Disability Reform Council

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD (Reynell—Minister for Disabilities, Minister Assisting the Minister for Recreation and Sport) (14:21): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD: South Australia has always led on the National Disability Insurance Scheme and we will keep fighting alongside people with disability to make sure the NDIS changes people's lives for the better. It is absolutely vital that the federal government keeps its promises on the NDIS because the scheme must deliver for South Australians with disability, their families and their carers.

The NDIS is a truly massive reform. It gives us the opportunity to ensure that around 32,000 South Australians with disability have more choice and more control over the services and supports they receive. Pleasingly, around 9,000 new people will receive support for the very first time in 2017-18. It is not easy and it is not simple, and I acknowledge that some South Australians have experienced issues with their transition to the new scheme and in particular with the planning process.

That is why at last week's Disability Reform Council meeting in Canberra I fought for significant improvements to the rollout processes from the federal government and the National Disability Insurance Agency. I am very pleased to report that, after listening to participants and hearing our views, the NDIA has agreed that better rollout processes are needed. The NDIA has committed to return to face-to-face planning and to implementing a new pathway into the scheme that will include a single contact person for each client. The move back to face-to-face planning is important because the NDIA's first concern must be quality and getting plans right for every individual.

I also took a proposal to last week's Disability Reform Council meeting to prevent gaps emerging for complex clients and people in country South Australia, and the NDIA has agreed to work urgently on this. The latest quarterly report shows that, whilst there have been some delays, rollout in South Australia is largely on track. Our government will continue to apply the necessary pressure federally and support Disability SA client transition to make sure as many people as possible get a quality NDIS plan as quickly as possible.

Our government wants to see the NDIS rolled out on time because people with disability have already waited long enough. That is why I am calling on the Turnbull government to focus on people rather than ideology and to remove the cap on the number of workers who can be employed directly by the NDIA. The Productivity Commission recently called for this change, which would go a long way to improving the speed and quality of the planning process, and make sure South Australians' first experience with the NDIS is a good one.

By April next year, the NDIS will be available statewide. This will mean an exciting, once-in-a-generation opportunity for improvement in services, in choice and in control, and it is only because of the hard work and dedication of staff in the South Australian government and in our disability sector, and through empowering the voice of people with disability and their families. There is a very simple message for the federal government: keep your promise on the NDIS; 32,000 South Australians are counting on you.