Ellie Whiteaker (WA, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Senator McAllister. The National Disability Insurance Scheme has been life changing for so many Australians with disability. The Albanese Labor government knows that the NDIS must be safe for the people who rely on it. How is the government cracking down on fraud and better protecting participants?

Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you for the question, Senator Whiteaker, and I very much appreciate your focus on this life-changing scheme. You are right that this scheme must be safe, and it must operate with integrity. We have a very clear message for the people out there who think otherwise, and it is this: if you think that you can steal from the NDIS, we will come after you. It is why, when we came to government, we established the Fraud Fusion Taskforce and why we invested in the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.

The laws that we passed through this chamber earlier this year have given the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission even more powers and more teeth, and, in the last quarter alone, the commission issued 111 banning orders, the highest number ever recorded in a single quarter. The taskforce brings together elite intelligence, data, forensic and investigative powers to disrupt serious organised crime that targets government payment programs, and that is delivering results.

Since the Fraud Fusion Taskforce was established, more than 2,600 providers that submitted incorrect claims have been disrupted, more than 600 investigations have been launched, 27 crooks have been convicted and $50 million worth of assets have been seized. In the last financial year alone, the Fraud Fusion Taskforce has sent 50 search warrants—investigating more than $118 million worth of NDIS claims—with 44 individuals referred for criminal prosecution, 16 fraud cases currently before the courts and 28 more being assessed by the CDPP.

So it is a very clear message to shonks and to grifters: if you seek to drain the plans of people with a disability, you do not belong in the NDIS; you belong in prison, and that is where you will end up, because our crackdown on NDIS fraud is ramping up. We are reviewing more claims, conducting more investigations and prosecuting more fraudsters than ever before. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Whiteaker, first supplementary?

Ellie Whiteaker (WA, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Participants and their families are the ones most affected when shonks and fraudsters seek to exploit the scheme. Can the minister explain why the Albanese Labor government's investments in fraud prevention are so important for the people the NDIS was built to support?

Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) | Link to this | Hansard source

Every dollar lost to fraud is a dollar that should be supporting a person with a disability, and when we recover that money it goes back to where it always should have been, which is into a participant's plan. Tackling fraud isn't just about the money, because where there is fraud and exploitation there are also poor-quality services, there is violence, there is abuse and there is neglect and exploitation. It is why we have invested more than $1.35 billion to stamp down on fraud and protect participants.

The Fraud Fusion Taskforce is uncovering more fraud, seizing criminal assets and putting more shonks and grifters before the courts, but we are not stopping there. There is a bill before this Senate which will give us more tools to protect participants, including with powers to issue warrants, issue fines, haul people in for questioning and request key data. The NDIS supports people with disability. It is not a 'get rich quick' scheme and it should never be a payday for criminals.

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Whiteaker, second supplementary?

Ellie Whiteaker (WA, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

The Albanese Labor government has made record investments to protect participants and the NDIS from fraud. Can the minister explain why these investments were necessary and outline how the government is improving the system to secure the NDIS for future generations?

Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) | Link to this | Hansard source

When we came to government, the NDIS had been left as a soft target by the government that came before. The compliance architecture that the scheme needed simply did not exist. A senior fraud investigator resigned in 2020 and said:

It's simply too much fraud for too few people.

The Australian National Audit Office said that the NDIS lacked basic prevention controls for fraud and noncompliance, and there were big gaps in the compliance system. Under those opposite, claims submitted between 4.30 pm and 6 pm on a weekday couldn't be reviewed in NDIS systems before they were paid. Claims made every second weekend couldn't be reviewed, and our government is fixing this. More NDIS claims are now reviewed each day than were reviewed in a year under the system presided over by those opposite, because we know that protecting the NDIS is not optional. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Shoebridge. There's no Senator Shoebridge? Okay.

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) | Link to this | Hansard source

Could I ask that we come back to Senator Shoebridge?

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I will.