Page 3834 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 24 August 2011
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A significant aspect of the proposed NDIS is not only the manner in which people with a disability will have more choices about how money relating to them will be spent but also the amount of money spent on disability will double to around $13.5 billion. This is a significant amount—I do not think anyone argues with that—of funding and the question remains about how the scheme will be funded. The Productivity Commission has recommended that the scheme be funded by consolidated revenue with the payments going directly to the national disability insurance premium fund. The Greens federally have suggested that revenue from the mining tax would allow the NDIS, a national priority, to be implemented by consolidated revenue, which provides more assurances that no funding cuts would occur in other areas.
Clause (2)(b) of Mr Hargreaves’s motion calls on the ACT government to continue to progress implementation of Future directions: towards challenge 2014 and other relevant disability initiatives until final implementation of the NDIS. Again, the Greens think a strong commitment is useful here, as we want the government to continue to improve upon the strategy and initiatives. We also note that, given the NDIS may not be in place for some time and the ACT government disability strategy ends in 2014, there will need to be a further strategy in between those years. Just because there is a promise of the NDIS in the future does not mean that governments should stop delivering strategies and plans, particularly as the implementation of the national schemes is not yet guaranteed. Another part of my amendment corrects a small error in clause (1)(b) regarding the order of words.
Again, I thank Mr Hargreaves for this motion today. The creation of a national scheme for people with a disability is a topic of significant importance and an opportunity for great change. You could almost say that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to do something as a nation that will benefit the lives of people with a disability and their families and carers. It is therefore an opportunity that all parliaments across the country should be supporting, including here in the ACT. I thank Mr Hargreaves for indicating his support for my amendment.
We will not be supporting Mr Doszpot’s amendment. My principal concern is that in discussions with Mr Doszpot they were not willing to support our amendment. The intention behind our amendment was for us as a parliament to make a very strong statement that we support this scheme. I acknowledge what Mr Doszpot has said about the funding and the Chief Minister saying, “I don’t care where the money is coming from.” I think what she was actually saying was that we know we have to do this. Yes, it is a significant amount of funding and there may be some imposts on taxpayers with that, but I think this is too significant an issue for us as a country to ignore.
We know that people with a disability require services. It is one of those issues where, as a country, we all need to take some responsibility to help people. It will have a far greater impact on us and our system if we do not go ahead with the scheme. That was my concern—that, while we have the communique, we still need to have the actual statement that it is going ahead. I think that, as parliaments, we have got to stand strongly behind that and say, “As a parliament, all together, we support it.”
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