Bill Shorten's recent appearances (OpenAustralia.org)
type: channel
language: en-gb
creator: OpenAustralia.org, mprss.php script
date: 2025-09-07T23:05:11+00:00
items: National Disability Insurance Scheme | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: Valedictory | Parliamentary Representation | House debates
items: Local Government: Governance | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Workplace Safety: Public Sector Workers | Statements on Indulgence | House debates
items: Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence | Statements on Significant Matters | House debates
items: National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024; Consideration of Senate Message | Bills | House debates
items: Carter, Ms Sarah | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Public Service Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2024; Third Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Public Service Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2024; Second Reading | Bills | House debates

National Disability Insurance Scheme | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: I thank the member for Pearce for her question. I'm pleased to inform Australians that since the Albanese government was elected the NDIS is getting back on track. In essence, people with...
encoded: I thank the member for Pearce for her question. I'm pleased to inform Australians that since the Albanese government was elected the NDIS is getting back on track. In essence, people with disability have been put back at the centre of the scheme and the financial numbers are actually improving whilst the integrity of the scheme is being maintained. Also, a consensus on the best way forward to keep the scheme on track has emerged, other than with the Greens political party and some senators. I can demonstrate the metrics of how, in the last 30 months, the scheme is getting back on track. Before we were elected, the scheme was growing in investment outlay by 23 per cent. Last financial year it was 18 per cent. This year we're on track for 12 per cent, and next year it will be eight per cent. Participant growth before we were elected was 15 per cent. Now it's at eight per cent, and many categories have stabilised. When we were elected, the NDIS was in danger of being the only lifeboat in the ocean. The states were contributing 25 per cent of the cost of the scheme, while we were contributing 75 per cent. We've been able to persuade the states to lift their contribution each year, from an extra four per cent growth to eight per cent growth. Most pleasingly, the states have agreed with the Commonwealth to start rolling out, in a year's time, foundational support services so that the scheme is not the only lifeboat in the ocean. When we came to office, there was rampant fraud. There are now 500 investigations being conducted or underway, and 50 people are in front of the courts. Billions of dollars of payments are now being investigated for their integrity, and I'm pleased to announce today that the Albanese government will be spending an extra $110 million to crack down on fraud. When we were elected, there was no clarity on what money could be used for. We've now clarified what it can be used for. When we were elected, over 90 per cent of the service providers were simp…
date: 2024-11-27T14:46:00+00:00

Valedictory | Parliamentary Representation | House debates
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description: In the 123 years of the storied history of the parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia there are 1,244 individuals who've been elected to the House of Representatives. Each of those...
encoded: In the 123 years of the storied history of the parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia there are 1,244 individuals who've been elected to the House of Representatives. Each of those introduced themselves in their first speech, but only 216 ever got the chance to say goodbye, to give a valedictory. Political life is indeed tough. Election defeat, scandal, illness—section 44! I stand here neither defeated nor disposed, lucky to have served, fortunate to be able to say goodbye and thank you. My first thank you is to my greatest good fortune—my family. To Chloe: you cast everything around you in a golden light. I love you with all my heart—your gift with people, the way you leave every room with five new friends, no baby left uncuddled and a promise to follow up on at least three new policy initiatives. It's not a learned skill; it's an innate quality. It's exactly who you are. And you've passed that on to our three beautiful children. Rupert, Gigi and Clementine: you've been conscripts for the rallies, the speeches, the branch meetings, the polling places—me after polling numbers!—and every community event imaginable, always quick to lift me up when I'm down and even quicker to bring me back to earth when I've needed it. You've given me so much more than I can ever give you, and I don't tell you this enough but I'm so incredibly proud of each of you. To the McGrath and Bryce clans: I'm sorry that you've had such a shy and retiring relative. And I cannot leave off my family thankyou list my faithful British bulldog, Walter. Thank you, buddy, for your unconditional loyalty and being the best listener I've ever met. Mr Speaker, the first role of a member of the House of Representatives is as a local member. I am exceptionally grateful to the voters of Maribyrnong for electing me on six consecutive occasions to this place. When Barry Humphries dreamed up Dame Edna, he based her character on Moonee Ponds, the epitome and epicentre of post-war suburban Australia and the …
date: 2024-11-21T15:11:00+00:00

