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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 2 Hansard (19 February) . . Page.. 363 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

As an initial step I have already asked the Health and Community Care Service Board to advise us on the actions it has taken or proposes to take to address the issues raised in the inquiry report, particularly with regard to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of disability program clients.

In its response the board advised me that actions have been and will be taken which will ensure that good governance is applied, that measures are in place to ensure clients' safety and that best practice is pursued in service delivery and in the management of the service. I believe the structure and processes that this government has now put in place will allow us to move forward with more trust and collaboration.

Broadly, the inquiry's findings and recommendations can be grouped along the following lines: recommendations relating to the achievement of the best standard of care for clients and include service options, system design and access arrangements; those relating to structural and government arrangements; those relating to complaints and advocacy; and those referring to the performance of government organisations and individual officers. I have put in place arrangements to address each category of recommendation.

The first category of recommendation, which is in relation to improvements in care and support, will be referred to the newly established Office of Disability and the Disability Reform Group for advice on what is achievable. The Disability Reform Group provides a mechanism through which people with a disability, carers, service providers and peak community organisations can contribute not only to developing responses to this report but also to the ongoing development of policies and services. Yesterday I announced the members of the reform group.

I am confident that the Disability Reform Group will be able to work with all interested parties and the Office of Disability to ensure that we do, in fact, develop best practice models of service and achieve a shared understanding of what improvements are required and what is achievable and by when. I also see this group drawing on the skills and expertise available throughout the sector and broader community. There has been an overwhelming response from individuals and organisations interested in and committed to participating in the reform process. I welcome this input.

To support the work of the office and the Disability Reform Group, the government has obtained the services of Ms Anne Cross, an independent expert in services for people with disabilities. Ms Cross has played a key role in the reform of services in Queensland, and she has a particular interest in consumer participation in the planning and delivery of services to people with disabilities. The engagement of Ms Cross is one of the recommendations of the board of inquiry.

The second group of findings and recommendations relates to structural and government issues. As I have previously announced, Mr Michael Reid, the former Director-General of the New South Wales health department and presently a professorial fellow, an adjunct professor at the university of Sydney, has been engaged to undertake an independent review of the health portfolio's organisational arrangements. Organisational and structural issues raised by the board of inquiry will be addressed as part of this review. I have asked Mr Reid, in carrying out his work, to meet with a range of

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