As the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme Mr Shorten recently shepherded a package of reforms to the scheme through parliament. But a month out from the changes starting to take effect many participants remain in the dark about what it all means.
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00:00Three words really stuck out to me from the press conference that Bill Shorten gave earlier,
00:06creator, repairer and defender.
00:09And we're talking here about a person who got into Parliament in 2007, was the Secretary
00:15of Disability and then six years later helped to create this transformational scheme that
00:20has in many ways really changed the lives of now the more than 660,000 participants
00:27on the NDIS, many of which had been receiving supports for the very first time on this scheme.
00:34Before that they'd never had supports that they required for their disability.
00:38Bill Shorten has talked openly about that transformational change that this has brought
00:43to people with disability, their families and carers and the wider care sector for people
00:50with disability very openly and time and time again.
00:54His support for the scheme has been unwavering over the many years, whether he has been the
01:00Minister or also in opposition.
01:03We've also had him talk very openly about how the scheme has needed to be brought under
01:08control back to its original purpose and intent to support people with profound and permanent
01:15disability.
01:16He was, you know, obviously instrumental in bringing about the NDIS review which handed
01:21down its recommendations last year and that has laid the foundations for these legislative
01:27changes that Matt Doran referred to earlier where, you know, these are changes that are
01:33going to dictate how the NDIS is run and how people's supports are delivered and there
01:41has been quite a lot of talk about how people are worried about that change but Bill Shorten
01:46has talked very openly about how, you know, there's fraud in the scheme, he's tried to
01:49get that under control and how the scheme has grown exponentially, faster than anyone
01:56ever predicted and how that has needed to be brought under control.
01:59So finding that balance between supporting people with disability on the scheme but also
02:03making sure that it's sustainable for the taxpayer as well.
02:05I think it's safe to say the community will now want stability, I mean he's here in this
02:11role until February, so a few more months to go but the changes that are being rolled
02:16out for the NDIS are significant.
02:19People are nervous about them, they're wanting clarification on the impact that those changes
02:24will have on them, their lives, their supports and their families and carers as well and
02:28who comes into their home, for example, to shower or get them out of bed each day.
02:32And so people will want now to know what will happen after February, obviously, you know,
02:39there will be an election but they'll want a steady pair of hands to shepherd these changes
02:44through.
02:45Arguably, the next few months will be very critical for the community in communicating
02:49with the Minister's Office and the agency and working out how these changes will impact them.