Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme, I present the following reports: General issues: Work of the committee in the 46th Parliament and Current scheme implementation and forecasting for the NDIS.

Reports made parliamentary papers in accordance with standing order 39(e).

by leave—I am pleased to present the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme's second report for the inquiry into current scheme implementation and forecasting for the NDIS. The report examines new evidence provided to the committee since the tabling of its interim report in November 2021. The committee focused on evidence received in relation to funding, forecasting and financial sustainability of the NDIS, the boundaries and interfaces of the scheme, and matters of trust, equity and decision-making in the scheme.

The unanimous report makes six recommendations. Firstly, it outlines areas of the NDIS which the committee considers should be the subject of independent research, including the adequacy of supports available to people with disability needs outside of the NDIS, best practice early intervention approaches, effective market stewardship and the scheme's interfaces with mainstream services. The report further recommends that research be commissioned to build on existing work to understand actuarial forecasts and cost drivers for the scheme, and to understand the broader contribution of the NDIS to the Australian economy.

The committee emphasises that all independent research should, to the greatest extent possible, be published in full and that accessible translations or easy-read versions be made available. The committee also recommends reviewing how the NDIA manages financial sustainability for the scheme to ensure that the NDIA appropriately emphasises the benefits of the scheme and promotes those benefits to the Australian community.

I was also pleased to present the committee's final report for the 46th Parliament, summarising the work of the committee since the commencement of the parliament on 2 July 2019. In the 46th Parliament, the committee completed seven inquiries, under which it has received 908 public submissions, held 32 public hearings, made 177 recommendations and tabled 12 unanimous reports, including this one.

On behalf of the committee, I thank all of those who have contributed to its inquiries by lodging submissions, providing additional information, expressing views via correspondence or attending the committee's public hearings. I've chaired this committee for the last two parliaments and this has been a very good committee in terms of working in a very cooperative manner and, as I said earlier, has always made unanimous recommendations about how we can achieve the aspiration of making the NDIS work as best it possibly can for some half million Australians. On that note, I particularly thank the secretariat of the committee, Bonnie Allan, and her staff for their wonderful, outstanding work over this past parliament in terms of the hearings and reports.

I thank the deputy chair, Senator Carol Brown, and all the members of the committee and I commend the report to the House.