Radio interview with Minister McAllister, ABC Radio National Breakfast – 17 August 2026

Media event date: 17 August 2026 Date published: 17 August 2026 Media type: General public SALLY SARA: Jenny McAllister is the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and joins me in the studio. Minister, welcome back to Breakfast. JENNY MCALLISTER: Good morning, Sally.

SALLY SARA: Where are things sitting this morning? You've said you think the government and the Coalition could do further work in addressing fraud in the NDIS. What could that look like?

JENNY MCALLISTER Look, this scheme is incredibly important, as your listeners will know. It's been life-changing for so many Australians, but it has to be sustainable and it has to operate with integrity. This latter area is an area where Coalition senators, in their report on the legislation, indicated an interest.

It's obviously been an area of significant interest for our government for years now. If there are measures that we can introduce that will further strengthen the ability of the NDIA to take on fraudsters, to put more mechanisms in place for enforcement around integrity, we are open to that conversation. And of course, more generally, we have been engaging with the Coalition and with parliamentarians right across the spectrum in recent weeks, as we move towards debate on this bill.

SALLY SARA: How close do you think you are to reaching an agreement with the Coalition to get it through? JENNY MCALLISTER: I'm confident that there is an agreement to be reached here, and I say it for this reason: the Coalition has said publicly that they think that reforming this scheme does matter. They've said that they're up for that task.

I take them at face value on that, and all of our discussions with them have been very constructive. SALLY SARA: Could things move this week? JENNY MCALLISTER: We're kicking off debate in the Senate today.

I think there'll be a lot of interest from senators in speaking on this bill. We've been very clear. We'd like to get this Bill through the parliament this week.

Obviously, we remain in discussion with the Coalition, and we'd respect all of the ordinary processes that parties of democracy need to go through, including the party room processes for the Coalition and, of course, for us too. SALLY SARA: Earlier this year, the state and territory ministers said the changes to the NDIS were happening too quickly, in their view, warning that alternative services may not be ready.

Why is it so important for the government to push through these changes at speed? JENNY MCALLISTER : We've been really clear that we won't leave people without supports, and it's why we've initiated a conversation about Foundational Supports well before any access changes, we don't expect any changes to access to the scheme to occur until 2028. That gives us time to work with the states and territories.

But we should be really clear, Sally. We've been talking about this with states and territories since 2023. That's when we received the independent review of the NDIS.

Without intervention, this scheme is set to grow to more than $100 billion per year by the middle of the next decade. We don't think that that is a sustainable outcome. We don't think that the community would support an outcome that looked like that and we think the community expects us and our state and territory counterparts to get on with the job.

SALLY SARA: Why won't the government commit to only removing people from the NDIS if alternative support programs are up and running? JENNY MCALLISTER : We have made that commitment. We're really clear that that is the approach that we would take.

But the important point is this: we're not going to run up the white flag on the reform timetable. We think that we can make these changes by the beginning of 2028. We think we should, and we think the community expects us to.

SALLY SARA: So, can you give assurance to people who are currently on the NDIS that they won't be removed until alternative support programs are up and going? JENNY MCALLISTER: We don't want to leave people without supports, and we don't want to see people fall between two stools, and those commitments have been made by myself, by Minister Butler, and indeed by the Prime Minister.

SALLY SARA: So you don’t want that to happen. Can you guarantee that won't happen? JENNY MCALLISTER: Our approach will be to put these supports in place before we move to access changes, but we think that the timetable is important.

SALLY SARA: You're listening to Radio National Breakfast, and you're hearing from the federal Minister for the NDIS, Jenny McAllister. Minister, let's talk about superannuation. One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, has suggested that Australians should be allowed to access their super before retirement more easily.

For example, if they need it for a house or medical reasons, is that a good idea? JENNY MCALLISTER: We created the superannuation system so that working people would have security in retirement. It is an incredible Australian achievement, and it is amazing to me that parties like the Liberal Party, the National Party, One Nation have lined up over the last week to attack the superannuation system.

I think Australians value their super, I think they value the security that it offers them in retirement. I don't think they want to see these rolling attacks from Liberals, Nationals, One Nation on a system that has served us so well. SALLY SARA: Does the government expect that Senator Hanson's position that quote “your superannuation belongs to you" might resonate with voters.

That could have cut through. JENNY MCALLISTER: I think Australians understand how significant their super is to them. Everybody wants a secure retirement.

Everybody understands that working on your super makes a real difference in retirement. One of the things that I've been particularly interested in personally, and the government has taken an interest in, is making sure that women retire with adequate superannuation. We know this has been an area of concern, and so working on women's retirement balances has been a key area of focus for us, including making sure that super is paid on parental leave.

SALLY SARA: Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg was arguing last week that super has failed as a policy and that it hasn't brought down rates of people on the pension, for example, dramatically. What do you say to that? JENNY MCALLISTER: Look, I couldn't disagree more with Andrew.

I think that superannuation is a core feature of the Australian retirement system. It sits alongside the aged pension, which remains incredibly important. Labor is committed to secure retirements, and it's up to Andrew Bragg and his party room colleagues to say what their actual position is on super.

Because, as I understand it, Mr Bragg's comments last week were not authorized by the remainder of their party room. SALLY SARA: Just finally and briefly, we've heard the WA Premier Roger Cook talk about east coast clowns when it comes to reviewing the GST deal. Does WA have a point?

JENNY MCALLISTER: This review undertaken of the GST arrangements was initiated by the Coalition. Labor's made its position really clear. WA should get its fair share.

SALLY SARA: It doesn't see that it's a fair share. JENNY MCALLISTER Sorry, Sally, you'll have to … SALLY SARA: WA doesn't see what it's getting as what it would get as a fair share, though. JENNY MCALLISTER This is an interim report from the Productivity Commission.

It's not the government's policy. Our view is that WA should and will get its fair share. SALLY SARA: Minister, thank you very much for coming in this morning.

JENNY MCALLISTER Thank you, Sally. Senator the Hon Jenny McAllister Disability and carers National Disability Insurance Scheme changes Accessibility We acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to Elders both past and present. © Commonwealth of Australia