Media Coverage
4 December 2011, Sydney Morning Herald
Labor backs disability insurance scheme
Labor has unanimously backed a national disability insurance scheme, declaring it a historic reform to prevent 2 million Australians being treated as second-class citizens.
30 November 2011, Jessica Wright, The Age
Disabled life quality 'worst in developed world'
Australians living with a disability have the worst quality of life in the developed world and their employment opportunities have hit rock bottom, according to a report issued today by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
27 November 2011, Phillip Thomson, Canberra Times
Labour of love
Death can sometimes be the only respite for a carer, but it leaves their loved ones very vulnerable
10 November, Malcolm Farr, news.com.au
Julia Gillard pledges $2 billion to cover pay rises for 150,000 lowest paid
The Federal Government today forced a critical step forward in the campaign for equal pay for women by directly intervening in a wage case for 150,000 community service workers.
21 October 2011, AAP
Governments strike disability scheme pact
A national disability insurance scheme is a step closer after the federal government struck agreement on key reforms to establish it by mid-2013, amid concerns funding may be taken away from other services to achieve it.
25 August 2011, Rhonda Galbally, The Canberra Times
People with disabilities are more likely to have poor health
A National Disability Insurance Scheme will help to address these problems.
17 August 2011, Jessica Brown, The Australian
Gillard misses the chance to help the disabled and define her legacy
By not committing to a firm timetable and funding mechanism, the Gillard government has passed up a unique opportunity to lock in important reforms to the disability sector.
16 August 2011, Fiona Stanley, The West Australian
Disability scheme will be worth the long wait
Pregnancy often seems to stretch infinitely for those waiting, hoping and planning. The gestation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme has been like that, awaited anxiously and with great expectations by a huge range of Australians, including myself and my colleagues, who have played our part over at least three decades.
15 August 2011, Roger Stancliffe, Canberra Times
Insurance scheme needs more information
The National Disability Insurance Scheme is a once-in-a-generation reform. Prime Minister Julia Gillard's announcement is fantastic news for people with disabilities and their families. However, it is vital that Australia gets the implementation right.
14 August 2011, Opinion, Sydney Morning Herald
Challenges still lie in the path of disability scheme
Anyone would be deeply moved by the heartbreaking experience of Sue O'Reilly, interviewed on the ABC last week.
13 August 2011, Peter van Onselen, The Australian
Support for disability policy should be no-brainer
This week the Productivity Commission handed down its final report into the state of disability support and care in this country, which included a recommendation for a national disability insurance scheme.
13 August 2011, Stephen Lunn, The Australian
Disability and aged-care reforms could transform lives of millions
"There are four pillars which assure the quality of Australian life for all: the minimum wage, the age pension, compulsory superannuation and Medicare. The national disability insurance scheme has the potential to be the missing fifth pillar."
12 August 2011, Stella Young, ABC The Drum
Building a brighter future for disabled Australians
Since Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced on Wednesday that the Government would support the establishment of a National Disability Insurance Scheme as recommended by the Productivity Commission, the world has begun to look a little bit brighter.
12 August 2011, Stephen Lunn, The Australian
Abbott gets team on disability insurance message
Tony Abbott has stepped in to clarify the Coalition's position on a National Disability Insurance Scheme, saying people with disability deserved a better deal, and the Productivity Commission's call for a new regime should be taken seriously.
11 August 2011, Sue Dunlevy, The Australian
Disability scheme brings out rare bout of bipartisanship
The federal opposition has maintained its support for a National Disability Insurance Scheme, marking a rare outbreak of bipartisan agreement on a major policy.
11 August 2011, Sue Dunlevy, The Australian
No-fault disability scheme targets 410,000
Four million Australians are disabled, but the National Disability Insurance Scheme is aimed at the 410,000 suffering severe disabilities.
11 August 2011, Joe Kelly and Ben Packham, The Australian
Tony Abbott demands disability reform timetable
Tony Abbott has called on the Gillard government to declare when it can deliver its disability reform package and how much the shake-up will cost.
