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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 7 Hansard (24 June) . . Page.. 2022 ..

MS REILLY: I will have an extension, thank you, Mr Speaker. (Extension of time granted) They have not been spending the capital funds, and it would be really interesting to know what they have spent that $700,000 on, because asking last year and this year has not elicited that information yet.

Let me now discuss the issues around disability services. It is important to note that last year there was a review of the Commonwealth-State Disability Agreement undertaken by the ACT Legislative Assembly's Social Policy Committee. It reported to the Assembly in February. It certainly put the spotlight on this program. Many people considered that it was the first time they had been really listened to. The positive response in this budget is an indication of that.

I think there are some very good things in this budget - for starters, the increase in the Health Complaints Commissioner's budget to enable him to employ another investigation officer. That will assist the whole of the health, disability and aged care area by providing the opportunity for complaints to be handled quickly. That is important for all concerned in that - those that are complaining and those that are complained against. That is a very positive move, as will be the changes to the Act to extend the jurisdiction of the Health Complaints Commissioner. There are other things that should be noted as well. We still need to look at issues around the residents' contracts and the lack of service agreements that the residents have so that they know what services they are going to get. We also need to note the failure of the employer to provide proper equipment such as gloves and other associated equipment. When you think about it, it is quite outrageous that the employer felt no need to take care of her employees in a proper manner.

One matter I must bring to the Assembly's attention, though, in relation to some of the changes in disability services, is the extraordinary papers that have been produced by the disability program. I am sure that you all have received copies of them by now. I asked a question - unfortunately, about only this one - in the Estimates Committee. It is very pretty. There are three colours; there is shading; there are changes of colour as you go through. It is very elaborate. I was told that this cost $2 to produce. I assume that that is right. So, if they produce 1,000 a month, it costs $2,000 a month for this. Does it need this amount of elaborate printing to get the message across? Are the balloons and whistles - because that is what this sort of printing is - going to change the lives of people who live in the disability services houses? I would have thought there should have been a concentration on getting services to those people. We hear that that program cannot be extended. There is no money. But $24,000 might have helped a few more people and given some people more hours of care.

Unfortunately, I asked about only this one. Since then, a whole suite of papers have turned up. I think we all have copies of them. It would be interesting to know the printing costs for these. They are not simple, straight-out, black-and-white, up-and-down things. These are also shaded.

MR SPEAKER: They are green and yellow, yes.

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