Tom Venning (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The National Disability Insurance Scheme is a headline generator, a conversation starter and a source of continual work for my electorate office. It is both a vital support mechanism and a system that has regularly let people down. The coalition understands that the NDIS remains a significant social reform in our history. However, we must pose a hard question: if the NDIS is here to support people in need, who is going to support the NDIS?

When the scheme was first proposed, it received bipartisan support across this chamber. We agreed that the previous system was failing. The old system was fragmented and unfair. People with disabilities were falling through the cracks of a broken system. The vision of the NDIS was clear; it was meant to be an insurance scheme, not a welfare system to exploit. It was designed to invest in people early, to improve outcomes and to reduce the overall cost over their lifetimes. This was the correct goal. Every member supported that goal. We wanted a system that would give people choice and give people control. We wanted a system that would help people participate fully in our society. That is the scheme that we voted for. That is the scheme Australians thought that they were getting.

But, today, we're looking at a scheme that has drifted from its intent. The financial trajectory of the NDIS is unsustainable. When the scheme was established, we were given projections about its costs. Those projections have blown out of the water entirely. We are now looking at a scheme that is costing tens of billions of dollars more than anyone could have anticipated. If we do not intervene, the NDIS will soon cost more than Medicare. Under Labor, the NDIS costs more than defence—more than defence! This is not a sustainable pathway. We simply cannot ignore these numbers. We have a responsibility to manage the budget carefully. We have a responsibility to ensure that tax revenue is used effectively.

The Labor government has failed to take this responsibility seriously. They have allowed costs to spiral out of control. They've ignored the warning signs. They have focused on a short-term political gain rather than the long-term viability of the NDIS. We need a government that is willing to make the tough decisions. We need a government that is willing to support and secure the future of the NDIS. I do not say this to be partisan. I say this because the reality is stark. The government had years to address these cost pressures. They received report after report warning them about the financial trajectory of the scheme, yet their response has been slow. Indeed, when the coalition was in government, we put in legislation to make the NDIS sustainable. Labor voted against those measures—the hypocrisy.

Labor have introduced minor tweaks when we need structural reform. They have formed committees and ordered reviews instead of taking decisive action to fix the problems. The lack of leadership is putting the entire scheme at risk. When a government fails to manage the budget of a major program, it is the people who rely on that program who suffer. If the NDIS collapses under its own weight, it is the participants who will lose their support entirely. This is why we must act now. We cannot wait for another review. We cannot wait for another election. Commonsense reforms are needed to rein in the costs and ensure the scheme is there for those who truly need it in their lives. The legislation before us, the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026, is a step in the right direction. It aims to put guardrails around the scheme. It aims to ensure that the funding is targeted to those who need it most. It is about restoring the original intent of the NDIS as an insurance scheme.

One of the main reasons the costs have spiralled out of control is the lack of integrity in the system. The NDIS has become a soft target for those who wish to exploit it. We have all heard the stories. We have all seen the reports and the shock pieces on social media. There are providers charging exorbitant fees and claiming payments for basic assistance needs. They do this simply because the participant has an NDIS plan. These bad apples see the NDIS as a golden ticket, a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow to get rich quick. This has to stop. There are businesses that have sprung up overnight to take advantage of funding, but this is not just a few bad apples; it's a whole damn orchard of NDIS scammers.

This is a systemic problem. The system was designed with a high level of trust. It was assumed that providers would act in the best interest of their participants. Unfortunately, that trust has been used and it has been abused. The focus has shifted from providing necessary support to gouging profits. This is a rampant and disgraceful betrayal of the taxpayers who fund the scheme and a betrayal of the vulnerable Australians who need our help. Thus, we find ourselves at a critical juncture. We must ask ourselves a very serious question about the future viability of the program. I ask again: if the NDIS is here to support the people in need, who is going to support the NDIS?

