Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Brown for her question and I also thank Senator Brown for the opportunity to sponsor her motion this afternoon recognising people who live with disability and celebrating their day today. We recognise the amazing contributions that they make to our society. So, Senator Brown, I thank you very much for that opportunity.

The NDIS is a demand driven model, which means that the amount of money that is spent on providing the supports and services that people who live with disability require through the NDIS is based on demand. I acknowledge that the scheme has not rolled out as quickly as was originally forecast, but we're very pleased to see that 311,000 Australians are receiving supports and services through plans with the NDIS to enable them to fulfil their life goals and dreams.

To come in here and suggest that the government has somehow created a budgetary saving on the back of the NDIS is blatantly not true. It is a demand driven system. I'm sure that over the coming years, as we accelerate the rollout of the NDIS, we will start to see the full expenditure of the budget for the NDIS. But let me be very, very clear: it is a demand driven system. The government is committed to provide the funding in order to support every Australian who is eligible for an NDIS plan and who seeks to have one. We stand absolutely committed to, and side by side with, all Australians with disability—particularly on this the International Day for People with Disability—to make sure that this once-in-a-lifetime and groundbreaking opportunity that the NDIS is is delivering for all Australians who live with a disability.