Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Parent, single mum Sarah, who lives in Perth, has said publicly that a shock $70,000 cut to her 11-year-old autistic son's, Jonah's, NDIS plan means she'll only be able to afford a support worker once or twice a week. She's probably going to have to quit her job to care for him. Why did the Morrison government cut Jonah's plan?

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let me thank the member for Maribyrnong for his question. In the particular case the member's raised, I'll speak to the member afterwards to get the details in full—quite confidentially—of the participant in question, and we'll chase it up and have a look. As you know, the law actually has a requirement for plans to be reviewed and updated as required.

It is important though for the House to understand the Morrison government over the last 12 months has put in over $17 billion extra into the NDIS. It could be the largest estimate variation of any program of any government in our nation's history. That gives an indication to the House of the commitment of the entire House to this scheme.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will resume his seat. The member for Maribyrnong, on a point of order?

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance: this was about Jonah O'Sullivan's cut of over $70,000, not about the NDIS in general.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Maribyrnong will resume his seat. When a question is asked without notice about a specific incident or a specific example such as this, no-one could expect a minister to know the facts and circumstances behind that particular case. The minister is being relevant and will return to—

The member for Newcastle is warned. The minister has the call.

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The beauty of the NDIS is the scheme started in a bipartisan way and it's continued that way, to everyone's credit. And I think the parliament as a whole should be proud of what we've achieved together with the NDIS.

It is an extraordinary world-first. It's a scheme that no other country in the world has tried to put together in the time frame and in the way that, collectively, we have. There are over 470,000 participants with permanent and significant disability on the NDIS. It's a social insurance scheme that every Australian can rely on, a scheme that enjoys the support of everyone in the House, a scheme whereby, if Australians find themselves in difficulty, they know there is a social insurance policy there to assist them.

The issues of this particular case will certainly be looked into by the minister and the department, because, with over 470,000 Australians being cared for in the insurance scheme, there are always opportunities to improve and to look at particular matters. But this is something we should be proud of. It is something the Morrison government is leaning into, and we're leaning into it heavily. There is no other program that has seen the sheer amount of resources that have gone into the NDIS to assist so many Australians, and that's something we should applaud. The Morrison government has always stood behind the NDIS. The Morrison government has built the NDIS. The Morrison government finalised all the agreements with the states and continues to work cooperatively and collaboratively towards this world-first. It's something we collectively should be proud of.