Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories - Shadow Minister for Regional Communications- Transcript - Interview ABC Ballarat Radio - 19 December 2025

DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND TERRITORIES

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MALLEE

TRANSCRIPT

TOPICS: Cessation of Victorian Government wage subsidy for homes caring for people with intellectual disability, role of National Disability Insurance Scheme, sources of funding, National Disability Insurance Agency expectations of not-for-profit operators

TONY, LOCAL ADVOCATE

What's happened is that the NDIS is not matured enough to over the funding that is from the state government. You take away that funding, which is significant funding for organisations, they are concerned. And as I've said to you previously, Steve, what is really negating a lot of these issues is that all the enterprise agreements are up for review for these five organisations. Some are working really, well with HACSU and the workforce, but others don't have the funding to move forward with the same conditions and benefits that staff currently hold.

MARTIN

Yeah. So then those people, if they can't maintain their income, then they're going to walk away from the industry and find other work and you lose … there's another drain on the skillset that's working in this area?

DUNN

Yeah and we're already that … Steve, we're already seeing people leave the sector for more meaningful employment where they're getting more conditions that are guaranteed for them but look what I also want to do is mate have a real call out to David Ettershank from the Cannabis Party and Aneesha Gray-Barberio from the Greens. They've been keeping the Allan Government accountable in state parliament, but also to Anne Webster, Tim Bull, who's a spokesman for The Nationals, they've been working really closely to try and get some sort of accountability at state and federal government level because this decision, which is coming really, quickly, could have a serious impact for market failure.

MARTIN

Tony is a local disability manager and has been campaigning on this for months. Sometimes in politics it's brickbats, other times it's bouquets, Anne. Anne Webster, member for Mallee, good morning.

WEBSTER

What an introduction.

MARTIN

Yeah. You have been working on this. Have you made any progress, Anne Webster?

WEBSTER

Look, I just want to acknowledge Tony's work and many others who have certainly contacted me. I have people in their 80s – their 80s - parents, who are so worried that their kids, who are obviously adults and who have been in supported disability for years and years, or have not yet and they're still looking after their son, in one case I'm thinking of this week, and they're really worried about what's going to happen in the future. Tony's totally right. The funding from the state government, the linking funding, is going to stop by the 31st of December.

These parents are really worried that their kids will be evicted on the 1st of January. I've talked with actual agencies as well who just say the NDIS is not working and there are critical issues such as the coordinators themselves and the planners who require no qualifications - can you believe! -  to make the decisions about whether somebody deserves disability accommodation funding or not and that's a serious concern. I've been in touch with Jenny McAllister, who is now the Minister for the NDIS, she has come back to me and talked to me about what they're looking at, what they're reviewing, you know, the usual, and talking about a pilot program of quality supports, which is going to run over the next 12 months and NDIA is working with 44 organisations. I know some, for example there's one in Mildura here who works with 70 homes. They run as a not-for-profit for people with disability and they are really concerned that when they applied to be part of that pilot they needed to provide a whole swathe, as you might imagine, of information and the time that it would take for them to apply for effectively what is a grant to do the pilot, the NDIA already has that information because that organisation  is audited all the time!  It's a waste of time that not-for-profits are expected to give over in order to fix what is a broken mechanism. The NDIS has so many issues.

MARTIN

Anne Webster, if that process, whether it comes to that and works or not, that's going to take time, as you've just indicated. This was state government top-up funding that was scheduled to end on the 31st. So, if we're going to get some other top-up funding until a new system is found or the NDIS is corrected, should it come from state, should it come from federal?

WEBSTER

Look, my view is this is a federal mess …  oh, it's a state mess … oh, it's shared. Let me be fair. I think that the Andrews and Allan Government have failed to really keep their finger on the pulse of this. I think they're not wanting to spend any more funds in this space and they're just throwing up their hands and saying, well, this is an NDIS problem. But what I hear is that the Victorian government is not playing in the framework that the NDIS at a federal level have provided for all the states and territories. Other states and territories are having a smooth transition. Victoria is not. Now, why? So, they're just … they’re hands off it and leaving it up to the federal sphere to sort the problem out. Yeah, this is your problem. I mean, that's a cop out for any level of government just to simply throw their hands in the air and say, well, this is your problem. When they have not come to the table, especially to find solutions. These are people's lives, for goodness sake. And I'm worried not just about the ones who are in the accommodation who need that accommodation support, but it is also the parents who are, you know, in the end of their days, who are fretful and anxious and worried. And in one case, the NDIS have said, the coordinator planner have said, no, well, you can keep looking after your 50-year-old son with disability at home. They're in their 80s.

MARTIN

Anne Webster, I'm going to have to leave it there because we're running out of time and news is on the way. But thank you for your time this morning.

WEBSTER

Appreciate it. Thanks, Steve.

MARTIN

Anne Webster, Member for Mallee, Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories.

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