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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 11 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 3548 ..

Disability Program - Funds

Mr Wood - on 26 November 1998 asked the Minister for Health and Community Care questions in relation to ACT Government funding for the ACT Community Care Disability:

(1) What funds have been available to upgrade its services (including IT support) in each of the last two financial years.

(2) What amount of these funds are growth funds (if any).

(3) What funds have been made available on the same grounds to non-government agencies in the same period.

Mr Moore - The answers to Mr Wood's questions are as follows:

(1) The Disability Program has received funding in each of the last two financial years to reform and improve the quality its services. The funds, which are not recurrent funds amounted to $110,000 in 1996/97 and $310,000 in 1997/98.

The funds have been used for significant projects which have the potential to benefit not just the Disability Program, but all services to people with a disability in the ACT. They include improved policies and procedures, a quality improvement framework, and a comprehensive methodology for assessing support needs and allocating resources to meet identified need.

The funds have not been used to improve and upgrade information technology. However, ACT Community Care has expended $168,750 towards the development of CHIS, a specialised software application for community based health service providers. Of this, a proportion could be considered to be new funds provided for the Disability Program. The funds are not recurrent.

(2) None of the funds mentioned above are growth funds.

(3) Under the Home and Community Care program (which includes services for people with disabilities), $167,727 was provided in 1996-97 and $95,076 in 1997-98 for non-government agency service support. Under the disability program no specific developmental funds were provided, however agencies could use purchase funds for developmental purposes should they choose to do so. In some cases excess funds at the end of the financial year are retained, with departmental permission, for service development. Consolidated records of funds used for these purposes are not kept by the department.

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