Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) | Hansard source

What a disappointing answer the Minister representing the Minister for the NDIS gave today in question time. She was asked three questions first up by Senator Brown. She took two questions on notice, and she made one 'we don't comment'. Then, when asked by Senator Gallagher about the total underspend on the NDIS in the fiscal years 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20, interestingly enough the minister did not deny that there was an underspend. But what she did was say, 'Well, I'll bring the budget books in'–a sort of condescending answer that, to be honest, I didn't expect from Senator Ruston. But she did not deny at all that there was an underspend, and that tells us a lot.

Responsibility for the management of the NDIS has been with that side of the chamber, as a third-term government, for a very long time now. I think it was Senator Brown who said there have already been six different ministers in the last six years. You can't get someone to really commit to it on your side, I presume. We've now got Stuart Robert as the minister now, who is just failing so abysmally in the management of this important scheme.

This scheme is there to meet the needs of some of the most vulnerable people in Australian society. And what do you guys do? You stand up and read out some facts. You make it sound good, but the reality is that you are not making the scheme work. The scheme is not working.