Wednesday, 1 April 2026

 Nick McGOWAN (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:50): (2473) It is with a somewhat heavy heart that I raise this issue, and I think really it is for the Premier’s attention. I guess, in truth, it is over some years now that any number of local residents right across the electorate of Ringwood – whether it be in Blackburn, Ringwood, Mitcham, Nunawading, Heathmont or Heatherdale – but again, most recently in just the last week, have expressed concern to me with regard to the NDIS, and they are not the first to do so, concerningly. It is clear, I think, to perhaps every member of Parliament here in Victoria that the NDIS has very significant flaws. It is not the intent of the NDIS, but it is the implementation and certainly the experience I see when I am dealing with parents and when I am dealing with recipients, clients, of the NDIS. Perhaps time will prove this one way or the other, but it may well be the next great big corruption scandal, because providers in the NDIS do not have to be registered. We know from copious amounts of reports – both publicly and in the media, and all over social media for that matter – that there are no end of private providers who are unregulated and who are taking advantage of Victorians who need support the most and that that taking advantage of represents a very significant rorting, if not outright corruption, of the entire NDIS scheme. I raise the matter for the Premier’s attention because I actually think this needs urgent and immediate intervention by this government. This government, the Victorian government, on behalf of all people in Victoria, make a contribution of $3 billion to the NDIS scheme – $3 billion of our taxpayer dollars. Yet we know that it is being routinely rorted, that people are being routinely taken advantage of and that there seems to be no end in sight.

While I am talking about the NDIS, I think it is time – it is a personal view, but it is one that I think is probably widely shared, potentially even across the benches – that once and for all we have to means test it. We have so many people who are now on the NDIS – and rightly so. Sadly, this federal government’s approach to this problem is to cut people off – children in particular. Those children need it and those children have a proven ability constraint, yet the answer here has been to cut them off and stop their support. That is not the answer. The answer is to provide support to those who need it most and cannot afford that support. It is a no-brainer. It is one that should attract political support from right across every part of this Parliament. Yet for some reason we fail to do so. I ask the Premier to take urgent action to cease the corruption in the NDIS and take action to actually ensure there is means testing of the scheme.

The PRESIDENT: It is federally administered, so the action could be, if it is to the Premier, for her to advocate to the Prime Minister about looking into it. Are you okay with that?

Nick McGOWAN: Yes, that is fine.

The PRESIDENT: We will change that action.