Community Affairs Legislation Committee

Jordon Steele-John

Pursuant to contingent notice of motion standing in the name of Senator Waters, I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent me from moving a motion to provide for the consideration of a matter—namely, a motion to give precedence to a motion relating to the Community Affairs Legislation Committee inquiry into the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026.

We have heard from the community that this bill will do harm and that there has not been enough time for scrutiny. We need another inquiry, and the Greens today move to set up another inquiry. This will give the community more time, provide more evidence and build more pressure to defeat this bill, to scrap it.

I want to say thank you to everyone who shared with the inquiry just that has just concluded their experience of navigating the NDIS, their concern and their outrage at this bill. I want to thank you all for your effort, your energy, your emotional labour. You were so staunch, so courageous. You should not have had to disclose the things that you shared with us. You shouldn't have had to spend your own money and time trying to persuade parliamentarians of your basic rights to the basic supports you need to live. You met the moment. You put the work in. You forced members of parliament across this place, from both parties, to listen to the realities of what this legislation would do to disabled people.

The campaign, the pressure we are building together, is working. This bill is losing momentum, losing support. It remains friendless. The only advocates it has in this place are the government that created it and that are trying to use it to greedily rob disabled people and our families of the funds that we need so that they can meet their budgetary targets. And why? Because they don't have the guts to tax the gas exporters, to tax the big corporations, to make the billionaires pay their fair share. Because of their gutlessness, we as disabled people pay the price. Well, no more—not while the Greens are in this place.

We have secured an additional eight-week inquiry into this legislation—eight weeks of scrutiny, advocacy and evidence. It's an opportunity to build the campaign to have this bill chucked in the bin. I know that already so many have given so much to this effort, and it is being asked of you at a time when you are already pushed to almost the brink of endurance. There are more hearings now to come, and every experience shared is incredibly powerful. If you can, get involved, give evidence, organise protest and agitate.

To all politicians listening to this debate, let me say this: when this sitting of parliament finishes and you return to your electorates, take back the stories and evidence that have been given to you by disabled people, our families and organisations. Go back to your parties, go back to your powerbrokers and tell them about the harms this legislation will do. Tell them about the impacts that disabled people have shared with you. Tell them about what it will mean for us to no longer be able to get into our communities, socialise, get out of bed in the morning, keep our jobs and keep supporting our kids to go to school. Tell them about what it will mean for us to live with a perpetual sword swinging above our heads, wielded by a government which, at any time, might seek to balance their books by further cutting our social and community participation supports. Go back and tell them that message and return to this parliament with open ears to actually address the needs of disabled people and our families and to fix the NDIS— (Time expired)

Penny Wong

I move:

That the question be now put.

Sue Lines

The question is that the motion as moved by Senator Wong be agreed to.