It’s terrific to be here again.
When we spoke last year, I talked about how we were going to embark upon a significant reform to the NDIS together.
And I spoke about some of my priorities when it came to the reform program.
Delivering a better experience for participants, and better stewarding the market. Those issues remain key objectives for our government.
And we have a much broader shared objective – a sustainable NDIS that is here for the long term.
Everyone in this room knows why this matters. This Scheme is critical to human rights.
Governments signing UN treaties is one thing, but rights on their own are rarely enough. It is not enough to have formal equality without the means to enjoy it.
The NDIS formalises the rights established in the CRPD by implementing the social policy infrastructure needed to make a material difference to people’s lives.
It has been lifechanging for people with a disability, but as the NDIS has matured the need for reform has become clear.
It simply can’t continue to grow at more than twice the level of GDP growth.
It also should not cost the budget $70 billion by 2030.
And issues around fraud and integrity do pose a real threat to the Scheme’s social license.
Back in 2023, the Independent Review of the NDIS made the point that a human right that cannot be sustained is a human right denied.
We must address these issues because they risk community confidence in the Scheme.
Now I understand that the Government, the disability community and the provider sector are not going to agree on every detail.
Disagreement is an inevitable part of a genuine dialogue.
But we agree on the fundamentals.
We agree the Scheme is lifechanging for people with a disability.
Other forces in Australian society do not share this view.
We have seen full page ads run in the major daily newspapers in every city in Australia calling for the NDIS to be abolished.
We have seen people in public life call for the Scheme to be wound up.
That is not our view.
I remember what it was like before the NDIS. I remember how lonely, exhausted and desperate people were.
We can never go back to that old world.
So we will embark on the reform task, however challenging. And it’s something we should do together.
How we work together is important, because when movements and governments work together well, we can get good things done.
I want to talk about that today because there are some practical things that make that partnership possible.
Firstly. An effective partnership means coping with disagreement.
It would be unusual if we all agreed entirely on every aspect of the reform. I know much in the package which passed the senate will have been welcomed – finally acting on recommendations from the Independent Review to clarify access arrangements; responding to the calls for a serious look at registration, commissioning and integrity in some of the most sensitive parts of the market.
But not all of it was welcomed. I understand that.
I want to thank the many Disability Representative Organisations and the broader sector for staying the course and contributing so constructively.
The public can see the results of that in the many amendments made to the NDIS reform bill.
There were 63 amendments to the bill made in the house and the senate.
These amendments were implemented because there was a genuine partnership between the government and the wider sector.
I have tried to be clear that even when we are in disagreement, the door should stay open. We will always pick up the phone, and so should you.
Many organisations took up that offer in good faith and the bill is better for it.
Secondly, partnering well also means coping with uncertainty.
The Government has set the program’s overall objectives, but the implementation will be done in partnership with NDIS participants, providers and experts.
Advocates have long demanded “nothing about us without us.” Government’s job is to translate this into practical ways to work together.
Logically, this means that not every detail of the reform is finalised. We won’t finalise it until we have had the conversation with community. We shouldn’t.
This means that in the short to medium term, a degree of uncertainty is somewhat inevitable.
I know this can be difficult.
For example, we are making changes to access and planning. It’s important work that means that we will get clarity on access and planning for the first time in the history of the Scheme.
The work around changes to access will be informed by a Technical Advisory Group with deep expertise, with the close involvement of the Reform Advisory Committee – a group of experts with invaluable lived experience led by El Gibbs and Dougie Herd.
We are also finally tackling the enormous inconsistency and unfairness in planning. Your plan shouldn’t reflect your postcode, or your ability to pay for volumes of clinical reports. It should reflect your support needs. The work on New Framework Planning is drawing on the involvement of thousands of volunteers – participants who are trialling the approach to the new planning processes to make sure it meets the needs of our diverse community.
I’ve seen many media reports criticising our government for uncertainty about access, and also planning. However there is a choice here.
We could create certainty by simply announcing the finalised policy, but this would crowd out space for a genuine partnership. It’s a choice.
As a group, we need to do our best to explain what has been decided – but also the role for the sector in the work that is underway.
It’s worth defending these processes.
Thirdly, in any partnership, acting in good faith matters.
It’s even more important in a fragmented environment when it’s increasingly difficult to have a mature conversation based on a shared set of facts.
We can help our communities by speaking honestly about what is happening, but also dispelling misinformation that causes unnecessary anxiety.
I want to assure the community of the following;
When the reform program is fully rolled out, the NDIS will still be the largest social program in Australia, outside the Aged Pension.
It will still be the centrepiece of the most comprehensive suite of supports for people with disability anywhere in the OECD.
It will still provide daily living supports and specialist accommodation.
And the Scheme will be around to deliver on human rights for the long haul.
I think we have a shared interest in focusing on the facts of reform – rather than fears.
Government needs to be seen to be a credible and reliable partner in this too. And sometimes that’s best measured by assessing what we do, rather than what we say.
Last time I was in this room I expressly said that the participant experience was a key priority of mine.
I want to report back to you on progress.
In January of this year, the NDIA launched the Participant Experience Initiative.
Its job is to deliver rapid improvements to participants’ everyday experiences of the Scheme.
For example, when engaging with the National Contact Centre, Deaf and Hard of Hearing participants who use Auslan need to book third-party interpreters.
Due to the limited number of interpreters in Australia, participants experience high wait times for preferred interpreters and longer duration of calls – compared to non-Auslan calls.
The Agency has tested a prototype of a video-calling platform, with Deaf NDIA staff and participants to explore the feasibility of a direct Auslan-to-Auslan service at the NCC.
I can inform you all that the outcome was exceptionally positive.
Participant feedback informed the design of the pilot of the Auslan video call program, and the National Contact Centre is currently preparing for the launch of Auslan Connect as a new service in early 2027.
The Agency is also delivering on a better callback experience.
We know that participants often miss calls from the Agency and have no clear way to return the call to the staff member who contacted them.
Instead, they are redirected to generic contact channels, requiring them to repeatedly explain their situation, wait in queues, and risk being misdirected or delayed.
The NDIA tested a prototype function with participants to explore ways for them to call Agency staff back easily, without being redirected to generic contact channels.
The outcome was also very positive. Participant feedback was very helpful and included recommendations to simplify SMS and voicemail language and formatting.
This feedback is now being used to further refine the experience before launch.
This is the start of a larger program of work which will include initiatives like increasing the number of ways participants can notify the Agency of their intention to withdraw from the Scheme.
The Agency is also looking at how they can make check ins better, providing clearer and more accessible explanations of Agency decisions, and making its written correspondence to participants clearer and more accessible.
This may seem like business as usual, but it’s important.
I want to pay tribute to the CEO, Mr Graeme Head for leading on this.
We have a shared view that we can deliver a better, more inclusive experience, and the Government is determined to deliver.
Because Australia’s unique framework of disability insurance is worth fighting for.
That’s why we’ve embarked on this reform process, but we need you as partners.
This partnership necessitates coping with disagreement and uncertainty.
It necessitates supporting our community in a mature conversation.
And Government must be seen to be a reliable partner in this endeavour.
That is how we will work together through this period of reform of the NDIS.
And this is how we will stand up for and uphold the fundamental principles of the CRPD against those who would seek to roll it back.