National Disability Insurance Scheme | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: I thank the tenacious member for Adelaide, whose win-loss ratio since the 1998 election is 6-3. He never gives up! I'm pleased to update the House and the people listening to question time about...
encoded: I thank the tenacious member for Adelaide, whose win-loss ratio since the 1998 election is 6-3. He never gives up! I'm pleased to update the House and the people listening to question time about the progress of the NDIS, and I'm pleased to explain how Labor is building the NDIS's future. We're making sure that every dollar gets through to the participants for whom the scheme was designed. The NDIS is an important economic and social nation-building project, and it is helping people. Labor has been working to get the NDIS back on track every day since the last election. I acknowledge the work of people with disability and their supporters for their efforts too. There are definitely still problems with the scheme, but I can update the House on signs of progress. Participants who've been on the scheme for longer than two years who are aged more than 15 are reporting that their community participation is up, and 15- to 24-year-olds report that their employment prospects or their jobs have increased from 10 per cent to 22 per cent. In fact, 51 per cent of their parents and carers are now able to get paid employment because of the NDIS. I can also update the House on the financial green shoots of stabilisation. In the last year of the coalition, the scheme outlays grew by 23 per cent, and the number of people joining the scheme grew by 15 per cent. Now the scheme outlays in the last financial year have grown by 18 per cent and the number of people joining the scheme has stabilised at eight per cent. Next year, we're on track for 12 per cent and, the following year, eight per cent. I'm pleased to advise the House that, even from the May budget to now, the outlays have decreased by a billion dollars less than were expected in the May budget, which means that, over the next four years, the scheme will invest $210 billion in people but not $229 billion. There are reasons why this is happening. Firstly, the states have agreed that the NDIS shouldn't be the only lifeboat in the…
date: 2024-11-07T14:53:00+00:00

Local Government: Governance | Constituency Statements | House debates
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description: I'm afraid to report that a terrible abuse of power has been uncovered at a council in my electorate. The Victorian Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission, IBAC, yesterday released...
encoded: I'm afraid to report that a terrible abuse of power has been uncovered at a council in my electorate. The Victorian Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission, IBAC, yesterday released its special report into Operation Leo, an investigation into bribery and misconduct between some councillors, the Moonee Valley City Council and some associates of the Essendon Royals Soccer Club. The report is shocking and underscores the seriousness of local council work. IBAC spent 17 months examining Moonee Valley City Council and the Essendon Royals Soccer Club. It found systemic corruption, vulnerabilities, failure to follow proper processes, conflicts of interest and failure to report corrupt conduct. Former councillor Cam Nation, Councillor Jacob Bettio, Councillor Samantha Byrne and Councillor Narelle Sharpe were raided. They had their devices seized in August 2023 as part of the investigation. The wide-ranging anticorruption investigation found that some Moonee Valley councillors misused their positions as elected officials to seek or obtain preferential outcomes for the Essendon Royals Soccer Club. They used their power to influence council decisions, bypassed council decision-making processes and inappropriately disclosed council information to the Essendon Royals Soccer Club. IBAC found Cam Nation, the former Mayor of Moonee Valley City Council, in Melbourne's inner north-west, received drugs and kickbacks in exchange for using his power to influence council decisions. IBAC found that several Moonee Valley councillors received other inducements, including dinners paid for by the sporting club. I want it on the record that my office has attended meetings with the soccer club. As part of our electoral duties, my office and I meet with hundreds of sporting and community groups. As an elected member, I take my role meeting with various groups seriously, and nothing can be more serious than elected officials abusing their power for their personal gain. I'm glad this be…
date: 2024-10-10T09:38:00+00:00

