Positive Futures

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:09): My question is to the Minister for Human Services: will the minister update the chamber on the Positive Futures Expo that was held last month?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (15:09): I thank the honourable member for his important question. I did attend the Positive Futures Expo put on by the City of Playford on Wednesday 23 May at the Playford Civic Centre in Elizabeth, which was also attended by the member for Hurtle Vale, Ms Nat Cook.

The City of Playford held its 15^th Annual Positive Futures Expo on that day, which grew out of a desire to assist school leavers with connections and options for post-school. It has become a very successful event and assists school leavers and other people in the community to understand career pathways, connect with local employers and service providers, and meet with others and share their inspiration. It attracts some 400 to 500 attendees each year, consisting of students from the surrounding schools, with other students also attending.

There were over 42 stallholders, many of which would be familiar to honourable members, particularly if they are familiar with services in the disability space, including Anglicare, Barkuma, Barossa Enterprises, Campbell Page, Community Living Options and a range of other service providers. With almost 19,000 of Playford's 92,000 residents identifying as having a disability, it's clearly a very important annual event on the calendar for the region and for people in that community.

I was particularly impressed by the expo as an initiative of the local council, and I was also impressed with the City of Playford in terms of its inclusive agenda. While I was there, the council staff showed me a part of the courtyard and advised that some of the developments there and which will proceed are going to be universal design compliant. I think it fully demonstrates that there are councils in South Australia which understand the inclusion and access agenda as we move forward in a post-NDIS environment, and I think Playford is to be commended as a leader in this area in terms of understanding the genuine needs of its citizens and providing full access to them in the built form as well as in services. I commend them for the works that they are doing in terms of fully inclusive further development.