DISABILITY SERVICES, SELF-MANAGED FUNDING

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (15:12): I am happy to rephrase it. I am asking the minister: I would have thought that a self-managed fund was holistic in its approach. I understand that possibly what the department is doing is putting pigeonholes there so there is self-management for allocation, equipment, care work, etc., which to me is not a holistic approach to allow the client to have a fully self-managed fund. Is this the case or not?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (15:12): I am not sure whether it is me who does not understand the question from the honourable member or he who does not understand the system. What will happen is that the person who elects to take part of their budget or their full budget and administer it themselves will have a plan that is signed off between themselves and the department. They have flexibility in how they arrange that plan. They have flexibility in whether they want to withhold spending on part of that plan and spend it on another area of the plan. It is a holistic approach, but it is made up of the different components and needs that that person will have to address.