VICTORIAN Premier Denis Napthine fought back tears as he became the latest state leader to sign up to the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Dr Napthine stood next to his political foe, Prime Minister Julia Gillard, to announce that all Victorians stood to benefit from the landmark disability scheme.

An emotional Dr Napthine, who has a son with autism, described the personal significance the NDIS had for him and his family.

"As a person, as a family member, as a carer, as somebody who's worked in the disability area, and as a politician, I'm very, very proud to be here today as a Victorian, with Victoria signing up to the full disability care system from 2019 and the lead-up to it," Dr Napthine said.

"It's a great day for Victoria, it's a great day for people with disabilities, their carers and their families. It is a day we can all be proud of."

The scheme, which aims to give people with permanent disabilities lifelong care, involves a $2.5 billion contribution from the Victorian Government as well as $2.6 billion of Commonwealth funding.

But he warned the Victorian Coalition Government faced future budgetary challenges in meeting its obligation under the scheme.

"We need to manage our budget in tight and challenging times, so that we can provide the services needed and we can fund things like disability care, but we can do it in a responsible way that's sustainable," he said.

The Victorian Government already contributes up to $1.6 billion for disability services.

Ms Gillard said the Government would continue to negotiate with Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern

Territory, which are yet to sign up to the scheme.

She thanked disability advocates for their hard-fought campaign in calling for better treatment for those with disabilities.

"We needed to listen to those voices, and we have listened, and I'm very pleased and proud that we have," Ms Gillard said.

The scheme will launch in Barwon starting on July 1, with other eligible Victor- ians entering the system in July 2016.

Doncaster mum Kirsten Deane, whose daughter Sophie, 12, has Down syndrome, said she and her family had been waiting with bated breath for Victoria to sign up.

"We can sleep a lot better at night knowing Sophie's future has been taken care of," Ms Deane said.

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Originally published as Premier emotional as he signs NDIS