Radio interview with Minister McAllister, 105.7 ABC Darwin Drive – 30 September 2026

Media event date: 30 September 2026 Date published: 30 September 2026 Media type: General public DAVE GARNHAM: These changes that have been announced this morning are an attempt to curb the NDIS fraud; NDIS Minister Senator Jenny McAllister joins us now to help share some insight into what the incoming safeguards are to the Territory. Good afternoon, Senator.

Thank you for joining us on NT Drive. JENNY MCALLISTER: It's a pleasure. It's a lovely afternoon in Darwin.

DAVE GARNHAM: I was wondering what part of the territory you're in because you've been cutting around, or is it all Darwin so far? JENNY MCALLISTER: Darwin today, but heading to Maningrida tomorrow, which will be a really useful trip, I think, to get some sense about how we're operating in a far more remote environment than here in Darwin. DAVE GARNHAM: Well, because there, I've sorry, excuse me, for a part of the show, I've been using the term the much-maligned NDIS.

I think a lot of the Australian public have had concerns with fraud with the National Disability Scheme, but of course, in the territory, we have even more specified and more challenges against it. What can what's happening in today's announcement, where the NT is being targeted more so than just the general scheme itself? JENNY MCALLISTER: Let's start with the observation you made about the much-maligned NDIS.

I don't want it to be maligned. This is a national system that has changed the lives of so many people with disability. We have to protect it.

It has to operate with integrity, and it has to operate sustainably. And these issues are real areas of focus for the government. I heard your caller before talking about some of the of his investigations and the behaviours and practices that he had learnt about or uncovered in the territory, these are totally unacceptable.

And whether we see sharp practice in the territory or we see it in Melbourne, we are cracking down on it. So, our government has invested something in the order of 1.8 billion dollars since coming to government in lifting the capacity of both the NDIA and the Commission, which is the regulator, to identify these behaviours, investigate them, and shut them down.

Today, we're announcing a number of new initiatives which do really target the Territory and put extra resources into the Territory, so that we can start to deal with these questions. DAVE GARNHAM: So, just on those initiatives, firstly, can we just focus on the 17 new positions announced for being in remote communities with the Remote Community Connector Program.

What does that actually mean? JENNY MCALLISTER: This is a program that is already working well in remote communities right across the country, and its purpose is to make sure that people who need services know how to connect with the NDIS, know how to gain access to the NDIS, so they can get the services that they require and know how to use their plans well.

We're usually partnering with a local organization. It's often an Aboriginal community-controlled organization, and the benefit of that is that those organizations are known and trusted in community and provide an important source of trusted information for local people, so that they can get the services that they need. From an integrity perspective, it's also another source of information on the ground, another person with a role in the NDIA who can keep an eye on what's happening and report behaviour that is not in line with expectations.

DAVE GARNHAM: So, across the country, these community connectors-I don't know how you describe the people in these positions-with are they employees directly to the NDIA? JENNY MCALLISTER: We're usually contracting them. They're often a local community organization with existing relationships, but the task that they're performing for us is making sure that local people can actually assemble the information they need to get access to the scheme in the first place.

And if they are granted access to the scheme, they then can take the steps that they need to get good providers to help them use their plans. What this is doing is improving access to the NDIS in parts of the community that have been underserved and where we know that people need services. DAVE GARNHAM: So, this is more of a role of educating the community and getting people involved with services.

Would you say? JENNY MCALLISTER: That's exactly right, and we've - in addition to putting these positions in place, we also run access clinics where we have a targeted period of time. We go into a community, and in many instances, we start to see new people come to the NDIS.

They clearly have a disability, they clearly need support, and we're able to make sure that they are receiving the services that they deserve. DAVE GARNHAM: For them, Minister, but in that case, if someone is connected and they are getting service, what's to say that this is actually going to stop the practice of being plied with grog and smokes. Like, what's going to stop that?

JENNY MCALLISTER: These questions of integrity are really important. In the legislation that just passed the parliament, we made it an offense to offer an inducement to offer tobacco, alcohol, cash, electronic devices. These were all always breaches of the code of conduct.

These were always grounds for a person to be excluded from the scheme. But we have made a specific offense to start to tackle this. We're also, of course, investing significantly in having enforcement resources on the ground.

The Quality and Safeguard Commission, over the past two years has made 150 visits into remote communities across Australia, not just in the Northern Territory, and has been listening really with three trusted advocacy organizations in the Northern Territory. We will be funding them to do community check-ins, to go in community, see what's going on, check in with participants.

Participants don't have to talk to them, but if they wish to, they may. We see this as an important additional safeguard where participants, if they think something's going wrong, they can actually tell someone, and we can start to take action. The third thing we're announcing today is a new set of resources.

Some of them in language, all of them in accessible English, so that people, whatever their background, can get good quality information about the NGIS, what their rights are, and what they can expect from their provider. DAVE GARNHAM: So, Minister, with those, so these are disability advocacy groups that are effectively playing this role that you just described there, in terms of almost like a watchdog might be a little bit heavy-handed but at least checking in with the relationships between the patient, the person receiving the care, and the providers.

I think what a lot of Territorians and listeners might be thinking here, but it's like, how would they know? Like, if you're a person receiving care who is quite happy to take these inducements, who's to say it's they can just easily say no? Everything's going great with my provider?

JENNY MCALLISTER: It's not the only source of information we use to take steps, regulatory steps against providers that are doing the wrong thing. The steps available to us: banning people, refusing them registration, or cancelling their registration. Or for less significant examples of breaches, issuing a compliance notice and an expectation that they'll remedy the poor behaviour.

These steps are available to us on the basis of our investigations. The things we're announcing today are just an additional pathway for people who've got a concern to talk to someone they trust in community. But of course, anyone, any member of the community, can make a complaint about provider behaviour or make a report about fraud, DAVE GARNHAM: And how quickly can Territorians expect to see these specific NT initiatives to yield or witness any real change on the ground?

JENNY MCALLISTER: I spoke with one of the three advocacy organizations who we've contracted with to do these check-ins. They've been funded to do this, and they expect to start this work later in October. In terms of the remote community connectors, I understand we're finalizing the contracts at the moment, and we'll see resources go into this additional 17 communities in the coming months.

DAVE GARNHAM: Minister, how much longer are you going to be in the territory for? JENNY MCALLISTER: I'm here until Friday evening. DAVE GARNHAM: Well, thank you so much for your time, NDIS Minister Jenny McAllister.

Thank you, and we look forward to hearing how these are rolled out across the Territory. JENNY MCALLISTER: Thank you. It's a pleasure.

Senator the Hon Jenny McAllister Disability and carers 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