Outgoing NDIS Minister Bill Shorten has vowed to use his final months in the position to roll out wide-ranging reforms to the disability scheme.
The former Labor leader announced on Thursday he will not contest the next federal election, bringing to an end a 17-year career in parliament.
Mr Shorten will stay on as NDIS minister until he departs federal politics, and said there was still a bright future for the scheme.
“I will use every minute left in this job to secure the future of the scheme and ensure it continues to empower with choice and control and give Australians with disability the chance to fulfil their potential,” he said.
“I’m confident that the hard work of the disability sector, the federal government, the cabinet, the states, all the people who care about the future of the scheme, is already seeing green shoots of recovery.”
Changes to the NDIS passed parliament in August which limited spending growth to eight per cent per year, following concerns costs were increasing too quickly.
People with disabilities who use the scheme will face more stringent requirements for what funding they are able to use.
Mr Shorten said the rest of his time as minister would be spent making sure the reforms were properly in place.
“What we have though now in the NDIS reforms is a clear direction, a commitment to co-design,” he said.
“We’ve got an excellent group of people here at the agency. The National Disability Insurance Agency is here to stay and Labor is making the necessary changes.”
The former opposition leader said he would take up the position as vice-chancellor at the University of Canberra from February following his stint in politics.
People with Disability Australia acting chief executive Megan Spindler-Smith said Mr Shorten’s role in helping to create the NDIS would be a part of his political legacy.
“We have not always agreed but appreciate that there have been many times that the minister has shown that he values the lived expertise of people with disability,” she said.
“It is our sincere hope that this commitment to collaboration continues and deepens with any ministerial appointment to this portfolio in future.”
National secretary of the Australian Workers Union Paul Farrow said Mr Shorten had left a large legacy.
Mr Shorten previously served as the head of the union before entering parliament.
“Bill led the union defining moments, including the collapse of Ansett and the Beaconsfield mine disaster. His leadership during these crises showed his relentless drive to support workers and ensure their rights were defended,” he said.
“He was always there, whether standing with families who had lost loved ones or advocating for thousands of members who found themselves out of work overnight.”
