today I introduce the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Integrity and Safeguarding) Bill to the House. This legislation will ensure that the NDIS remains true to its purpose—safe, strong and centred on the people it serves.

We cannot ignore the findings of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.

The stories were harrowing.

They revealed a system that was fractured, underresourced and too often blind to harm. Australians with disability told us in no uncertain terms the days of abuse and neglect must end.

The findings of the independent review into the NDIS reinforced this call. The review told us the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission must be more responsive, more powerful and more trusted.

It told us that regulatory gaps are putting lives at risk.

It told us that, without reform, the integrity of the scheme and the safety of its participants cannot be guaranteed.

That is unacceptable.

This government will not stand by.

This bill delivers on our commitment to reform the NDIS. It does three things.

First, it strengthens safeguards.

We are giving the NDIS commission the powers it needs to protect participants. That means tougher penalties—up to $16 million for corporations that breach the law and prison terms for those who recklessly or deliberately put lives at risk.

It means expanding banning orders to capture not just providers and workers but auditors and consultants who compromise safety.

And it means introducing anti-promotion powers to stop unethical advertising, because the NDIS is not a marketplace for exploitation.

Second, it improves integrity and responsiveness.

We are tightening compliance requirements so the NDIS commission can act swiftly when harm is suspected.

And we are introducing evidentiary certificates to streamline enforcement because justice delayed is justice denied.

Third, it modernises the scheme.

Electronic claim forms will replace outdated processes, saving time and reducing fraud. A 90-day cooling-off period will protect participants who choose to leave the scheme, ensuring decisions are made with care.

This bill, as amended by the Senate, also introduces whistleblower protections that will support those in the NDIS who see something to say something.

These reforms were not written in isolation. They were shaped by the voices of participants, their families, carers, providers and states.

We held forums across the country, online and in person, because this scheme belongs to the people it serves.

And what did we hear? We heard that accountability matters.

We heard that penalties must be strong enough to deter harm.

We heard that predatory behaviour must be stamped out.

We listened, and now we are acting.

The vast majority of providers do the right thing. They deliver safe, quality services that change lives. This bill is not about them.

It is about the minority—those who recklessly or intentionally cause harm, exploit or defraud people with disability.

To them I say: you don't belong in the NDIS.

Importantly, it is also about people with disabilities and their families. To them I say unequivocally: your wellbeing, your dignity and your life is just as valued as any other Australian.

I commend this bill to the House.

Leave granted for second reading debate to continue immediately.

See this speech in context