Workplace Safety: Public Sector Workers | Statements on Indulgence | House debates
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description: I'd like to particularly thank the member for Casey for giving me the opportunity to seek this indulgence. Yesterday at about 12.15 pm, after finishing her lunch, Joanne Lombardy, who's a...
encoded: I'd like to particularly thank the member for Casey for giving me the opportunity to seek this indulgence. Yesterday at about 12.15 pm, after finishing her lunch, Joanne Lombardy, who's a frontline public servant who's served for 22 years with Medicare and Centrelink, was returning to her office a few metres from the Blacktown service centre where she works. She was wearing the distinctive Services Australia uniform which many of us are familiar with. She was a few metres from that service centre when she was viciously, violently assaulted by a person exiting the service centre. It was a completely unprovoked, unjustified attack. Bystanders intervened. Police are investigating. I've spoken to Joanne this morning. She's shocked, she's injured but she's recovering. I've spoken to her Blacktown colleagues, who serve all Australians. Assaults on our public servants are unacceptable. We have 100,000 frontline Commonwealth public servants. Assaulting them is a crime. Being assaulted is not part of their job description. It doesn't matter what sort of day you're having or what sort of circumstances you're in, assaulting the people trying to help you cannot be excused. The first thing I want to do in this statement on indulgence is to take the opportunity on behalf of the entire parliament and millions of Australians and say thank you to our frontline public servants. You do a great job for people who need you. In this term, we've invested $361 million in the last budget resulting in 278 extra guards. We've had 15 service centres already upgrade security features and another 85 will be upgraded in the next two years. We've enhanced IT systems, including security alerts and information. Importantly, we've increased maximum penalties for assaults with support of the coalition. It used to be that if you assaulted a federal judge, you would get 13 years maximum. But for a Commonwealth public servant, the maximum was 10 years. It's now the same—13 years. We're on track in Octobe…
date: 2024-09-12T16:27:00+00:00

National Disability Insurance Scheme | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: I thank the member for Bean. As people may be aware, he represents Norfolk Island as well as an area of Canberra. Before there was an NDIS, there were no disability services on Norfolk Island,...
encoded: I thank the member for Bean. As people may be aware, he represents Norfolk Island as well as an area of Canberra. Before there was an NDIS, there were no disability services on Norfolk Island, and now nearly 50 people there receive NDIS support. They're part of the more than 661,000 people who are receiving support from this vital scheme. I'm pleased to tell Australians listening to question time that there's been a marked increase in participation rates in community and social activities for those on the scheme, and there's been a 10 per cent increase from those who have been on the scheme more than six years. I'm also pleased to report that, for young participants between 15 and 24, there are more of them now in paid employment, and it's also great that over half of all families and carers, 52 per cent, are reporting an increase in paid employment. Also, where it once took up to 100 days in many parts of Australia for a person with a disability, who was on the NDIS and was fit for discharge, to actually be able to leave hospital, we've got it down, in the first six months of the year, to an average waiting time of 17 days. These are all genuinely good outcomes that we've accomplished the last 2½ years. I'm also pleased to advise that the process to register most service providers—long overdue—is now well underway. I'm pleased to advise that we've now strengthened the safeguards commission, from 367 staff to nearly 1,000, as they're dealing with a lot more complaints and issues. Half of the NDIS board are now people with lived experience, and we've got the first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander director of the scheme. We're also doing a lot more co-design than has ever happened before, with a range of activities including engagements, workshops, surveys, discussions and research in partnership with disability organisations. Importantly, also, we're cracking down on fraud. The tip-off volumes—because we now properly resource the agency—have increased have incre…
date: 2024-09-10T15:05:00+00:00

Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence | Statements on Significant Matters | House debates
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description: These men are committing crimes, and women have reasons why they can't flee. We know it's a crisis. Successive governments have started to tackle it. We're investing $925 million over five years....
encoded: These men are committing crimes, and women have reasons why they can't flee. We know it's a crisis. Successive governments have started to tackle it. We're investing $925 million over five years. It builds on record measures of the current government to address violence against women: the 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave; the largest increase in rent assistance in 30 years; and investment in crisis accommodation and affordable housing for women. As the Minister for Government Services, I can't solve the gendered violence crisis, but I'm going to break down the silos within and across government so women who confront questions about whether to stay or go can find their decision easier. I've asked my public servants to work towards the idea of joined-up services, so if a woman is fleeing a violent partner she can have on her card a curated and ready-to-use system, her phone can prove who she is and immediately connect her with a dedicated social worker, she can commence a crisis payment and find suitable accommodation and, if she chooses to apply for an AVO, she can be connected to law enforcement to commence the process. We need to break down the plague of fiefdoms in our Public Service, because if we can have a simple identification which gives a woman the freedom to exercise choice then perhaps we'll save more lives. I really want to finish my contribution by saying that gendered violence is a man's issue. It is men who, by and large, are the problem. Men learn from the trauma of their own childhood, and some repeat it. It's interesting why men who had abuse in their own childhood turn out to be good fathers and husbands. I think that, if they don't repeat it, it's often because of the influence of strong mothers and other women in their lives. Young boys tonight will learn about violence. Young girls will learn. But if the young boys who learn about it don't have the right role models—the good men to guide them—then that violence will be intergenera…
date: 2024-08-22T10:49:00+00:00

Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence | Statements on Significant Matters | House debates
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description: I think a lot of Australians sometimes think that our political system is broken and that not very much happens in parliament. They get sick of the to-and-fro. We have an adversarial system in...
encoded: I think a lot of Australians sometimes think that our political system is broken and that not very much happens in parliament. They get sick of the to-and-fro. We have an adversarial system in our parliament. But I want to say to Australians listening to this debate that, on the issue of gendered violence, the whole parliament does think it is important. From listening to the excellent contributions so far, I think every member of parliament knows that we've got to do better. We wake too often to a story of another woman having been murdered by someone who said they loved them. Enough is enough is enough. We cannot become immune to this tragedy or shrug our shoulders and say, 'Well, this is the way things are.' Family violence, violence against women and children, does not distinguish between the suburb you live in, what school you went to, how much money you have in the bank account, what ethnicity you are or what part of Australia you live in. The data shows that 2.2 million Australians have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from their partners, and it says that 3.6 million Australians have experience emotional abuse from a partner—and, let's be honest, that's just the people who are willing to say they experienced emotional abuse. Then you've got the kids who have to live with the trauma of abuse. That's a little bit about what I'm going to talk about today. Men can experience violence like women can. Most blokes are simply not violent, but the research is clear that there's a gendered pattern. Women and their kids are disproportionately, hugely, the victims. Women are much more likely than men to experience sexual and emotional violence from an intimate partner. I'm afraid the numbers don't lie—although I want to move beyond the numbers. It is terrible that one in six of our sisters, mothers, daughters and fellow Australian women have experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner since the age of 15. I think it's about one in 18 men.…
date: 2024-08-22T10:49:00+00:00

