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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 4 Hansard (29 March) . . Page.. 1172 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

In the ACT therapy services are delivered to people with disabilities through a number of mainstream clinical and medical health services. Such services are administered through the Department of Education and Community Services and the Department of Health, Housing and Community Care. These services respond to the therapy needs of the community, including those of people with disabilities, and are subject to regular evaluation to ensure they effectively contribute to their clients' quality of life. Services are targeted to the areas of highest need.

The 2000-01 budget earmarked $250,000 to provide additional services, including therapy services for children with complex behavioural and support needs. The Department of Education and Community Services Child Health and Development Services, ACT Community Care and the Department of Health, Housing and Community Care, in consultation with special schools, are working together to identify and target funds to the areas of highest need. The review of therapy services for students with disabilities will further inform both departments about the current level and pattern of available resources and needs. Mr Wood, we have been very keen to make sure that our departments are working together to achieve this. Recommendations from the review will provide well-researched planning information about the appropriate approach to address assisting unmet need.

Finally, the current Commonwealth-State Disability Agreement provides for the negotiation of bilateral agreements with the Commonwealth in relation to specific service types and projects, including those for unmet needs. To date, bilateral agreements negotiated under the Commonwealth-State Disability Agreement provide for a combination of day programs and employment services and support for older carers of people with disabilities. It should also be noted, Mr Wood, that over the past two budgets the ACT government's allocation of funds to the disability program has increased by $1.55 million to better meet the needs of people with disabilities, and we have also announced further funding, as you would be aware.

Health and Community Care staff-outside employment

MR MOORE: On 27 March Mr Rugendyke asked me a question about the normal procedure for employees of Health and Community Care to be granted permission to partake in outside employment. In line with the Public Sector Management Act 1994, section 244, an officer must not, without approval in writing of the chief executive of an agency, be employed in a second job. This is further outlined in the public sector management standards, at standard 1.2.4-"Ethics, Conflict of Interest, Second Jobs". Personal delegations also enable executive directors to approve these applications. I have copies of those which I am happy to give you.

These requests and subsequent approval or decline of approval are stored on individual personnel files and not on a database. To answer your question, staff would need to physically search 300 personnel files in the department, 1,200 files in ACT Community Care and 3,300 files in the Canberra Hospital. To research and collate this required information would be too time consuming, and I am not prepared to authorise considerable resources to answer that question.

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