Disability Workforce Planning

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (15:12): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking questions of the Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills on the subject of disability workforce planning.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: A number of academics across Australia have been researching the issue of workforce planning in the disability sector, particularly with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) rollout imminent. My office regularly advocates on behalf of constituents who have contracts with agencies that cannot find adequately trained support workers who reliably turn up to shifts. The situation is further exacerbated in rural and regional areas of South Australia as highlighted in an article in today's Whyalla News, so my questions to the minister are as follows:

1. Is the minister aware that we currently only have half the trained workforce necessary to cater for a fully implemented NDIS?

2. What workforce planning in the area of disability, including case coordinators, support workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, psychologists, nurses, nurse practitioners, doctors, and other allied health staff who have specialist training, knowledge and training in the area of disability, is in place?

3. Is the minister aware of the work of research fellow Dr Natasha Cortis from the University of New South Wales that supports this push?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (15:13): I thank the honourable member for her most important questions. The employment of people with disabilities is an objective of this government. As part of our state Strategic Plan targets, we set ourselves a goal to attempt to increase the number of people aged between 15 and 64 with a disability to be employed in South Australia. We continue to work towards that target and it is an area that is a very challenging one for us and one that we continue to concentrate efforts on.

A number of actions have taken place, or are in place, in terms of our Skills for All reforms to the state's training system. It includes, I am advised, a learner support service for the most disadvantaged learners, including people with disability. These services include practical support services for learners with disability to complete qualifications and then work with disability employment services and for those particular providers to help develop pathways to workforce participation. I am advised that about one-third of the students receiving LSS had disabilities—that was the last report.

The South Australian government also tries to be an exemplary employer for people with disabilities. An innovative engagement support and employment model will be trialled in several public sector agencies throughout 2013-14 and positions in the public sector trainee pool will be made exempt for people with intellectual disability, and disability employment service providers will provide specialist support.

The South Australian government's participation and equity programs are helping to connect some of the most marginalised people with a disability to supported entry points into training and workforce participation. The government funds the State Transition Program, which supports secondary students with disability to transition to training or employment options. In addition, tailored, accredited and non-accredited Adult Community Education (ACE) for people with disability forms part of the government's $3 million investment in ACE, and this is helping to build pathways for people with disability to further train or workforce participation.

As I said, these are some examples of our activities. I believe there is a lot more to be done in this space. It is a very challenging area and we continue to work to strive to improve employment options for people with disability.