National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024; Consideration of Senate Message | Bills | House debates
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description: I'm going to briefly respond to the member for Ryan's intellectually dishonest submissions, which the Greens party has been perpetuating. She didn't actually go to any of the amendments that are...
encoded: I'm going to briefly respond to the member for Ryan's intellectually dishonest submissions, which the Greens party has been perpetuating. She didn't actually go to any of the amendments that are in front of us, but I'm going to call out the lies. The member, who clearly doesn't know too much about the NDIS—although she might have helped some constituents through contacting my office to help them—said that we are proposing lists and that this is a terrible new development. I have news for the member. There have been lists since day one in the scheme. If you read the act, you'll see that it spells out that there are things which are the responsibility of other services, and then it says there are things which money should be spent on and things that it shouldn't be spent on. All we are doing is converting from an operational guideline to a regulation. Furthermore, on the cowardly outrage fanning the flames of fear from the Greens, they neglected to say that the disability community, for the first time, is being consulted on the list. I note that neither you nor anyone in the Greens party in the last 10 years has ever complained about the list not being consulted on. But, all of a sudden, the member for Ryan has found her voice. What's worse about it is that the Greens political party put up several amendments, but they've been running behind those amendments—wisely, the member for Ryan didn't even bother—and accusing the government of getting rid of the concept of 'reasonable and necessary'. 'Reasonable and necessary' will be at the core of the scheme. I don't expect the Greens to have the honesty to withdraw the lie, but they're wrong; I've put it on the record. We will keep the concept of 'reasonable and necessary'. We're told by the Greens that there is no co-design. Under me, the NDIA has 23 co-design groups, and you're welcome to come and visit; I'm not holding my breath. So there have been lists. The real debate here is that there are three options for the futur…
date: 2024-08-22T16:36:00+00:00

National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024; Consideration of Senate Message | Bills | House debates
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description: I'd like to indicate to the House that the government proposes that it may suit the convenience of the House to consider the amendments in the following two groups. The first group is amendments...
encoded: I'd like to indicate to the House that the government proposes that it may suit the convenience of the House to consider the amendments in the following two groups. The first group is amendments (1) and (2), (4) to (48), (50) to (67), (69) and (70). The other group is amendments (3), (49) and (68). I move: That Senate amendments (1) and (2), (4) to (48), (50) to (67), (69) and (70) be agreed to. I'll briefly talk about the amendments. This is landmark legislation, and I am grateful for the effort of the Senate in voting it through today. It's fulfilling a commitment by the Australian government to legislate important changes called for by the independent review of the NDIS and following much engagement with the disability community, stakeholders and state and territory governments. The government has made a number of amendments to strengthen this important legislation. They're in response to the feedback, and we'll continue to listen once the legislation is passed, if it's passed, as the reforms are co-designed. Specifically referring to a range of the amendments, in June the government took the bill to the Senate. We proposed 18 amendments to reflect the recommendations of the Community Affairs Legislation Committee. The amendments respond to recommendations made by the committee, including governance, whereby first ministers are also recognised as ministers for the purpose of category A rule making; consultation, whereby a consultation statement will be tabled accompanying the legislative instrument that sets out consultations undertaken on the instrument; and safeguards, whereby government will clarify the circumstances under which the additional powers granted to the NDIS CEO through the bill will be used. The final amendment headed off concerns about the ability of the assessment to deliver a whole-of-person budget deemed a benefit of the legislation for participants and government alike. In addition government introduced further amendments to the Senate last w…
date: 2024-08-22T16:17:00+00:00

National Disability Insurance Scheme | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: This morning I was contacted by a mother whose son is on the NDIS. I have her permission to read excerpts of her letter. It explains why this legislation should pass. It reads: 'Hi Mr Shorten. I...
encoded: This morning I was contacted by a mother whose son is on the NDIS. I have her permission to read excerpts of her letter. It explains why this legislation should pass. It reads: 'Hi Mr Shorten. I woke up this morning to an article in the newspaper reporting that you've won sufficient support for your proposed changes to the NDIS. I then went to find my 15-year-old son in the kitchen, where he was tearing the place up. It was 4.45 am. He has a diagnosis of level 3 autism and a moderate intellectual disability. He is non-verbal and incontinent, has severe sensory dysfunction and is a beautiful but huge six-foot, 100-kilogram boy. His behaviours are exhausting. They're difficult. At times, they're scary. He will punch, pinch or bite without notice. He defecates on the floor every day, and he smears and eats it. He can do very little for himself and depends on home care from me, my husband and our carers. He's been an NDIS participant for 10 years. We can't survive without care for him but feel unsupported and completely price-gouged and exploited. I wish you every success in your changes to the NDIS. Please help us families who really need support. We're so sick of hearing about funding being used for holidays, lawn mowing and so on when we can hardly survive, maybe because we're so busy and burnt out we can't make as much noise.' I can promise this amazing mum and her son hope in the new legislation. The first step is the new planning process. It'll be strength based needs assessment. It'll identify her son's strengths, goals, preferences and challenges. The assessment will be done by an accredited assessor who will meet with the family. The assessor will use various tools co-designed with people with disability, and it will respect her son's dignity and rights. The second step is an assessment report—a summary and assessment of the findings and recommendations for the types of supports needed—prepared by the assessor, who'll work with the family. It will be a clear, a…
date: 2024-08-22T14:07:00+00:00

