Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) | Hansard source

There's no doubt that the NDIS has changed lives. The original design and premise of this scheme was one of Labor's, and is one of the most amazing and significant social reforms in this country ever. But I fear that a lot of the conversation is not based on reality. It's not based on all the fine details of the facts of the matter. We have seen very clearly, through the hearings, people telling us about situations they're experiencing right now—not situations they might experience in the future via the nature of the NDIS bill but challenges they are having today and have had in recent times.

One of the things that we know will change fundamentally with the NDIS bill is that it won't matter which assessor you go and see; you'll get a fair outcome. There will be a fair standard. There will be a fair way of engaging so that everybody gets the same treatment in terms of how their assessments are done. It's not based on how much money you've got, how many reports you can afford or who you luck out with that's doing your assessment. That's one of the big things there, and the changes to how the plans are going to be reviewed will give us consistency. It means that people will know what it is that they have into the future. They'll understand what supports are there.

Unfortunately, the entire essence of this urgency motion is based on the wrong premise. The notion that you can fund all the rorts and the fraud that we know are writ large in the NDIS—'Yes, no worries, don't worry about it, just keep funding it,' say the Greens. No, that's not alright. This is taxpayer money. This is money that wants to go towards doing the right thing for people in our society who are living with disability and who deserve the care, support, independence and all the structures they need to live a full life. The idea that we would just keep on keeping on is ridiculous. That's not what this is about. The social licence of the scheme is already under strain because of the amount of fraud, because of the challenges people face. It is not structured appropriately. There needs to be change. We are putting forward a raft of changes to improve the scheme, to put it back on track to its original intent and to ensure that those people who need the supports get those supports.

Yes, it's true, some people will no longer qualify for the scheme—people for whom a permanent and significant disability isn't where they're at. There are supports within the health system and within the social services system that are better placed for them. But, just to be clear, those people who have permanent and significant disability will get the support they need. They will get the structures in place that they need to live a good and fulfilling life; that's the important point. What has happened through this scheme is that so many other supports that people may need with different challenges in their lives do not necessarily fit with the NDIS, but they still need support—medical support or social support or whatever it might be. This is about rightsizing the scheme, taking it back to its original intent. The premise that we would just keep throwing as much money at it as it can possibly absorb, and then start carving out our defence forces to pay for it, is quite frankly ridiculous. We won't be supporting this.