NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SCHEME

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (15:00): My question is to the Minister for Disabilities. Minister, will you provide an update on the National Disability Insurance Scheme?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (15:00): I thank the honourable member for his most important question and also for his ongoing interest in providing better support for people living with disabilities.

On Monday this week, rallies were held in six states across the nation, with thousands of people with a disability and their carers turning out in support of the NDIS. Support for the NDIS came from all sides of politics. At the Adelaide rally there were state and federal members of parliament representing all parties—Labor, Liberal, Greens and the crossbenches, including, I think, the Hon. Kelly Vincent who was there as well.

As I have said on a number of occasions, the Weatherill government strongly supports the establishment of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The NDIS reflects Labor's strong commitment to social justice and equality. Like Medicare before it, the NDIS will be a great Labor legacy. At the Sydney NDIS rally the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, announced that the NDIS will commence in July 2013 in four launch locations across the country. From mid 2013, approximately 10,000 people with significant and permanent disabilities will start to receive support and, by July 2014, that figure will double to 20,000 people.

To ensure the smooth transition to an NDIS, the Gillard government has created the National Disability Transition Agency, established to oversee the delivery of care and support to people with disability, their families and carers in the initial stages of the process. The initial launch locations will be determined in consultation with the states and territories, and the experience gained from these trial sites will help to shape the national roll-out. The Premier and I have been lobbying for several months for a trial to be held here in South Australia, and I will certainly continue to advocate in the strongest terms for this to happen.

The Prime Minister's announcement means that the first stage of the NDIS will be delivered a full year ahead of the timetable set out by the Productivity Commission. I notice the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Abbott, has criticised this move, saying we should not be rushing into this, but the Gillard government has listened to people living with disability, and these people are crying out for action now.

The Weatherill government is excited to be working together with the Gillard government and other states to establish the NDIS. As was widely reported in the media, all states reaffirmed their commitment to the NDIS at the recent COAG meeting. While there are some states that have publicly declared that the NDIS should be funded by the federal government alone, the South Australian government believes this is unreasonable and unrealistic. States currently pay for disability support services: it is only fair and reasonable that we contribute to the new national scheme, just as it is also fair and reasonable to expect the federal government to provide additional resources and funding.

While we continue to discuss the finer details of funding arrangements between the states and federal government, we are moving ahead to ensure that South Australia is NDIS-ready. The major reforms announced in response to the Strong Voices report are just part of this. The introduction of individualised and self-managed funding is a crucial part of preparing our sector for an NDIS.

In January of this year I established the South Australian NDIS Taskforce. This task force will provide advice to the South Australian government on reforms necessary to establish a functional and efficient National Disability Insurance Scheme in our state. The task force members include senior staff from the government and non-government sector as well as invited individuals with lived experience of disability, and relevant expertise and knowledge of the disability services sector. It includes people like, for example, the Chair of my Minister's Disability Advisory Council, Dr Lorna Hallahan; the National Disability Services' Noelene Wadham; Purple Orange's Robbi Williams; and longtime disability advocate Mr David Holst.

One of the first things the NDIS task force is focusing on is a roll-out of a national survey Progress for Providers Poll. This is a self-assessment tool to assist services with their preparations for the NDIS and, in particular, individualised funding. Data from the poll will be collated to form both a national and state/territory based picture of service provider readiness for the NDIS. The results will then inform the task force on what is required next to help support the successful transition.

At a national level, South Australia is represented on a number of important NDIS working groups. Of course, the Treasurer, Jack Snelling, and I are members of the Select Council of Treasurers and Disability Services Ministers on Disability Reform, along with the ministers and treasurers from every other state and territory. Dr Lorna Hallahan is a member of the national NDIS Advisory Group, which provides expert advice on the development of an NDIS and will conduct a series of workshops and community engagement sessions around the country.

My Executive Director for Disability, Mr David Caudrey, is one of the representatives from the South Australian government on the Senior Officials Working Group. The National NDIS Advisory Group visited Adelaide on 15 and 16 March and met with the NDIS SA Taskforce, peak bodies and opinion leaders to discuss ways to progress the NDIS in South Australia.

Minister Macklin also announced yesterday the creation of three expert groups to work under the NDIS Advisory Group to help inform the design of the NDIS. These groups will be made up of people with disability, their carers, advocates, service providers and other sector experts, and they will advise on key elements of the scheme including eligibility and assessment, quality safeguards and standards, and choice and control for people living with disabilities. South Australia will be represented on these committees by Lorna Hallahan and Robbi Williams.

In terms of sector training and support, earlier this year the federal government announced the NDIS Readiness Fund, part of a $3.1 million fund to help Australian Disability Enterprises prepare for reform in the way that disability care and support are delivered. In December 2011, Julia Gillard also pledged $10 million for projects examining how to deliver individual, personalised care. This is in addition to $10 million committed in August 2011 to commence work on the technical aspects of an NDIS.

The South Australian government will shortly begin a series of information and training seminars for our own Disability Services staff, NGOs and service providers, and individuals living with disability and their carers. With the assistance of the peak body, National Disability Services, and leading disability think tank, Purple Orange, my department will be rolling out support for the sector in the coming months. This will include training and advice from international experts and will cover important areas such as change management, human resources and finances, just to name a few.

The Weatherill government is excited to play its part in such a monumental reform, and we look forward to working with the Gillard government and other states to establish the NDIS. We now encourage the Liberal Party to make a clear and unequivocal statement of its support for the NDIS.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Kelly Vincent has a supplementary.