DISABILITY FUNDING

Mr ODENWALDER (Little Para) (14:19): My question is to the Minister for Disability. Will the minister provide an update to the house on the first phase of disability self-managed funding?

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Families and Communities, Minister for Housing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability) (14:19): I thank the member for Little Para for his question. Last year I had the honour of signing off on the first four self-managed contracts in South Australia, and we are seeing early successes in this project and the implications of its importance. We plan to limit the involvement to 50 participants in the first phase. We have already had 36 people managing their own funding and a further 13 developing personal support and expenditure plans.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Yes, that's right. It's 50.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: You just need to listen.

The SPEAKER: Order! We will not have a slanging match across the floor, member for Bragg.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Bragg, you are warned.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Madam Speaker, she was silent for the first two minutes of question time.

Mr PENGILLY: Point of order, ma'am: who is the minister referring to as 'she'?

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister will get back to the substance of the question.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: The member for Bragg was silent for the first two minutes. Her counterparts are quite fearful of her silences. The last time she was silent, she refused to rule out a challenge to her leader.

The SPEAKER: Minister, back to the question.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: They are quite momentous. Whilst in its early stages, the initiative is designed to give people with a disability more control over how funding allocated for their needs is spent. As a result of both the success and the interest, I have now asked the department to increase the number of contracts up to 70.

We are working to ensure that the early success continues and this is happening primarily in two ways. An independent evaluation of phase 1 will be completed later this year. The evaluation will ensure that we learn all we can from stage 1 and enable us to improve and expand future stages of self-management. Feedback is also being sought on an ongoing basis from a consultative committee made up of people with disabilities, carers, service providers and advocates. The focus of this committee's work is to inform the development of future stages of self-management here in South Australia.

I know that many people are keen for self-managed funding to expand quickly but, as this is a major reform, I want to be certain that we have the nuts and bolts in place to ensure that we get it right the first time. By allowing a further 20 people to participate in the first phase, we can address the current demand whilst the scheme is finalised. In saying this, I want to be very clear that the decision to self-manage is optional and people will be able to choose if they wish to take part.

Self-managed funding will not suit everyone and existing arrangements will continue for those people who prefer that. Even in this first phase, clients are welcome to trial the program and revert back to their former arrangements if it just simply is not for them. Having said that, self-management gives people with a disability control of the funding that has been allocated for their support needs. It allows them to choose how, where and when they receive the support they need.

The initial participation rates are encouraging and it shows that people are making the most of the flexibility that self-managed funding offers. We have already received positive feedback from people who have made the decision to be involved. For example, one participant is using some of the money to purchase voice-activated computer software to help him communicate more freely and keep in touch with family and friends.

At the signing of the first contracts, I was greatly moved when the father of one child entering into this said to me that it was like he had been given his life back. I am also encouraged by the Productivity Commission's draft National Disability Insurance Scheme, where a self-managed funding proposal was included that bears similarities to the South Australian scheme and includes a focus on consumer choice by providing people with a disability an individualised funding package that they can choose to manage themselves.

If any of the people in this house have a constituent whom they feel may benefit from self-managed funding, I would strongly encourage them to contact the Department for Families and Communities.