9 October 2015 Federal Member for Newcastle, Sharon Claydon, today joined local representatives from the National Disability Insurance Agency to celebrate the official launch of Beresfield and District Community Cares National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) service.Established in 1991 as a Meals on Wheels provider before transitioning to a multi-service provider 15 years later, Beresfield and District Community Care has continued to expand their services and grow as the rollout of the NDIS expands across the Hunter region. Ms Claydon praised the work of the organisation and the benefits that the NDIS is bringing to the local community. The NDIS was built by Labor because for too long, people with disability had been forced to live lives as second-class citizens, Ms Claydon said. The launch of the scheme has meant that for the first time people with disability have been asked what they need, what their hopes and dreams are, and how they can be supported to realise their goals. More than 4,000 people with disability in our region are already benefitting from the NDIS. Fantastic service providers like Beresfield and District Community Care are embracing the scheme and continue to grow as more people register with the NDIS. Its anticipated that as many as 25,000 new employees in New South Wales will be required to meet the needs of the community as we fully transition to the NDIS. Locally weve already seen hundreds of new jobs in the sector, as well as more jobs for people with a disability as they are supported by the NDIS which brings benefits to the community on so many different levels. The NDIS launched in the Newcastle Local Government Area in 2013, before expanding to Lake Macquarie, and this year into Maitland. When the rollout of the NDIS is complete, some 460,000 Australians with disability will benefit from the NDIS.