DISABILITY SUPPORTED ACCOMMODATION

Ms THOMPSON (Reynell) (14:27): My question is to the Minister for Disability. Can the minister update the house on progress made in delivering disability accommodation in partnership with Bedford?

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Families and Communities, Minister for Housing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability) (14:27): I thank the member for Reynell for her question and her ongoing support for people with a disability here in South Australia. The government has a $10 million partnership with Bedford that is delivering 33 homes for South Australians with a disability. Initially it was planned that there would be 32 but last month I had the pleasure of announcing a 33^rd home for four people with high needs to be built in Port Lincoln. When completed next year, it will mean that this partnership will ensure 74 people with a disability will have had a brand-new place to call home in the area in which they live.

I made this announcement in Millicent, where I was joined by outgoing Bedford chief executive Max Dyason and where we turned the first sod on a five-bed roomed home for four people that will deliver services for people needing high-need support in that area. It is another in a long list of supported accommodation houses in regional South Australia that I have had the pleasure of opening in the last few months. They include the communities of Renmark, Murray Bridge, Port Lincoln, Mount Gambier and Port Pirie. Whilst the $5 million contributions from both Bedford and the state government are significant, they form an even bigger agenda to deliver more supported accommodation for South Australians with a disability.

We are in the process of delivering almost $74 million worth of projects to house over 400 people. South Australia provides accommodation for almost 5,000 people. Nationally, this is the highest proportion of accommodation support to our total disability population. In many recent cases this has been done in great partnership with iconic community organisations. They include Bedford (as I have said), Minda and Julia Farr. We are working closely with other non-government organisation service providers in the delivery of front-line care—organisations like Cara, CLASS and Community Lifestyles, just to name a few.

I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Max Dyason, the chief executive of Bedford. Tomorrow will be his last day as Bedford's chief executive after 11 outstanding years in that position. He has not only been a friend and a great person to work with but, more importantly, Max has made an amazing contribution for people here in South Australia who have a disability.

In his time, Max has overseen significant growth at Bedford, with the number of people with a disability or disadvantage being supported rising from 520 to over 3,600, and making many, many friends along the way. Bedford now provides key services to people throughout the state, including Millicent, Mount Gambier, Wallaroo, Port Lincoln, Port Pirie, Kadina, Mount Barker and Murray Bridge.

If anyone here has not had the pleasure of touring through Bedford's facility in Panorama, I would suggest they do so. It is a delight to see the employees greet Max and for Max to know each and every one of those workers by name. There is no argument that Max Dyason has left Bedford in a much better state than he found it; and, thanks to him and the efforts of the Bedford team, they are well positioned for the future.

Max has said on a number of occasions, including at his retirement celebration, that delivering on the commitment to support housing for people with a disability in South Australia has been the highlight of his career. I wish him all the very best, and I thank Max for the happiness he has brought to so many South Australians.