Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2025-2026

Mr THOMPSON (Herbert) (10:49): Australia has some of the best social services in the world, supporting more than six million Australians. At all times we must remember that our strong safety net needs to be managed responsibly because it's funded by the taxpayer—by families and hardworking Australians across the country. One of the important priorities for social services is ensuring disability participants have access to employment support and work opportunities.

There are many fantastic providers around the country who help Australians with a disability find employment and achieve success at work and recognition for the skills that they bring. As one of the shadow ministers for the NDIS and as the deputy chair of the Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs, I have the incredible opportunity to hear about how social services are improving people's lives.

But I also hear about the ways that this current Labor government is letting down people with disability, and I'm deeply concerned about Labor's apparent preference for political affiliations over merit when it comes to engaging with providers of disability employment services. One non-profit provider in Western Australia recently wrote to me, saying their contract for their local community, through which, for over a decade, they have helped people with disability find employment, had been abruptly cancelled by this Labor federal government.

Meanwhile, a large for-profit corporation secured extensive government contracts for that region and beyond. That large corporation has Labor Party heavyweights on its advisory board, including a former Labor state premier. This disadvantaged smaller provider wrote to me, saying: Our exclusion will have devastating effects on people with disability and their families, including my own, who rely on this vital, hands-on support to find and maintain meaningful employment.

They said: The apparent favouring of corporations with political ties undermines confidence that this process was free from bias or undue influence. If it is happening in my electorate, it will be happening all over Australia. And they are right.

Australians deserve transparency on whether there are any conflicts of interest in Labor's contract award process in disability employment. Therefore, I'm seeking answers from the Labor Minister for Social Services, Minister Plibersek, on the following questions: why has an organisation advised by a former Labor premier secured major contracts across the country while smaller providers have been excluded from their communities, and exactly what safeguards are in place to ensure fairness and integrity in the contract award process?

I wrote to the minister several weeks ago with these questions but have not yet received a response. I will not stop demanding accountability. People with disability and their families deserve assurances that their employment service providers are selected based upon merit and outcomes, not political party contacts.

Another failure is the Labor government's defunding of another critical support program, the Salvation Army 'Sallyman'. The Sallymen have heroically provided pastoral care and support services to our defence personnel, veterans and their families for over 125 years. Our soldiers trust the Sallyman, and anyone who has served knows how important their role is in boosting the wellbeing and morale of our service members.

One soldier told me he was in a dark place and that without the Sallyman he wouldn't be here today. That's the kind of support you can't put a price on, yet this Labor government did. Their decision to defund the Sallyman by cutting $1.5 million in federal funding for the program has sparked outrage and disbelief among many of our service members and their families.

In Townsville, Australia's largest garrison city, soldiers frequently ask me if this Labor government will reverse their disastrous decision. So my questions to this Labor government are: Has funding been provided in the Social Services portfolio to fill the gap and fund the Sallyman program after this funding was cut? Did the Minister for Defence consult with the Department of Social Services to see what could be provided for the program?

Will this government take responsibility for its decision, acknowledge that it has made a mistake and act urgently to restore funding for the Sallyman so that this vital and longstanding service can continue supporting Australians in need? These failures, and many others like it, have eroded public confidence in Labor's management of social services. Therefore, I'm calling on this Labor government to act swiftly to restore integrity and fairness to social services and to rebuild trust by listening to those who are impacted by its decisions so that they can continue to receive the support they need.