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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 11 Hansard (29 November) . . Page.. 3394 ..

Mr Moore (continuing):

(iii) the adequacy and effectiveness of staff selection and training;

(b) service monitoring and accountability, particularly the adequacy and effectiveness of mechanisms employed by the ACT Government to ensure the quality of services, compliance with legislation and the disability standards and their efficient and effective use of government funds;

(c) consumer protection, complaints and appeals, particularly the adequacy and effectiveness of consumer protection and complaints and appeals mechanisms external to individual services, including the Community and Health Services Complaints Commissioner, the Community Advocate and the Human Rights Office of the ACT;

(d) resource allocation, in particular the adequacy, equity and efficiency of the disability services funding allocation generally and, in particular:

(i) between government and non-government service providers,

(ii) between program administration costs and direct services, and

(iii) between permanent accommodation, respite and other disability services;

(2) recommends that the Government, in accordance with section 5 of the Act, appoints Professor Roger West to conduct the inquiry;

(3) recommends that the Government, in consultation with the Board of Inquiry, ensures that the Board of Inquiry be provided with the necessary staff and resources to effectively perform its functions; and

(4) recommends that the Government fixes 15 August 2001 as the date for submission of the report to the Chief Minister in accordance with section 14 of the Act.

MR HUMPHRIES (Chief Minister, Minister for Community Affairs, Attorney-General and Treasurer) (3.24): Listening to what Mr Wood has said today could lead you to believe that the government has heard the debate going on about an inquiry under the Inquiries Act into disability services in the territory, and has been doing other, more important things in the last few weeks, since that motion was first put to the Assembly successfully on 18 October.

Nothing could be further from the truth. There has been no more discussed, more canvassed, more consulted about issue in the last six weeks or so than the issue of a disability services inquiry. We have taken the sentiment expressed clearly by the Legislative Assembly on 18 October very seriously indeed.

Let me put it on the record, so the position of the government is crystal clear for all concerned in this debate. The government's view is that the matters which have been raised by members and members of the community with respect to disability services are matters of serious concern. The government does support the conducting of an inquiry into these matters, if necessary using the powers under the Inquiries Act, if matters which should be considered in respect of those concerns are not properly examined in some other way.

We believe the issues should be examined using appropriate powers for an inquirer to find the truth of the matter. It is clear the government has no desire to keep secret or to cover up any of the issues which may have led to complaints in or about disability services in the ACT. I hope that there will be an understanding that we do not stand opposed to full disclosure of the facts in this area.

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