Disability can affect any one of us: a brother, a sister, a neighbour, a work colleague—someone we hold dear. And it can happen at any time. What we know is that one in six Australians live with a disability. It touches us all. And that is why Labor created the NDIS more than a decade ago. The NDIS was and is groundbreaking, and it has been life-changing for so many people across our nation. At its heart, the scheme represents the best of who we are as Australians. Looking out for each other and supporting those who need it most—that is what the NDIS is all about. When we introduced the National Disability Insurance Scheme some 12 years ago, it carried a profound promise to value people with disability, not measure their price in a budget, and to see the whole person, not just their impairment. And it has been delivering on that promise every day since. I have met participants who now live independently for the first time, parents who tell me the scheme has given their children the chance to learn to work and to belong, and older Australians who never thought they would see such support in their lifetime. That is the NDIS at its best.

But we also know the scheme is not without flaws, and we must keep working to strengthen it, because we know it is profoundly life-changing. We also know the scheme relies on social licence and families, providers, advocates and the disability sector working together to get the best outcomes for people with disability. As Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS and as an MP in the Geelong region, the birthplace of the NDIA, my office and I often speak with the NDIS sector. I see the passionate providers. I know how much they care. Their work is not easy. Occupational therapists, speech pathologists, support workers and plan managers—too often these people do not get the thanks they deserve. So today I do want to thank them, because, despite the headlines about rorters and fraudsters, I know that the vast majority of providers are good people doing good work.

But many of these providers have raised concerns directly with me about the NDIA's recent annual pricing review, and I acknowledge these concerns. They deserve to be heard. The reality is that some providers have said they want more consultation with the NDIA. After raising these concerns with the NDIA directly, I note the agency has been engaging with providers on the annual pricing review, and I certainly urge the agency to do more consultation with these providers in the lead up to next year's review. Of course, the NDIA is in a difficult position after a decade of the former coalition government's neglect of the scheme, and we know gaps in the scheme have been exploited by some bad providers. They would schedule inefficient travel, stringing out journeys so they could pocket more of a participant's budget, and that is not acceptable. It's bad for people with disability. It's bad for Australians, whose trust in the scheme is already fragile. We need to strengthen trust, and we need to close the gaps. If people lose faith in the scheme, they will lose faith in its future. This is a program that must endure. It is worth fighting for.

I recognise that the NDIA is committed to this goal. I also acknowledge that the agency has stated that it seeks to close the gaps as part of this review. The agency has said that no other comparable scheme compensates therapists for travel in the way the NDIS does. Under Veterans' Affairs, an exercise physiologist may get a kilometre allowance, but only where the distance exceeds 10 kilometres and there is no closer provider. Therapists under TAC, Comcare and the Lifetime Support Authority cannot claim for travel at all. By contrast, under the NDIS, providers can still claim up to 50 per cent of the therapy rate for travel time—that's about $90 an hour—and, in remote and very remote areas, providers will still get 40 to 50 per cent loadings.

This is a significant support. It recognises the unique challenges of delivering care across our continent, and it ensures the scheme can continue to be fair to participants, to taxpayers and to the workforce who deliver the care. So, I will continue to stand with participants are families and dividers to ensure the scheme continues to thrive.