Disability Services

Ms DIGANCE (Elder) (15:04): I can't match that, sir, I'm sorry. My question is to the Minister for Disabilities. Can the minister update the house on services for people living with disability?

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD (Reynell—Minister for Disabilities, Minister Assisting the Minister for Recreation and Sport) (15:05): I thank the member for her question. I am very proud of our government's record of achievements for South Australians living with a disability. Most significant is our progress towards the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The NDIS is the biggest social reform since Medicare. It will result in more people receiving support, greater choice and control for people with disability, and a substantial jobs boost for South Australia.

South Australia was among the first to sign up to the NDIS, something our state can be immensely proud of. Our youngest South Australians began transitioning to the NDIS over the past few years: 15 to 17 year olds from 1 January this year, and 18 to 64 year olds from 1 July this year. Through the NDIS, funding is doubling for disability services and totals $1.5 billion every year. Of this, our South Australian government has proudly committed $723 million a year.

The NDIS will double the number of people with disabilities who will receive support. Around 32,000 South Australians living with disability will receive support when the NDIS is fully rolled out. That includes 9,000 people who will receive support for the first time through the NDIS. The NDIS means better care, choice, control and participation in everyday life for people living with disability.

The NDIS is also creating around 6,000 new jobs in the disability sector here in South Australia. These jobs are incredibly rewarding ones. We see our current dedicated disability work is focused on enabling people with disability to live their best possible life. The jobs will be in personal care; they will be in allied health, in areas like occupational therapy, speech pathology and physiotherapy; and they will be in transport, IT, management and administration.

Our government is investing in growing jobs and in ensuring that local workers are the ones to benefit. We have implemented a workforce strategy across South Australia to ensure that everyone can find out about what working in the disability sector is like and take advantage of NDIS jobs available. As well as focusing on the NDIS transition, our government has implemented many policies to support South Australians living with disability.

We have committed $1.7 million to build Changing Places Toilets, which include full-sized changing tables and hoists. These toilet upgrades will ensure that people with significant disability are able to more fully participate in community life with dignity. We have also built a new respite home for children living with disability. Our government has invested $460,000 to build Montrose House to provide more options for families and carers.

Our government has also committed to giving people with disability better access and more options for transport. We have ensured trains and trams are wheelchair accessible, and we have made 90 per cent of public buses accessible with a commitment to 100 per cent of the fleet being accessible by June 2021. We have also developed a free mobile phone app, BlueBays, to help people with disabilities share and locate accessible parking spaces around South Australia. The app has been downloaded more than 3,000 times, giving people with disability and their carers more information about where they can park enabling them to more easily travel and participate in community life.

Our government is also committed to ensuring that South Australians with disability can better access justice through the development of the Disability Justice Plan. This plan gives a voice to vulnerable people and aims to ensure that people with disability accused of a crime are able to participate in the criminal justice system. We are talking with and listening to people living with disability and their families.

Time expired.

The SPEAKER: The minister's office has been in touch with me to say that the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow is roughly 11 metres per second or 40 km/h, beating its wings seven to nine times a second.