Transport Subsidy Scheme

Dr HARVEY (Newland) (14:10): My question is to the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government. Can the minister update the house on the South Australian taxi subsidy scheme?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (14:11): I certainly can, and can I apologise for my absence yesterday. I wanted to be able to provide some information to the house, and I am very grateful to the member for Newland for the opportunity to be able to explain to the house where we are in relation to the South Australian taxi subsidy scheme. It is a brilliant scheme that provides very much needed assistance to very vulnerable people within our community and it as a service will continue for as long as we are in government, if not further into the future.

The South Australian taxi subsidy scheme actually provides vouchers to around 75,000 South Australians who use that subsidised voucher to be able to get around. Primarily, we are talking about people who have difficulty or an inability to use private transport but also for whom mass public transport doesn't work. A lot of the people who use the scheme are over 65 and have mobility issues. Again, these vouchers are an important part of their ability to get around and enjoy a full and active life in the way that we as a state government would like them to.

There is also a cohort of people living with a disability who access this scheme and they do so at varying degrees. The provision of that service has become more complicated of late with the transition of a number of the people using the existing scheme to the National Disability Insurance Scheme. NDIS arrangements have been under transition for some time and, in fact, it was back in 2013 and 2015 that the original agreements were made in relation to what those transition measures and those final measures were going to look like.

Upon coming to government, we have a situation in front of us where these transition arrangements are now coming to fruition, they are coming to bear, and a number of the issues in relation to the deal that was struck before 17 March last year are now coming home to roost. We have 1,251 people who at this stage we believe have transitioned or will transition to the NDIS by 30 June this year. These are people who are and will be able to access transport subsidies under the NDIS. There are three grades there, off the top of my head, the highest grade being something at around 70 bucks a fortnight.

These people, up until now, have been able to take advantage of the NDIS transport arrangements but are also still able to access the South Australian Transport Subsidy Scheme. It is an issue that exists in South Australia, but it is also an issue that exists in every other state and territory and, in fact, is something that at a national level needs to be dealt with. We have put in some transitional arrangements that expire on 30 June, subject to any other decisions that we as a government are going to make, but we will also still provide the ability up until that date for people to get another book of 80 vouchers right up until that 30 June date.

I would agree that there is a significant issue here in the fact that there are most vulnerable people in our community who need continued access to transport subsidies so that they can continue to get around. As a government we—and certainly minister Lensink in the other place and I—have been working on a solution to this issue for some time. We do appreciate that there is grave concern in the community.

We do need, for a permanent solution, to have an NDIS policy change, which is something that we are working towards and actively pushing for the NDIA to make those changes. Can I say that we are here to help these people and to help make sure that they can continue to get around. What we won't tolerate, though, is disingenuity and hypocrisy from those opposite, who created this mess in the first place and have left for us something that once again we as the new Marshall Liberal government are having to fix.

Ms COOK: Supplementary, please.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Are you guys finished yet? Member for Hurtle Vale.