Page 4381 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 22 September 2010
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grants have supported people with a disability to either establish a social enterprise or support an employment option.
I would also like to mention the work Disability ACT has done recently in establishing a new service that will support young people with a disability as they leave school and begin transition into adult life. This year, 32 school leavers will be assisted by the new transitional support service, contracted to be delivered by the House With No Steps. The transition service will assist these students to leave school with meaningful social, recreational and vocational pathways, will give their families confidence in experiencing options and opportunities for their children into the future and will put in place the formal supports and services they need to achieve their goals.
The Chief Minister has spoken in detail about the work that this government is doing and, as I have said, I am looking forward to the reviews of the ACT public service disability employment strategy and the broader review of the ACT public service equity of diversity framework. Whilst I know we can do better, I think that the work that we are doing, have done and will be doing into the future, needs to be recognised and regarded. I know, as the Minister for the Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services, that I take an absolute watching brief and keen interest to see how my department performs in this, and I am very, very pleased to see that we have recruited a human resource officer, who has a particular focus on recruitment, retention and workplace support for people with a disability.
So the provision of worthwhile employment opportunities for people with a disability will remain a government priority and, as I have acknowledged, there is still more we can do in this area. However, I believe that the initiatives I have outlined today present a real and tangible move forward for people with a disability, and I look forward to building on these initiatives in the future. The Chief Minister tabled some amendments to the motion; unfortunately, they were not successful, but, as I have said, as Minister for the Department of Disability I will see what I can do to champion the cause of increasing access to employment in the ACT public service.
Amendment agreed to.
MS BRESNAN (Brindabella) (8.55): I thank all members for their contributions tonight. It is quite obvious that all parties recognise that this is an important issue. I appreciate the amendments that Mr Stanhope put up as well as why they were not supported. I appreciate the intention behind them. I also thank Mr Doszpot for the discussions we had about the issue and the amendments he put forward, which improve the motion which we put forward.
Ms Burch mentioned BLITS and the Social Enterprise Hub. These sorts of enterprises, particularly the Social Enterprise Hub, have an important role to play in terms of the employment opportunities for people with disability. I would like to acknowledge with the Social Enterprise Hub the wonderful work that Mandy Richards is doing there. She has been a real asset to the Social Enterprise Hub; her energy for this project has been one of the reasons why it has been so successful.
And Ms Burch mentioned Ronnie’s Succulent Snails. It is great because it does provide a wonderful opportunity for this young man to be engaging and to have something which gives him a real opportunity to do something each day.
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