11 August 2011, Stephen Lunn, The Australian
Julia Gillard throws weight behind historic disability reform
Australia will have a National Disability Insurance Scheme after Julia Gillard yesterday declared her unequivocal support for the key social policy and the Productivity Commission said any hostile state could be bypassed.
11 August 2011, Opinion, Sydney Morning Herald
A scheme to end the living nightmare of so many parents
When Bill Shorten was parliamentary secretary for disabilities, he learned what many thousands of families had known for decades: arrangements to assist the disabled in Australia were so inadequate the system was broken.
11 August 2011, Michelle Griffin, The Age
Everyone has a story to tell...and all have to keep waiting
As Yooralla chairman Bruce Bonyhady says of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, ''we are all only a moment away from needing it ourselves.''
11 August 2011, The Australian
Nation cannot afford to shelve this radical scheme
Money can't buy happiness, but it can help buy a life for disabled people and the families who care for them. Which is why the National Disability Insurance Scheme outlined yesterday makes sense and has been accepted in principle by both sides of politics.
10 August 2011, Chris Uhlmann, ABC 7.30
Disability scheme to bring long-awaited reform at a cost
The government says it shares the vision of a Productivity Commission report recommending a disability insurance scheme that will cost billions and bring much needed reform to the current system. But how will the costs of the scheme be paid?
10 August, Tony Jones, Lateline
Jenny Macklin discusses disability insurance
Community Services Minister Jenny Macklin joins Lateline to discuss the disability insurance scheme proposed by the Productivity Commission.
10 August, Ben Packham, The Australian
Disability insurance scheme to be a 'long journey'
The Gillard government will talk to the states and spend $10 million on "technical policy work" in response to Productivity Commission report calling for a $13.5bn disabilities insurance scheme.
10 August, RearVision, ABC Radio National
Disability support in Australia
The Productivity Commission has proposed a radical transformation of disability services, more than doubling the funding, setting up a national disability insurance scheme and transferring control of spending to people with disabilities, their families and carers.
10 August, David Mclennan, Canberra Times
'Unfair, fragmented, inefficient' system
The Federal Government should spend an extra $6.5 billion a year to establish a new National Disability Insurance Scheme that provides insurance cover for all Australians in the event of significant disability, the Productivity Commission recommends.
10 August, AAP, Sydney Morning Herald
New disability scheme from 2014: report
A national disability insurance scheme will be rolled out gradually from mid-2014 in a few regions under a plan recommended by the Productivity Commission.
9 August 2011, Nicolas Perpitch, The Australian
Massive shortfalls threaten disability insurance scheme
The $12.5 billion National Disability Insurance Scheme would lose credibility and support unless massive shortfalls in accommodation and disability support staff and technology were addressed first, the government was warned yesterday.
5 August 2011, Marcus Marrow, The Stawell Times-News
Forrest attends disabiliTea in Stawell
The Nationals Federal Member for Mallee John Forrest is urging all constituents to get behind the 'Every Australian Counts' campaign to ensure ongoing financial support for people with a disability, their families and carers.
3 August, Sarah Press, Narromine News
Scheme to help disabled
An accident that occurred almost 10 years ago changed local woman Susana Cavinato's life for good.
2 August, Averyll Loft, Fraser Coast Chronicle
Pour a cuppa and help
Just by enjoying one of life's simple pleasures, a cup of tea, Fraser Coast residents can help revolutionise the way Australia's 1.4 million people with a disability are supported by the Federal Government.
8 August 2011, Phillip Coorey, Sydney Morning Herald
National insurance to fund care for disabled
The Gillard government will open new policy fronts this week by announcing details of a national insurance scheme to help the disabled and launching a debate on the overhaul of aged care.
August 2011, Anne Manne, The Monthly
Two Nations: The Case for a National Disability Insurance Scheme
2 August 2011, John Della Bosca, Sydney Morning Herald
The big idea even Tony can't say no to
In contemporary politics everyone agrees good ideas are more valuable than good ideologies.
1 August 2011, Peter Martin, The Age
$6bn scheme for the disabled
Victoria has been chosen to test a $6 billion national disability insurance scheme that its backers claim will be the biggest social reform since Medicare.
Further coverage (RTF 237KB)