Question Time

Disability Justice Plan

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright) (14:07): My question is to the Attorney-General. Will the Attorney-General inform the house about the implementation of the Disability Justice Plan and the Communication Partner Service?

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice Reform, Minister for Planning, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Child Protection Reform, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for Consumer and Business Services, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (14:07): I thank the member for Wright for her question. This is a very important initiative by the state government and it is one that I am sure most people will welcome. It is very important that there is communication support in police interviews and in court, and this was a strong theme that arose from the community consultation in the development of the Disability Justice Plan.

A key initiative in the Disability Justice Plan is the introduction of trained, independent volunteer communications partners. These are people who will play a similar role to interpreters for people with complex communication needs. The Statutes Amendment (Vulnerable Witnesses) Act 2015 provides a statutory basis for the introduction of communication partner services.

The objective of the service is to provide trained independent volunteer personnel to facilitate communication between vulnerable victims, witnesses, suspects and defendants with complex communication needs in their contact with the criminal justice system. Funding of $1.362 million under the Disability Justice Plan was allocated for the establishment of the Communication Partner Service in the non-government sector over a period of some four years.

As part of the competitive process, the Communication Partner Service Grant was launched by the Attorney-General's Department on 16 September. I am now pleased to announce that Uniting Communities has been selected as the successful provider of the Communication Partner Service. Uniting Communities is tasked with establishing and managing the service, including the selection, training and supervision of volunteers to provide communication assistance to vulnerable witnesses for the giving of evidence in and out of court.

Uniting Communities has extensive experience in delivering programs to people with disability and children all across the states, including in regional areas, and has a large trained volunteer workforce delivering vital programs, such as, for example, Lifeline. The Attorney-General's Department will work collaboratively with Uniting Communities and criminal justice agencies to get the service in place prior to the commencement of the Vulnerable Witnesses Act on 27 June this year.

The Communication Partner Service will complement other services in the Disability Justice Plan, including the previously announced specialist training for investigative interviews being delivered by the Deakin University Centre for Investigative Interviewing to investigating staff in South Australia Police, in Child Protection Services, in Families SA, the Department of Education and Child Development and Disability SA—all of them.

The Communication Partner Service, combined with the specialist training legislative reform and other measures in the Disability Justice Plan, will make South Australia a leading jurisdiction in improving access to justice for people with a disability.