Page 3147 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 20 August 2019
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
incarcerated, who are in the prisons, who are in Bimberi, who are in the care and protection system because that is what her job is, not to disrespect Mr Milligan.
MS STEPHEN-SMITH (Kurrajong—Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Minister for Children, Youth and Families, Minister for Disability, Minister for Employment and Workplace Safety, Minister for Health and Minister for Urban Renewal) (11.38): I understood this was described as a debate where people responded to one another. Mrs Dunne is obviously quite welcome to respond to me as I responded to Mr Milligan. That is what a debate tends to be about.
I rise at this point in time to talk about my disability portfolio. I am very proud to be the Minister for Disability in the Barr government. We have a lot to be proud of but we also, again, have a lot that we need to do to build a stronger and more inclusive community for people with disability across the ACT. We know that we are a stronger and a better community when everyone is respected, everyone is valued, heard and empowered to meet their full potential, and this government is working towards full inclusion and participation of people with disability in our community.
The national disability insurance scheme is, of course, the most significant social reform that the nation has undertaken since Medicare. This budget delivers on our commitment to the NDIS by fully funding the ACT government’s share of the ongoing funding for the scheme. In March 2019 the ACT government signed a bilateral agreement for full-scheme NDIS arrangements, which commenced in July 2019. The bilateral agreement sets out the key financial arrangements for the scheme and shows that the ACT is contributing more than $700 million to the scheme over four years.
The ACT government is also working closely with the commonwealth and other jurisdictions to monitor the implementation of the NDIS and to address issues as they arise. I am pleased that we have recently resolved several issues related to key policy areas, including health and child protection interfaces.
The transition to the NDIS has not been a smooth transition for everyone. That is why we established the integrated service response program in 2018. The program has made a difference to more than 70 Canberrans with disability who have complex support needs. It has supported people to ensure that they have an NDIS plan and access to mainstream services to support their needs. The funding in this budget will allow the program to continue to work collaboratively with the National Disability Insurance Agency and mainstream service providers to ensure that a participant’s plan meets their needs and that every individual receives the support they need to live a good, ordinary life.
The staff at the Office for Disability who work on this program continue to provide an important service to people with disability, working with the National Disability Insurance Agency and service providers to resolve crises and complex situations for people with high-support needs. We remain committed to all people with disability, which includes the majority of Canberrans with disability who are not receiving an individual support package through the NDIS.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video