A former TV drama scriptwriter will be paid more than half a million dollars over two years to help Labor NDIS Minister Bill Shorten “melt hearts” with his communications.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Julianne Stewart, the speechwriter hired to assist Mr. Shorten, previously assisted Prime Ministers Kevin Rudd (Labor), Julia Gillard (Labor), Tony Abbott (Liberal), and Malcolm Turnbull (Liberal).
In the private sector, she has been employed by former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce and worked as a writer for Australian drama series A Country Practice, and Sons and Daughters.
Ms. Stewart says on her LinkedIn account that she can create powerful statements and “melt hearts,” bringing out the “warmth and compassion” of speakers.
Her appointment, however, drew concern from Liberal senators who questioned why Mr. Shorten needed a new staffer instead of utilising workers within Services Australia—the department that handles the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Services Australia Deputy Chief Executive Officer Susie Smith had questions posed to her in Parliament by Liberal Senator Maria Kovacic, who queried whether the department had the capacity to provide the services Ms. Stewart was employed for.
“We do have the capability, I think it comes down to a question of choice,” Ms. Smith replied, noting speechwriters were already hired as part of the department’s 180-person communications team.
Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds also questioned Ms. Smith during the Senate Estimates hearing, with Ms. Smith saying she could not provide an answer as to why the $640,000 (US$427,000) contract was necessary.
In a response to questions from The Epoch Times, Ms. Reynolds’ office shared a brief statement, saying Mr. Shorten’s priorities needed to be with the service he was in charge of.
“Instead of wasting taxpayers’ money on additional spin, Bill Shorten must focus on ensuring the NDIS is sustainable for the most vulnerable Australians on the scheme,” she said.
Mr Shorten told TV program A Current Affair on June 3 that the focus on the speechwriter’s contract was a “cheap Liberal tactic.”
He said the writer does “a very good job” and that he was not responsible for her contract negotiations.
The MP told the program it was Services Australia who handled the hiring and that it could not be linked to him.
Leader Says NDIS at Risk of Not Being Sustainable
The move comes just weeks after Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that NDIS costs needed to “be made sustainable.”“What we’re talking about here isn’t something that’s any reduction, it is a lowering of the projected increase in NDIS funding, which would see it unsustainable,” he said.
“We want to make sure that everyone with a disability gets the support that they need so they can fully participate in Australian society. That’s the objective of the NDIS.”
The annual cost of the scheme reached $42 billion in 2024, with an estimated cost of $90 billion by 2030.
Last month, the federal budget allocated $160.7 million to help the administration of the NDIS, including $45.5 million over four years to establish an advisory committee to give feedback to the government on what is working and what is not.
A further $83.9 million has been allocated to boost fraud detection, while $20 million over two years will be allocated to “breaking down barriers” for NDIS recipients when attempting to access support from the service.
In the 2024-25 financial year, $5.3 million will be spent on NDIS pricing function reforms.
The NDIS is a scheme of the Australian government that funds costs associated with disability. It was legislated in 2013 and went into full operation in 2020.
