It was the result of an 18-month investigation of the unmet needs of people with disability and their families and carers across Australia, as well as analysis of disability support systems in other countries that were working well.

The Disability Care and Support Inquiry Report found the current disability support system to be underfunded, unfair, fragmented; a system that was inefficient, gave people with disability little choice, and no certainty of access to appropriate supports.

Not that this was news for anyone who ever encountered the system.

The Government had asked the Productivity Commission to look at the costs, cost effectiveness, benefits and feasibility of replacing the broken system with a properly funded and managed long-term disability scheme.

The report established a workable proposal that not only had the necessary resources to support Australians with disability but also described a new way forward for service provision based on choice and control for Australians with disability.

The bottom line was a new national scheme — like Medicare — that it would produce very large benefits for Australians with a realistic and clear implementation pathway.

As well as providing certainty, choice and control for people with disabilities the report also said the benefits of the scheme would significantly outweigh the costs.

TheProductivity Commission estimated a potential long term gain of $1.5 billion in GDP per annum as a result of increased employment participation.

Read the full Disability Care and Support Inquiry Report.