Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s recently appointed Cabinet includes the first-ever dedicated minister for National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
In the aftermath of the federal election in May, a major reshuffle of the cabinet has resulted in the Prime Minister creating a brand new ministerial portfolio which focuses solely on the disability service scheme. Previously, the ministration of the NDIS fell within the scope of the Social Services portfolio.
Previous Minister for Family and Social Services, Paul Fletcher MP, has been appointed as Minister for Communications, Cybersafety and the Arts, while Senator Anne Ruston, formerly Assistant Minister for International Development and the Pacific, has joined the Cabinet and taken on the role of Family and Social Services Minister.
This new appointment builds on the Prime Minister’s election promise to prioritise the NDIS if the Coalition were re-elected. The NDIS has been beset by problems, ranging from people with disability being able to easily access the scheme to pricing, implementation and fraudulent use of NDIS funds.
According to Pro Bono Australia, The Prime Minister said that “top of the list for improving services will be ensuring we deliver on the National Disability insurance Scheme, working to our goal of the NDIS supporting 500,000 Australians by 2024/2025.”
“The NDIS is a major social reform and there is much work to do to improve the delivery of these services on the ground” - Prime Minister, Scott Morrison MP
