Libby Coker (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme, I present the committee's report, incorporating dissenting reports, entitled Integrity of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).

by leave—The NDIS is one of the most significant social reforms in Australia's history. It has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Australians with disability and their families by giving people greater choice, control and access to the supports they need to live the lives they choose. This is why protecting the integrity of the scheme is so important. The NDIS was built on trust—trust that participants would receive the right supports, trust that providers would act in the best interests of the people they support and trust that public funding would be used for its intended purpose. As the scheme has grown, the risks facing it have also evolved. The committee heard that, for a number of years, the integrity settings around the NDIS did not keep pace with the rapid growth and increasing complexity of the scheme. The result was a scheme where important foundations, including market stewardship, provider oversight and information-sharing arrangements, require further strengthening. Since 2022, significant work has been undertaken to address these challenges and strengthen the integrity of the NDIS. This includes a greater focus on fraud prevention and detection, stronger oversight of providers, improved collaboration between agencies and reform to better protect participants.

During the committee's inquiry, what was highlighted was the importance of such continued work. This report builds on the government's integrity reforms and sets out further measures to strengthen the foundations of the scheme, including better identity verification and data sharing; stronger collaboration between agencies; improved provider accountability; and greater capacity to identify and respond to risk and fraud. A key part of this is ensuring that people delivering supports have the right skills, qualifications and professional standards. Participants and their families deserve confidence that the workers entering their homes and providing essential supports are appropriately trained, properly supported and accountable. That's why the report supports stronger workforce standards, including consideration of an NDIS worker registration scheme focused on entry requirements, qualifications and ongoing professional development.

A strong, stable workforce will help protect participants, support quality providers and ensure the scheme continues to deliver the high standard of care that Australians expect. The report also recommends stronger protections against misconduct and exploitation, including tougher action and penalties against fraud and criminal behaviour, and measures to prevent conflict of interest and inappropriate practices. It should be noted that, throughout this inquiry, the committee made clear that choice and control are the foundation of the NDIS, and they must remain at the centre of any reform.

During this inquiry, the committee heard from people with disability, families, advocates, providers and experts. Their experience and the insights they have provided are critical in shaping this report and recommendations I tabled today into the integrity of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. I thank all those who contributed, and I thank my colleagues on the joint standing committee for their work and constructive engagement. I also thank our secretariat. Thank you for your hard work and diligence throughout the course of this inquiry.

The NDIS is a reform of national importance. Our responsibility is to ensure it remains a scheme that Australians can trust—one that delivers high-quality supports, protects participants and is sustainable for generations to come. I commend the report to the House.