Carter, Ms Sarah | Constituency Statements | House debates
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description: Last Friday I attended the funeral of Sarah Carter at Flemington Racecourse. She was just 45 years old. I acknowledge the loss to her family and I acknowledge her mother, Gaynor, who's listening...
encoded: Last Friday I attended the funeral of Sarah Carter at Flemington Racecourse. She was just 45 years old. I acknowledge the loss to her family and I acknowledge her mother, Gaynor, who's listening to this as we speak. Sarah was the first woman to be elected Mayor of Maribyrnong three times and only the second mayor in the municipality's history to achieve emeritus status, the highest recognition for distinguished service in local government leadership. She received multiple awards for her contribution to the council since being first elected in 2008 and she was serving her fourth consecutive term. She was simply the most decorated female councillor in a city that was established in 1859. Sarah was passionate about Maribyrnong and the local community. She lived a life of service, with her work grounded in grassroots community engagement. There was an energy, an enthusiasm, creative thinking and a fearlessness to Sarah which was unmatched. Sarah was also a tireless international advocate. Those gathered at the service heard of Sarah's remarkable efforts with the charity organisation Save the Children. Mat Tinkler, CEO of the organisation, spoke beautifully of shared memories, and of offering Ms Carter the job of leading a program to visit aid and development programs overseas, which one friend described as her life's work. Mr Tinkler said that Sarah called it her 'dream job', but he said to her, 'I think you're the dream candidate.' She'll also be remembered for her fight to reinstate IVF treatments during COVID lockdowns. In the weeks that have passed since we learned of Sarah's death she's been remembered as a force of nature—in the words of her mother, an intelligent, vivacious, caring woman who set out singly to make a difference in many people's lives. She had the ability to make every individual feel like they were the most important person in the room. Her father, David, said that, despite the overwhelming loss of his daughter, he felt immense pride that her life…
date: 2024-08-21T09:39:00+00:00

Public Service Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2024; Third Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: by leave—I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time.
encoded: by leave—I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time.
date: 2024-08-20T18:28:00+00:00

Public Service Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2024; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: The member for Sturt—that's it. Thank you. It's not retrospective; we're clarifying it. There has been a briefing for the opposition. The Australian Public Service Commissioner, Gordon de...
encoded: The member for Sturt—that's it. Thank you. It's not retrospective; we're clarifying it. There has been a briefing for the opposition. The Australian Public Service Commissioner, Gordon de Brouwer, attended that yesterday. I'm instructed that we were notified in July of the need for this, so we haven't been hatching this for two years. The APS Code of Conduct is a cornerstone of an efficient, effective and apolitical Australian Public Service which upholds APS values and acts with integrity in the national interest. Culture is set from the top down. Agency heads should not be able to escape accountability for breaching the code of conduct simply by leaving their role. Claims have been made in the context of current inquiries, including in relation to robodebt, that the absence of an express power means the commissioner cannot investigate agency heads. The government is not prepared to compromise the outcome of these important inquiries, and that's why the date of 7 July 2023 was picked, and we are acting swiftly to remove any ambiguity. This bill will clarify the commissioner's power to investigate and make findings against former agency heads. This will allow the commissioner to conclude current inquiries quickly and undertake further inquiries on a clear, level footing. This bill delivers on what the Australian community deserve and expect—clear powers to ensure that the most senior leaders of our Public Service are accountable for their conduct as agency heads. I commend the bill to the House. Question agreed to. Bill read a second time.
date: 2024-08-20T18:25:00+00:00

