Ministerial Statement

DISABILITY REFORM

The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (14:03): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: There are many serious and important challenges facing South Australians with disability, as well as their family members and carers. Members of our community with disability face challenges, and the government recognises this, and our challenge in government is to create an environment that delivers positive outcomes in health, education, housing, employment and wellbeing for those with a disability.

These issues are not unique to South Australia and, despite more than doubling funding for disability services since coming to government in 2002, we as a government acknowledge that more needs to be done. In December 2009—and you will remember that this follows that major report, the Stepping Up report, on reforming mental health in our state by David Cappo in which we have invested $300 million. It is great to see that wonderful transformation occurring down in the member for Bragg's electorate.

In December 2009, I asked the Social Inclusion Board, chaired by Monsignor David Cappo, to deliver a blueprint for the long-term reform of the disability service system in South Australia—reform that would make systems work better for people with a disability, their family members and their carers.

Since making this request of the board, the need for reform has been reinforced by the commonwealth and all states and territories, signing the National Disability Strategy at the February 2011 COAG meeting and the recent release of the Productivity Commission report into a National Disability Insurance Scheme.

The independence of the Social Inclusion Board, and its experience in delivering major reform plans that cut across government, means it was well placed to deliver a blueprint for disability reform. The board's 2007 'Stepping up' report into the state's mental health system has been the catalyst for major innovative reform and more than $300 million being invested in mental health in South Australia. We are now national leaders in this area, due to this work of the Social Inclusion Board.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Well, you should have seen your Liberal colleagues, the premiers, at the last COAG meeting. I am pleased to say—

An honourable member: It was your last COAG meeting.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Yes. At least I have been to them. I have been attending the equivalent of COAG meetings since 1978 when there was a young John Howard as the treasurer and Malcolm Fraser, the great Malcolm Fraser, as the prime minister—something that I don't think the honourable member opposite will ever be able to say.

So, I am pleased to say that I have received, and today table, the Social Inclusion Board's blueprint for disability reform. Entitled 'Strong voices: a blueprint to enhance life and claim the rights of people with disability in South Australia', it is an important milestone for disability in our state. The blueprint was informed by the voices of more than 2,000 South Australians and involved consultation meetings across the state, from Ceduna to my own beloved Mount Gambier.

The independent report recommends changes in the short, medium and long term. It factors in important reforms at the national level, including the much anticipated National Disability Insurance Scheme which, I think, is one of the great ideas, in terms of social reform at the federal level, to follow on from Medicare, 30 years ago. 'Strong voices' sets out a broad, whole-of-community reform agenda that covers:

affirming and applying a rights-based approach for people with a disability, away from a welfare model—so, a rights approach rather than a welfare model;

refocusing services to an early investment approach, away from crisis management;

establishing an individualised funding model across all disability services to increase individual choice and better meet people's needs;

making communities more accessible to facilitate participation, access and mobility of people with a disability; and

strengthening the safeguards and protections for people with disability, particularly the most vulnerable people—women and children.

The blueprint is available at the Social Inclusion website: www.socialinclusion.sa.gov.au.

I would like to thank the Social Inclusion Board and its former chair, Monsignor David Cappo, for producing this outstanding report. This is Monsignor Cappo's final piece of work in his role as chair of the Social Inclusion Board and as Commissioner for Social Inclusion. I have stated many times that David Cappo's relentless hard work, perseverance, commitment, resilience and service to this state has been invaluable and will be sorely missed.

I would also like to thank Dr Lorna Hallahan, who chaired the Social Inclusion Board's disability subcommittee during the development of this plan and who has recently been appointed as South Australia's representative on the National Disability Insurance Scheme Advisory Group. The government will now consider this report. Madam Speaker, I now table this major report on disability reform.