House of Reps passes NDIS bill

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House of Reps passes NDIS bill

AAPUpdated March 14, 2013, 12:27 pm

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Government legislation to set up the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has cleared parliament’s lower house with the support of all MPs.

Families Minister Jenny Macklin, summing up debate on her bill on Thursday, said it was a reform whose time had come.

“It will bring an end to the tragedy of services denied or delayed and instead offer people with disability the care and support they need over their lifetimes,” she said.

“It will end the cruel lottery that besets people today, where the care and support they receive depends on where they live or how they acquired their disability.”

The legislation will enable the NDIS to be launched from July this year.

The scheme will benefit about 26,000 people with disability, their families and their carers, living in selected areas in South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT, the Hunter in NSW, and the Barwon area of Victoria.

It would become a nationwide, demand-driven system of care tailored to the needs of each individual and established on a durable, long-term basis, a tearful Ms Macklin said.

“This bill is an enormous step in ensuring people with disability, their families and carers receive peace of mind,” she said.

Independent MP Rob Oakeshott said only the announcement of the new Pope was of more significance than the legislation’s passage.

“But I reckon this is pretty close to it,” he told parliament.

Commonwealth Bank chief economist Michael Blythe said the data showed the local economy was in good shape during the first months of 2013.

That reduces the chance of the RBA cutting rates in the near future, he said.

“It’s a truly exceptional result,” Mr Blythe said.

“It always pays to be a bit suspicious of big moves in either direction, so no doubt the true picture is a bit weaker than this.

“But nevertheless the labour market looks like it is holding together remarkably well.

“It suggests the economy is in pretty decent shape in the first quarter of 2013.
“Given that, the Reserve Bank has probably done enough and will be sitting on the sidelines for quite a while we think.”

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