Garth Hamilton (Groom, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Energy Security and Affordability) Share this | Hansard source

I'm going to start my contribution on the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 by quickly thanking a wonderful person called Ruth Doyle, who works in my office and handles most of our NDIS issues. I'm sure that every person in this place has someone in their office who knows exactly who to call when we get those inquiries in from constituents who are having trouble getting onto the NDIS or working with a provider or finding the support that they need or just asking the first questions that one starts to ask when they realise there are issues that they need to face. Ruth has done a great job for my community over a long period of time, and I want to thank her for that. I hope she hears it. We often don't thank the ones at the front line in our offices.

I am going to, however, change my tone a little bit. I'm going to ignore the advice of both Gallagher brothers and look back in anger because we have in front of us a program that has massive design issues. Its budget has spiralled out of control, and I think it has lost the confidence of many people across Australia. If this were a rail project, like Inland Rail, the government would cut it and run. I actually commend them for taking on the hard work of this project of trying to address reform. I wish they had the same vigour on Inland Rail. A lot of hard work has to be done.

There was a time when you couldn't talk about the problems with the NDIS. You could not mention that this was a program that had massive funding issues and that was blowing out month on month. You couldn't talk about this. If you did, you were shouted down. You were told that you were scaremongering, that you were trying to cut funds from disabled kids and that you were all about cutting services. That's what those opposite said. They said exactly that. I'm going to give two cases of this.

There were certainly times when I was on the backbench that I enjoyed a frolic and I said what was on my mind, and I thought very strongly that I had to make a contribution to the national conversation about the NDIS because I was seeing it week in, week out. This program was blowing out, money was being wasted around Australia and, sadly, I saw evidence of it in my local community. Those who needed the support were not getting it, yet the money was still flowing.

In 2024 I pointed out that the growth of the NDIS was unsustainable. I pointed out that we needed to do something to it, not just from a pure economic sense but because this was such an important project that both sides of politics had embarked upon that we could not risk losing confidence in it. I was told by the Treasurer that I was engaging in heartless slash and burn politics in the Australian of the day.

A year later, in 2025, I returned to my criticisms and I pointed out two things. One was that the program at that stage was growing at around 12, 16 or maybe 18 per cent, that this was an extraordinary rate of growth and that both sides of politics should come together and find a way to limit its growth to somewhere around four per cent, just above inflation. If the growth was just above inflation, we'd know that no-one would be left behind, and then we could go through a broader reform structure.

I also pointed out in July 2025 that, at that point in time, 15 per cent of six-year-old boys across Australia were on the NDIS. I made the point that clearly 15 per cent of young boys are not disabled. For daring to say that, the minister of the day slammed me as being reckless and heartless—for daring to talk about reforming the NDIS. I'm not raising this just to flatter myself. I do that far too often anyway, and I have the member for Page to help me on occasion. I'm doing it because this is an important program and what we're dealing with at the moment, unfortunately, is a battle. I'm going to acknowledge the member for New England, who joined me in my criticisms of the NDIS in July 2025 in that particular article.

What we have now, sadly, appallingly, in Australia is a battle for funding among NDIS, health, aged care and even veteran support. When I talk to people in health, aged care and veteran support, they have the very strong feeling that in that battle the NDIS is winning and they are losing. I sat with a gentleman, Scott May, in my office, and he said: 'Watch this. I'm going to show you the most heartbreaking trick ever.' He called up an occupational therapist and said, 'I'm a veteran; I need to see you.' I sat listening in on the conversation. The occupational therapist said: 'You're on veterans coverage. I've got a six-month waiting list. Call me in six months.' We then went outside and he bought me a coffee, and we sat and had a coffee for five or 10 minutes.

See this speech in context