Public Service Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2024; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: I thank all members for their constructive debate on the Public Service Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2024. I just want to clarify the member for Casey's imaginative ramble. This law is not...
encoded: I thank all members for their constructive debate on the Public Service Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2024. I just want to clarify the member for Casey's imaginative ramble. This law is not retrospective; it's clarifying what we believe to be the existing law. I'm sorry that he wasn't invited to the briefing, which Senator Jane Hume and the member for Bradfield attended yesterday, with the Public Service Commissioner. There has been a briefing for the opposition. I am sorry if the leadership of the opposition don't inform the troops about what they're doing. That's just not really good communication. The other thing is that the previous member—Mr Pyne's replacement, whatever—said, 'When were we notified about'—
date: 2024-08-20T18:25:00+00:00

National Disability Insurance Scheme | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: I'd like to thank the saxophone-playing, Indonesian-speaking emergency doctor from Wyong, the member for Reid, for his very good question. Even though it was his birthday last Friday, he...
encoded: I'd like to thank the saxophone-playing, Indonesian-speaking emergency doctor from Wyong, the member for Reid, for his very good question. Even though it was his birthday last Friday, he understands that the NDIS is changing lives for the better. We are returning the scheme to its true purpose. We are making sure that support gets through to the people for whom it was designed and that it's sustainable for future generations. The legislation is currently in the final stages of consideration by the Senate, and I do acknowledge the constructive engagement with the opposition. If this legislation is passed, it's a significant step towards a stronger NDIS. The legislation does a few simple things: it'll stop the automatic top-up of participants' plans which are exhausted early; it'll create the architecture to implement the NDIS review's recommendations to put a total capped flexible budget in place for all of the participants; and it'll exclude supports that are supposed to be funded by other service systems or, indeed, supports which were never intended to be funded by the NDIS. If we're able to pass it this week, the necessary legislative framework to improve the participant experience will deliver fairer decisions which will be more transparent and more consistent. It will allow us to get on with the work of designing the finer practical elements of NDIS reform with participants, the people who love them, the people who work with them, and their advocates. There are a number of amendments in the Senate contributed by the disability community, and we will continue to listen to stakeholders, including the states, the opposition and, of course, people with disability and their representatives. This has been a huge body of consultation. The review, which we set up after promising it at the election, talked to 10,000 people, took 4,000 submissions and listened for literally 2,000 hours. I've personally attended 18 town hall meetings, where I've heard from over 10,000 att…
date: 2024-08-20T14:50:00+00:00

Public Service Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2024; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Background This bill makes amendments to the Public Service Act 1999(Cth) to clarify the Australian Public Service Commissioner's powers with...
encoded: I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Background This bill makes amendments to the Public Service Act 1999(Cth) to clarify the Australian Public Service Commissioner's powers with respect to conducting inquiries into potential breaches of the code of conduct by former agency heads. The Public Service Act establishes a code of conduct that applies to APS employees and to agency heads. It includes requirements for APS employees and agency heads to, amongst other things, behave with honesty and integrity, to act with care and diligence, and to treat everyone with respect and courtesy. The APS Code of Conduct is a cornerstone of an efficient, effective and apolitical Australian Public Service that upholds APS values and acts with integrity, accountability, and in the national interest. The commissioner's powers under the Public Service Act are essential to safeguarding this standard and maintaining public confidence in the vital institution that is the Australian Public Service. The Public Service Act expressly allows for the APS Commissioner to inquire into and determine whether a current or former APS employee has breached the code of conduct. The act also expressly allows the APS Commissioner to inquire into whether a current agency head has breached the code of conduct. The act further gives the APS Commissioner the function of reviewing, and reporting on, any matter referred to the commissioner by the Public Service minister. This bill will amend the act to explicitly provide that the APS Commissioner has the power to inquire into and determine whether current and former agency heads have breached the code of conduct. This will mean that the commissioner has clear powers to hold current and former agency heads to account for breaches of the code of conduct while they are an agency head. Bill overview Section 14(1) of the Public Service Act makes it clear that agency heads are bound by the code of conduct in the same way as other Australian public servan…
date: 2024-08-14T09:07:00+00:00

