Page 3827 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 24 August 2011
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There are people in the community who have a significant disability and who are not in the educational sector. They are well beyond that. There are people who have suffered catastrophic injury.
As a former director of rehabilitation and aged care, I am aware of people who have suffered, for example, acquired brain injury from horse riding accidents. Very often people’s lives are shattered. They have catastrophic injury. This is not about being focused on those people in the education sector.
I believe that the Greens’ amendment improves the motion and the opposition’s amendment does not. So I commend my motion and the Greens’ amendment to the Assembly.
MR DOSZPOT (Brindabella) (6.23): I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion of Mr Hargreaves in respect of the national disability insurance scheme and I am pleased that he raised such an important subject for debate last week. However, since last week other events have overtaken much of this motion. At the COAG meeting last Friday, all states and territories committed to the NDIS. The COAG communique said:
COAG welcomed the public release of the Productivity Commission’s final report on Disability Care and Support and agreed on the need for major reform of disability services in Australia through a National Disability Insurance Scheme.
COAG will develop high-level principles, by the end of 2011, to guide consideration of the Productivity Commission recommendations regarding a National Disability Insurance Scheme, including for foundation reforms, funding and governance. Given the high priority that all governments place on disability care and support, COAG agreed to the establishment of a Select Council of Treasurers and Disability Services Ministers, chaired by the Commonwealth, to consider the recommendations of the Productivity Commission’s report.
I look forward to Mr Barr and Ms Burch keeping this Assembly updated on the select council’s deliberations. The communique continued:
The Select Council will commence work immediately, and will reflect and give effect to the principles, to be agreed by COAG. The Select Council will provide an initial report to COAG at its first meeting in 2012.
COAG agreed to progress quickly the measures agreed as part of the National Disability Agreement that have also been identified as foundation reforms for a National Disability Insurance Scheme, including development of a national assessment framework; nationally consistent service and quality standards for the disability services sector; and a comprehensive national disability services workforce strategy.
COAG also noted the Productivity Commission’s recommendations in relation to a National Injury Insurance Scheme and agreed to work together to consider the Productivity Commission’s recommendation.
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