Page 1701 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 4 June 2014
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$500,000 and provide $545,000 for the continued implementation of the national quality framework. This budget “Investing in Canberra” also recognises that support for vulnerable Canberrans is a must.
The ACT government is committed to the national disability insurance scheme and has committed additional funds to support people with a disability during the NDIS trial and beyond. The funding includes $1.6 million over three years for a continued therapy assistance program, fulfilling a commitment made in the last election. The therapy assistance program is a very successful program. Of the 200-plus students that have been seen over a year, 40 per cent were young children who had not been seen by a therapist before access to the therapy assistance program through the school environment.
An amount of $2.84 million over two years has been allocated for emergency responses for disability services for those who urgently need a greater level of care and support. There will be $2.2 million for disability care providers who will continue to deliver their valuable services. This will assist them to be ready for the launch of the NDIS.
A further $1.1 million has been allocated in 2014-15 to construct a new purpose-built respite home to provide modern respite services for children with a disability in the ACT. I think I have made mention in this place before of the fabulous community partner, Ricky Stuart Foundation, that is working with us on fundraising activities. They will be a strong partner in support of us. I note too the recent announcement around the non-government providers within respite services. Marymead was the successful tenderer and it will be providing respite services to children across the ACT.
In addition to our commitment to the national disability insurance scheme and disability support and services in the ACT, this budget also demonstrates our commitment to vulnerable children, young people and families. An investment of over $4 million to support children and young people in out-of-home care is the centrepiece of the government’s commitment to meeting the needs of vulnerable Canberrans in this budget.
The budget will fund the ongoing increase in demand for out-of-home care and lay the groundwork for the implementation of the out-of-home care strategy 2015-2020, which will signal an innovative approach to the government’s support for children, carers and service providers.
Madam Speaker, in this morning’s paper there have been a number of comments on our budget. A media release from ACTCOSS states:
We think that it is the right approach to invest in infrastructure, the economy and services, rather than introduce a harsh austerity budget … There are some welcome measures for low-income and disadvantaged people … We welcome investment into the NDIS, additional resources in disability and support for the implementation of the Human Services Blueprint. We are also pleased to see additional funding for out-of-home care and increases in concessions for low-income households and investment in mental health and suicide prevention.
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