Let us look closely at how the system is being milked. We see providers charging double or triple the market rate for everyday services. A service that costs one price for a regular citizen suddenly costs vastly more on the NDIS. That is a rort. We see invoicing for services that were never delivered. We see unnecessary therapies that do not align with the treatment plans. We see aggressive marketing tactics aimed at vulnerable people. We see pressure. We see pain. We see filthy behaviours that target the most weak and helpless Australians. This is a completely unacceptable situation, and this Labor government has been far too slow to crack down on this horrific behaviour.

When people see this kind of waste and abuse, it undermines public confidence in the entire system. Australians are generous people. They really are. They are willing to pay taxes for this support, but they expect their money to be used wisely. They do not want their taxes lining the pockets of unscrupulous operators. The government has a duty to protect the integrity of the scheme. They have a duty to ensure that every dollar spent is a dollar that directly benefits the person with a disability. By failing to act decisively against these scammers, this government is failing in its duty. The real tragedy of this situation is the impact it has on the genuine participants of the scheme. Every dollar that is wasted on scams is a dollar lost. It is not available for someone who genuinely needs that support. In my electorate, 5,666 people are supported by the NDIS, many of them with profound disabilities living hundreds of kilometres from the nearest specialised medical facilities. We have families who are exhausted, fighting bureaucratic battles to get care for their children, their parents or their partners. Meanwhile, money is draining out of the system at the other end. This is deeply unfair.

The system has been incredibly complex and difficult to navigate. Genuine participants are forced to jump through endless hoops to prove their need. They face a constant burden of administration and paperwork just to survive day to day in this system. Yet the scammers seem to navigate the system with ease. They know how to game the rules. They know how to extract the maximum profits with the minimum amount of effort. This creates a two-tiered system. Those who are honest and play by the rules are penalised while those who are dishonest are rewarded. We've got to flip the script. We must make it easier for genuine participants to get the support that they need. We must make it harder for scammers to exploit the system. This requires a fundamental shift in how the scheme is administered. It requires a government that is vigilant, proactive and willing to enforce the rules.

The bill before us today seeks to address some of these critical issues. It introduces tighter controls on how funds can be spent. It provides greater powers to the regulatory body to investigate and prosecute fraud. It aims to clarify the definition of 'reasonable and necessary supports', ensuring that funding is directed towards evidence based therapies and interventions. These are necessary steps, and we support the intent of these measures. We believe that we must tighten the rules to protect the very purpose of the scheme. But legislation alone is simply not enough. The government must be committed to implementing these changes effectively. They must provide the resources necessary to ensure that these new rules are enforced. They must work closely with the states and the territories to ensure a consistent approach across the entire country.

We also need to look beyond the immediate term. We need a long-term strategy for the NDIS. We need to integrate the scheme more effectively with our mainstream services. The NDIS was never meant to be an oasis in a desert; it was meant to work alongside other services to provide holistic support. The government has neglected this aspect of the design. They have allowed the NDIS to become the only option for many people, leading to a massive increase in its demand. We need to build the capacity of mainstream services so that people with disabilities can get the support they need in places like Kadina, Port Augusta, Port Lincoln and Whyalla without having to rely solely on the NDIS.

If we want to secure the NDIS for future generations, we must act with urgency and purpose. We must acknowledge that the current path is completely unsustainable. The financial pressures are real and growing rapidly every single passing day. We cannot simply wish them away or ignore them for political convenience. We owe it to the current participants to fix the system and clean up the mess. We owe it to the young children who will need this scheme in the decades to come. We owe it to the taxpayers, who are funding this vital national endeavour.

The government must step up and show real leadership right now. They must stop playing at the edges and start delivering the structural reform that is so desperately needed. They must clear out the scammers and the rorters, who are treating this scheme like an easy target to fatten their bank accounts. They must restore integrity in the system so that public confidence can be rebuilt.

We wanted to build a society where people with disabilities were valued, respected and supported to live their best lives. We wanted a system that provided certainty and security. That vision is still entirely valid. It is still worth fighting for. But a vision without a sustainable foundation is just a dream. We can make this dream a reality, but we must answer this question: if the NDIS is here to support people in need, who is going to support the NDIS? To this I say the coalition is ready to answer the call.

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