21 March, 2013
NDIS BILL PASSES WITH COALITION SUPPORT
The Coalition welcomes the passage today of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) legislation through the Parliament.
The Coalition supported this legislation as it has each milestone on the road to the NDIS:
- The Coalition supported the work of the Productivity Commission
- The Coalition supported the funds in the last budget
- The Coalition supported the five launch sites
- The Coalition supported the agreement between the Commonwealth and New South Wales for a full state-wide roll out after the Hunter launch
The fact that every Member and Senator supported the NDIS is symbolically important for Australians with disability, but the hard work will be in the delivery and implementation of the NDIS.
The Coalition has long argued for the establishment of a joint parliamentary committee, chaired by both sides of politics, to oversee the design and implementation of the NDIS. A parliamentary oversight committee would lock in all parties and provide a non-partisan environment where issues of design could be worked through cooperatively.
It was disappointing the Government and the Greens voted against a Coalition amendment to the legislation to establish the oversight committee. Despite this, a Coalition Government would put in place a bipartisan committee to oversee the NDIS implementation and address the issues that will emerge through the launch sites.
It was also unfortunate that the Government guillotined debate on the NDIS legislation in the Senate last night in order to facilitate Senator Conroy’s media bills.
The Coalition will continue to place the NDIS above politics and stands ready to work with the Government and all jurisdictions to make the NDIS a reality.