Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026, in the remaining eight minutes before adjournment, is of immense importance to the parliament. It's immensely important to have a conversation about how we are going to take the nation forward together. There will be no-one you will find who will be more critical of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and its corruption and fraud than myself.

What we have allowed—what the Labor government has allowed, I should say more correctly—is for this to become a honey pot. So many people engaged in fraud and corruption have taken advantage of the honey pot and tipped their hand into the resources of the Commonwealth and the taxpayers of Australia, only then to use them for dishonest ends. We have honest Australians paying honest taxes on honest work, and it's ending up in the hands of dishonest means.

Of course, the government is now coming around, finally, and acknowledging that, despite the constant efforts in the period of the previous government, they have let it rip for organised crime, corruption and fraud. The solution now is to attack participants. Certainly that's a perception outside in the community in terms of the implementation. I just need to look at some of the emails that have come through the Goldstein office and what people have raised. You'll understand, Deputy Speaker, I want to respect people's privacy and to make sure that personal conditions are not revealed, but I will use their words.

One person wrote to me and said, 'I think everyone realises that changes need to be made to the NDIS, but not at the expense of participant safety. I'm not sure the politicians realise that NDIS participants are reliant on support to be able to live safely in their homes, access the community and live ordinary lives.' Well, I will clarify for one of the Goldstein constituents: we do, but, unfortunately, I don't think that this is understood by the Labor Party, who are too busy always finding pathways to cut rather than focusing on where they need to actually cut, which is around fraud and corruption.

This person went on to say, 'We're very concerned about Labor's proposed changes to the NDIS, which seem to focus on cost-cutting rather than supporting vulnerable Australians.' I think that's a legitimate and serious concern, because so many people have written to us and outlined their specific circumstances and what has been happening. People have faced what are, in their words, alarming changes which diminish their capacity to access essential care in a very challenging environment.

One person wrote to me and said, 'It's clear there is wastage which needs resolving in the system, but pulling support from those of us who are trying everything we humanly can do to preserve dignity and independence is really a low blow.' It's a really low blow from the Albanese government, because they were unwilling to support and work with the coalition the last time we were in office to actually bring in a lot of the changes that they're now seeking to bring in. But, instead of focusing on the fraud and the corruption, the way they're approaching it is to target the participants.

One person wrote to me and said they received an ambush call from the NDIS over the claims of their daughter, who's five years old, with cerebral palsy. That has a very significant impact on their lives. The NDIS planner that called then—they allege—lied, threatened, abused and patronised. Such was the wanton attempt by said individual to reduce the package of a NDIS participant. We have other examples. People have raised concerns about the NDIS cutting a lot of their funding. Their situation has changed considerably, yet there has simply been no leniency or understanding of the impact on them as an individual.

One person went on to say that their right side is affected now and it's hard to cope each day based on their disability. They're suffering a lot because of chest pains due to anxiety, which affects their mobility and/or shaking whilst moving around. They're seeking support and assistance, as is appropriate, to be able to maintain and balance out their life, but of course the NDIS under the Albanese government is not providing the support they so desperately need.

We have a lot of people who have faced really serious challenges. One person says that for the first time in eight years the NDIA has had to reject claims for their daughter's special needs netball program. I'm not sure about you, Deputy Speaker, but I think maintaining a physically active lifestyle is very important for young Australians, particularly those with a disability, to be able to get ahead because of the pathway and the social connection, which is a very important part of their quality of life. But that now seems to be, as part of the All ABILITIES Program, something that's been put on the back burner by the Albanese government.

In some cases acknowledging the importance of these programs, in particular, for those who have come here with no means—we have a Ukrainian refugee who's even contacted me talking about how their diagnosis of lifelong cerebral palsy is now being targeted by these cuts. They say that English is not their first language and on at least one occasion they have been contacted by the agency without any interpreter present despite having requested one. So we're seeing a decline in standards, a decline in quality and a decline in the services that are needed so desperately by some Australians, and the response from the Albanese government is 'tough it'. They're not prepared to make any accommodations or work with people to be able to improve their circumstances.

But there is one thing they are prepared to do. They are prepared to allow organised crime, fraud and corruption to continue to attack the NDIS at every step of the way and profiteer from it without any regard or any serious attempt to respond. On budget day there was finally an acknowledgement after the government was dragged, kicking and screaming, to the scale to address corruption and fraud in the NDIS. They were dragged, kicking and screaming, to be able to affect change and to address the fraud and corruption. Since then they've gone silent. It's quite clear that the government's approach to the NDIS is to target clients first and worry about the organised fraud and corruption later.

The problem is that it's ordinary Australians who just want to live a dignified life that are left on the chopping block of the Albanese government's approach. This is where the government has got its priorities fundamentally wrong. I can't fathom the scale of what is being done and why it is being done. This government has such a terrible record of allowing programs to become honey pots for organised crime and corruption, from the NDIS to home aged-care packages, to childcare packages and all the way through, of course, to handing $15 billion of public money to organised crime through the CFMEU-Labor cartel. And who do they choose to punch down on? It is people with a disability.

What is wrong with this government and its priorities? They can't tell the truth. They can't be honest. They can't be clear with people about what they're going to do before an election versus the actions they take after an election, and when they get their chance at the levers of power, their solution is to punch down on people with a disability. This government has to end.

Debate interrupted.

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