National Disability Insurance Scheme | Questions without Notice | House debates
type: item
description: To be fair, I don't think cuddle therapy should be on the NDIS, but I think someone should give the Leader of the Opposition a cuddle after the week he's had! The fact of the matter is—and...
encoded: To be fair, I don't think cuddle therapy should be on the NDIS, but I think someone should give the Leader of the Opposition a cuddle after the week he's had! The fact of the matter is—and I'll just say this once—there's a billion dollars being wasted; 60,000 child participants could get a year's support. Why are you so oxygen-stealingly dumb to waste time on a billion dollars! Shame on all of you! (Time expired)
date: 2024-07-04T14:52:00+00:00

National Disability Insurance Scheme | Questions without Notice | House debates
type: item
description: What we see is that the NDIS is growing but it's growing too fast. I know members of the opposition understand that. They just couldn't do anything about it. But they know that problem. Now, the...
encoded: What we see is that the NDIS is growing but it's growing too fast. I know members of the opposition understand that. They just couldn't do anything about it. But they know that problem. Now, the issue is it is growing too fast. So Labor has some propositions to help restrain the rate of growth. We've got a bill in the parliament. The Senate has had it for 12 weeks. They've had it for 12 weeks. The problem is that they want to now delay it for another eight weeks. This is the problem. Sometimes, you can delay things in the Senate and, really, the sun comes up the next day and the chicken still lays eggs. But sometimes things get delayed in the Senate which have a cost. This legislation, if it's delayed, is, according to the actuary, going to cost people on the scheme and it's going to cost taxpayers a billion dollars in waste—a billion dollars. The reason it's going to cost a billion dollars is that the Liberals need more time to ask questions. But I want to put this to the House and the backbench of the coalition, who don't always get to hear what's going on—these are the questions which your senators need eight weeks to answer, but I think even the group opposite could answer this quicker than in eight weeks: do you think it is right that people can claim tarot cards and clairvoyance on the scheme? You don't need eight weeks to work that out. Do you think that it should take eight weeks to work out if people should be able to get cuddle therapy? Of course you don't. But, for whatever reason, you are taking eight weeks and a billion dollars to answer obvious questions.
date: 2024-07-04T14:52:00+00:00

National Disability Insurance Scheme | Questions without Notice | House debates
type: item
description: I thank the member for Bean for his question. There are five bits of good news for disability workers, the 400,000 people who work in the NDIS, and I'd like to acknowledge their great work. First...
encoded: I thank the member for Bean for his question. There are five bits of good news for disability workers, the 400,000 people who work in the NDIS, and I'd like to acknowledge their great work. First of all, all 400,000 are getting a tax cut—great! For all of those on the award, which is most of them, they've had a 15 per cent increase in wages since Labor was elected—that's good! They're going to access cheaper medicines. That has got to be a plus. Their superannuation has gone up—great! And, of course, they're getting energy relief. So that's five bits of good news for people who do a brilliant job. But there are problems. There are problems with the sustainability of the scheme which undermine all the good work all these good people do.
date: 2024-07-04T14:52:00+00:00