Disability Services

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (15:14): My question is to the Minister for Disabilities and Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse. Can the minister tell the house about her recent regional visit for country cabinet?

The Hon. L.A. VLAHOS (Taylor—Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse) (15:15): Recently, with my parliamentary and cabinet colleagues I had the opportunity to visit the towns of Pinnaroo, Lameroo and Karoonda as part of country cabinet and I stopped at Murray Bridge on the way back. I have been to Murray Bridge before to visit disability services, but it was great to catch up with some new residents and their carers on the day that I drove back.

The trip was a great opportunity to meet local people and discuss the issues affecting them at the morning and afternoon teas at the local sports clubs hosted by the communities. It was an opportunity for me to hear from the passionate locals how they were living their lives, how their industries were blossoming and the facilities that they put value on in their communities. It was also pleasing to see so many positive stories about bumper crops and families that are staying together on the land after some difficult years.

I toured the Karoonda and District Soldiers' Memorial Hospital, joined by the local member (the member for Chaffey), nursing staff and SA Health executives. We could see the clearly wonderful relationship between the aged-care facility workers in that space and the older local residents residing in the facility. From these residents, it was touching to hear their personal stories, their connection to the hospital and the value and importance it has had in their lives over the preceding decades.

In Murray Bridge, with the Minister for Employment (Hon. Kyam Maher, of the other place), I visited Cara, a supported accommodation home, to meet one of the new disability service workers who is moving into the sector after having left a horse transportation business that she and her husband had run. We know that the disability sector is undergoing massive transformation, and there will be roughly 6,000 new jobs coming into the space in the next couple of years with the full implementation of the NDIS in July 2018. Marie, who has moved into this space because she feels she has some caring capacity now her children have grown and her husband is working away in the Northern Territory, has stepped in and was one of four people starting at the Cara facility that week.

I have had the opportunity to visit other regional and remote locations where this company has been placing work—in Port Lincoln, with the member for Flinders, recently, as well—and it is an amazing opportunity for people to engage in a new and growing employment space, and I encourage all members in this place to encourage their community to upskill and get involved in the NDIS rollout. There are great opportunities for employment in local areas, especially in rural and remote areas.