Sophie Scamps (Mackellar, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I speak today on behalf of families in my community of Mackellar who are very worried about the transition to the new Thriving Kids which the government plans to roll out from July 2026. The 2023 NDIS review recommended investing in foundational supports outside the NDIS for children aged zero to eight years with mild-to-moderate developmental delay or disability, including autism. The goal is to ensure early identification and support for children while also ensuring the long-term sustainability of the NDIS. These are incredibly important goals; we all want our children to have the best possible start in life and we all want a sustainable NDIS, but in the rush to implement change, our community is already feeling the unintended consequences.

Despite assurances from the government that no child would be removed from the NDIS before foundational supports are in place, I have heard from local providers and families that this is not the case. One local provider, Kids First, has had to advocate for 10 families whose children were exited from the NDIS when their funding expired. These families were left without support for up to five months—months that are critical in a child's development. This has caused immense stress and disrupted care, and has led to setbacks in the children's progress. Another local speech pathologist shared with me that two of his young clients have also already been removed from the NDIS despite no alternative supports being available. The proposed Thriving Kids program is intended to fill this gap, but has not yet been designed or implemented. The children's schools are doing their best, but they are already stretched to capacity and don't have the required expertise. These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a broader experience as children with clear developmental needs are being exited from the scheme before the new supports are in place.

The Thriving Kids program is welcome in principle, but we must ensure that, as government works with families and the sectors to design this program, transitional safeguards are in place. No child in our community should be left without the care and support they need during these early vital years. Our children deserve better, our families deserve certainty, and our community deserves a system that works for everyone.