Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Payments) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Bruce Bonyhady is a man widely regarded as the father of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Put simply, the NDIS would not exist without Bruce Bonyhady. He has been the chairman of the board for the last three years and has overseen the launch and expansion of the NDIS, a scheme that is improving the lives of people with disability.

And it is improving the lives of people with disability. Over the next few years the NDIS will help 460,000 people with disability and their families and carers. Despite this, this Minister for Social Services wants to sack Bruce Bonyhady and purge the NDIS board. What I fear is that the Minister for Social Services wants to use Bruce Bonyhady as a scapegoat for the problems that exist in the rollout of the NDIS that are this minister's responsibility. This minister wants to corporatise the NDIS, put his mates on the board and get rid of extraordinary people, like Bruce Bonyhady, who have done so much to make the NDIS a reality in this country. Let's be clear. This minister is responsible himself for the problems in the NDIS, the problems with IT. People with disability know what you are up to, and they will hold you responsible.