National Disability Insurance Scheme

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (15:03): I will just straighten my jacket and tie for the photographer up there.

The SPEAKER: Sorry?

Dr McFETRIDGE: I will just straighten my jacket and tie for the young lady photographer. It is not one of ours. My question is to the Minister for Disabilities. Why did the state government estimate that the number of eligible children who would be part of the NDIS trial was 5,085 when the department had already been told by Autism SA that they alone had 5,000 children under 14 on their books?

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light—Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (15:04): First of all, I would like to thank the member for his question.

The Hon. P. Caica: Why?

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: Why? Yes.

Dr McFetridge: It's a good question.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: It's actually quite an old question, a redundant question, because the question is how quick—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: If you actually listen for a moment you actually would hear the answer.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: I will say why it's actually a redundant question, because I actually met with the previous minister (minister Fifield) to discuss this very issue recently, and both he and I thought a discussion about who said what and when was quite irrelevant and actually unhelpful.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: Let me finish.

Mr Marshall: You guys got it wrong.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: No, we didn't get it wrong.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: No, we didn't, but anyway. The Leader of the Opposition would like to live in the past, but minister Fifield and myself agreed. What we agreed on—

Mr Marshall: What was your original estimate?

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: I will get to the point. What we agreed on was to make sure we transitioned and rolled out the scheme as quickly as possible, and we had very—

Mr Goldsworthy: He's struggling.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: Not at all.

The Hon. J.J. Snelling: You're struggling with being on the backbench.

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Health is called to order.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: Both former minister Fifield, in terms of disabilities; now Minister for Communications and the Arts, and congratulations on his promotion.

Mr Marshall: Have you got any idea about the answer to this or not?

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: Actually, I do have a better understanding.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The minister will not respond to interjections by silence.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: The question which comes to me from the parents of children with disabilities and the carers—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The deputy leader is warned for the second and final time.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: What they want of both the commonwealth and state government is to actually implement the scheme, and my discussions with minister Fifield recently made it very clear that we are both committed to introducing the scheme and rolling out the scheme quickly. Both he and I—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: Let me finish; I will get to your question. He and I both agree the most important thing now is to look after the children, and who said what is to some extent a very unproductive discussion, which the opposition want to have but not what the parents want to have, I can tell you that. No parent has come to me and said, 'Who said what?' What the parents say to me is: 'Just get on with it.'

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: No, we didn't get it wrong.

The SPEAKER: Point of order.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: The minister has been attempting to answer the question in front of a barrage from what are demented parrots. I ask you to call them to order.

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Health will withdraw the term 'demented parrots'.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I withdraw, sir.

The SPEAKER: Nevertheless, the interjections on my left will cease, particularly from the leader and the member for Adelaide, who is already on two warnings. The minister will be heard in silence. The minister.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: I had the opportunity to also speak to the new minister. Both he and I agree that what we need to do is just implement the scheme, which we will do. On the issue of the numbers—

Mr GARDNER: Point of order: standing order 98. The minister spent 3½ minutes first insulting the opposition for the question and then explaining the insult, and he has not yet remotely gone to the substance of the question.

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta will withdraw from the chamber for a patently bogus point of order for the next 45 minutes.

The honourable member for Morialta having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: More importantly—and this has also been backed up by the federal minister recently—in terms of the scheme (and this is a trial at the moment) the purpose of the trial is to find out how to implement the scheme. The agreement between the commonwealth and the state says very clearly any increased numbers the cost will be met by the commonwealth to make sure it's implemented. Mr Speaker, I am—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Given that the minister was repeatedly interrupted during his answer, he will be able to complete the sentence.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: Mr Speaker, I would also like to add that I stand by the estimate made by our department based on the criteria made.