Page 2122 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 5 June 2019
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MS FITZHARRIS: As Mrs Dunne is aware, more recently, this year, we have seen our costs come down. I take absolute responsibility for making sure that we continue to make significant investments in health services, to support our hardworking staff and to invest in hospitals, community health centres, walk-in centres, and medical and health research. I am particularly proud of the announcements we have made in this week’s budget, particularly proud of our commitment to our expanded SPIRE proposal that we took to the last election, and particularly proud of the clinical engagement we have done with that. I take responsibility for those significant investments and look forward to the government delivering on all of those for the Canberra community.
Budget—disability services
MS CHEYNE: My question is to the Minister for Disability. Minister, could you please update the Assembly on the implementation of the NDIS in the ACT?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Ms Cheyne for her question. The national disability insurance scheme, NDIS, is the largest social policy reform since the introduction of Medicare. This year’s ACT budget invests more than $716 million over four years to ensure that NDIS participants can access the supports and services they need. This reconfirms the ACT government’s long-term commitment to the NDIS and fully funds our share of the scheme, around half of the cost of the scheme in the territory, as set out in the recently signed bilateral agreement with the commonwealth government for the full scheme which starts from 1 July 2019.
In 2013, of course, the ACT was the first state or territory to sign on to the NDIS. The ACT was also the first state or territory to transition all eligible participants into the scheme in 2016-17.
The NDIS has been life changing for many people with disability and their families and carers, enabling them to get the support they need to lead full lives and participate in the community. There are currently more than 6,800 Canberrans receiving funding and support through their individual NDIS plans, including 862 people with psychosocial disability, 1,343 people with intellectual disability and 3,268 children and young people. More than 1,589 providers are now registered with the NDIS compared to 64 providers when the scheme commenced in 2014.
The ACT government recognises that the experience of the NDIS has not been uniformly positive, and that is why we continue to advocate for participants to see improvements in pathways, communication and a better understanding of the lived experience of disability within the agency. This work of stepping up and advocating for Canberrans will continue into the full scheme, just as our commitment to fully fund our share of NDIS will continue.
MS CHEYNE: Minister, what is the ACT government doing to ensure people with disability continue to get the services and supports they need?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Ms Cheyne for the supplementary. The
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