E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO ADELAIDE
MONDAY 18 MAY 2020

SUBJECTS: Ann-Marie Smith case; NDIS.

DAVID BEVAN, HOST: Bill Shorten joins us now, Federal Opposition Disability Spokesman, good morning Bill Shorten.

BILL SHORTEN, MEMBER FOR MARIBYRNONG: Good morning David.

BEVAN: This isn’t what you had in mind when you set up the NDIS?

SHORTEN: No, 10 years ago we wanted people to have packages of support and have control in their own lives. But this is terrible. I was just listening to your discussion both with the parents, and then with Anne Gayle. This is a basic health and safety matter to state the obvious. But if you’re providing services, if the government is providing services into individuals’ homes, and these are vulnerable people, you ask the million dollar question, how come no one was checking if the service was happening?

BEVAN: Well when the scheme was set up, wasn’t there a safeguard built into it?

SHORTEN: Well yes, there should have been. I don’t understand – I mean we’ve been the opposition now sadly for 7 years, but I don’t understand how when you’re rolling out packages of support, there has to be an audit function. There’s got to be a checking on people function. And clearly there hasn’t been. So I think the visitor program should be extended. But it's more than that, isn't it? Like someone's been billing the government for providing services. The organiser, the police and the coroner are going to investigate what's happened in this absolute tragedy. But how is it that no one was checking? I don't understand.

BEVAN: Alright. Well, I'd like you to respond to this. We asked the National Disability Insurance Scheme Commission to come on the program, and they provided us with this statement, Bill Shorten. “The death of Ms Smith in appalling circumstances is in the hands of the appropriate authorities. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission has taken action, requiring the provider involved to take immediate steps to protect the safety of other people with disability that they support. The NDIS Commission will continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Ms Smith's death against the obligations of the provider and the NDIS support worker previously employed by the provider under the NDIS Act. Our sympathies are with the family and friends of Ms Smith.”

SHORTEN: It’s not enough, is it?

BEVAN: Well they won’t even come on to answer any questions.

SHORTEN: It's not enough. Listen, we're the opposition, not the government. But I've got to say, if I was the minister and I had an agency putting out something like that, I'd kick their ass. Excuse my language. This is a disaster. Let's forget about Liberal versus Labor politics for a moment. Someone's died. The problem didn't happen in the blink of an eye. All the facts that we've read is that this was happening over weeks and months. For the agency to say we're looking at the matter and we want to make sure that the provider is doing the right thing. Clearly, they haven't. It's not enough. That's not accountable.

BEVAN: There are questions to be asked. We've put them to the state minister over their visiting scheme and the cautions that were raised by Maurice Corcoran, who used to hold the position of Principal Community Visitor, they’re questions for the state, but ultimately the buck stops with the federal government with this case. Is that correct?

SHORTEN: Yes, well actually I know why people hate politics some days. The state shouldn't use the federal funding as an excuse to do nothing and just say it's not our problem. But I also agree that if it's federal taxpayer money, administered taxpayer money, you've got a minister. He's in hiding. And then you got the NDIS. So it's the safeguards commission. The safeguards commission say they're checking out, now it's happened that no one else has it. It just sounds like a massive buck pass after an unspeakable, appalling tragedy.

BEVAN: Bill Shorten, thanks for your time.