Page 1888 - Week 06 - Thursday, 5 June 2014
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With the bill today, the minister has put forward two disallowable instruments: one that defines that types of services that count as a disability service, and the other that lays out the standards that are applicable. My understanding is that the disability sector has been well consulted on this process of transitioning standards and consistent quality assurance as the ACT moves into the NDIS—and, indeed, they had significant discussions with the directorate prior to this bill being drafted—and that any concerns they had were addressed.
I certainly have not had any feedback from the sector that would cause alarm. So on that basis the Greens will be supporting this bill today because we believe it delivers the mechanisms necessary to enable us to move one of the pieces of the puzzle to facilitate smooth transition to the NDIS.
MS BURCH (Brindabella—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Disability, Children and Young People, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Women, Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Minister for Racing and Gaming) (4.18), in reply: I am proud today to be here to debate the Disability Services (Disability Service Providers) Amendment Bill 2014. This bill was introduced in May of this year and is a significant step in preparing the territory for the trial of the national disability insurance scheme commencing on 1 July this year. This amendment is about the important issues of safeguards and quality standards in the delivery of disability services—considerations that are most relevant during a time of transition to the NDIS, a transition that brings reform on a scale previously unseen within the disability sector.
The principal objective of this bill is to enable the territory to maintain existing quality standards and safeguards relevant to the types of disability services for which it currently has responsibility during the trial. This bill will strengthen the status of safeguards and the quality standards by moving compliance from a contract to law. The existence of quality standards in legislation will support the delivery of quality services.
When the territory signed the intergovernmental agreement for the national disability insurance scheme at the launch in 2012, we committed to maintaining existing safeguards and quality assurance frameworks. Enshrining these in legislation demonstrates to the ACT community the importance that this government places on these protections.
The NDIS is a revolutionary development for the disability sector. While it provides significant benefits to people with disability, it will be a major transition for the ACT government, the disability sector and people with a disability.
One of the major transitions brought about by the NDIS will be the way that disability services are funded. This will mean a change to the role of the territory in both the funding and the delivery of these services. There will be a phasing out of contracts between the territory and the current disability service providers. The loss of contracts will eliminate the authority to mandate compliance with the obligations contained in those contracts.
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