BUSINESS

Senator STEELE-JOHN (Western Australia) (10:05): I seek leave to move a motion to discharge the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 from the Notice Paper. Leave not granted. Senator STEELE-JOHN: Pursuant to the contingent notice 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 relating to the conduct of the business of the Senate, namely, a motion to discharge the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 from the Notice Paper.

Labor's NDIS cuts are cruel and unnecessary. This bill must be discharged, thrown into the parliamentary bin, because it will do harm to the Australian disabled community and our families. It appears that the major parties in this place are—despite all of the evidence given on so many different fronts from so many different community groups at so many different parliamentary hearings that this bill is dangerous, will do harm and will cause those who have finally reached independence to go back into isolation, back into the dark, shut in, shut up and shut away.

Despite the most compelling evidence that I have taken in nearly 10 years in this place from mums and dads, from brothers and sisters, from grandparents, from allied health professionals, from academics, from those that run service provision organisations across the board—unanimous, united feedback that this bill will do harm. It is cruel. It is unnecessary.

In the name of all that the community ever vested in a parliament; they have said to us that it goes too far. It goes too fast, and it is unnecessary. We have seen in the last week alone fresh evidence, fresh research, pulled together by the Australia Institute that laid out for us clearly the reality of the impact of these cuts.

This report shows that if these cuts go ahead 56,000 jobs will be lost and that 94 million hours of care work will go back onto the shoulders of family members and friends and carers who are already at burnout. What are they meant to do? This report also shows that the claim made by the government that these cuts are made and are needed to be made because of sustainability—this report lays bare that is just nonsense.

They have stated in this piece of fresh research: … the overriding premise of cuts being required to ensure the ongoing sustainability of the NDIS— Senator Gallagher: On a point or order: the debate should be about whether or not the Senate should suspend and not on the substantive of the motion that the senator seeks to move. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Steele-John, I will remind you to always refer your comments back to the original point of the suspension, but you have the call.

Senator STEELE-JOHN: This is urgent, and this motion must be considered and approved by this chamber because we have new evidence within our hands now, which speaks to the impact of these cuts on jobs—56,000 jobs lost—and on those carers and family members who are already at burnout. They will have to bear on their shoulders an additional 94 million hours of unpaid care work.

We now know that these cuts are unnecessary to meet the government's proposed aim of ensuring the so-called sustainability of the scheme because, as the report states clearly, the overriding premise that the cuts are required to ensure the ongoing sustainability of the NDIS is revealed here to be false, given that a 25 per cent tax on gas exports over the next four years would raise $31.8 billion more than would be saved by the cuts to the NDIS.

Indeed, there are so many other measures that we could take. I cannot believe that this parliament, that this Labor government, would look to cut the vital supports of the disability community before they would think to ask gas exporters to pay even a cent more, or billionaires to pay even a cent more. What is wrong with you people?

This is so out of line with Australian values. I urge all members of parliament: listen to the community and discharge this bill. (Time expired)