Page 3486 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 22 October 2014
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interesting to observe is that the reality of implementing it is incredibly complex. Among a range of service providers that I have spoken to across a whole range of areas, and service users, people have been a bit surprised and confronted by some of the changes and just how large it is going to be. There has been a very interesting shift there in the way that people have thought about this issue.
But as I say, the ACT did sign up to the NDIS, and we are in the position of being one of the earlier adopters. That means, in the context, that we are at the front of the line when it comes to experiencing some of these changes and also experiencing some of the unexpected challenges that the massive change to the NDIS has thrown up. That is where I think there is a real challenge for both the minister and the directorate in the ACT: they are trying to grapple with something incredibly complex and be one of the first to do it. In that context, I know they are working incredibly hard to make that as smooth as possible.
The challenge of how to vacate the service delivery field is a significant one for the ACT in the area of early intervention services. We have had a large proportion of children’s disability services provided by the government sector for a very long time, and there has been a very limited number of private and/or NGO service providers operating in the territory. In addition to that, the ACT is a small jurisdiction with a reasonably limited and well-defined market for these services. New providers need to know that they will be able to be viable and sustainable in that context. Again, it is part of that massive change where there is considerable uncertainty and people are trying to find their way through those significant changes.
In the intervening period since the last motion, the NDIA have really changed direction here in the territory as to how these services are going to be provided. I think that has come as an acknowledgement that the model that was being proposed was not necessarily going to work, due to the size and scale of the market and the expectation of parents in regard to services that they had previously been provided with through the ACT education department. These expectations were likely made clear to government through the KPMG market sounding process.
Again, I come back to the point that as we step through this very significant change, issues need to be resolved. I think it is not reasonable to come in here and say that the minister or the directorate must have all the answers at a certain point in time. What we can expect from the minister and the directorate is that they remain very focused on this and that they move as quickly as possible to address the issues as they arise. I believe that that is occurring.
In early September, the NDIA called for tenders to provide services. This will be for all children who would otherwise have been eligible for the ACT education directorate services. I know there have been some concerns that children coming into the system for the first time in 2015 might not be provided for. From seeking information on this issue, and through my discussions with the minister’s office over recent weeks, particularly in the last 24 hours as we double-checked things in preparation for the discussion of this motion, I think it is quite clear that new children coming into the system will be catered for. The minister has been clear about that
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