Supported Accommodation

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (15:08): Supplementary question.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Yes. The Hon. Mr Wortley, get on with it.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: Can the minister guarantee this council that there will be no job losses as a result of the privatisation of the supported disability accommodation properties?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (15:08): Again, I don't accept the premise of that particular question, because there are a range of decisions that are yet to be made, so it is an ongoing process.

The Hon. K.J. Maher: So jobs are in danger is what you're saying?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: No, I am not saying that. I am not saying that at all.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Minister.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Mr President, it is quite clear that members opposite really don't have a grasp of the NDIS. The projections under the NDIS are that there is going to be a massive expansion of services in South Australia. We need skilled workers in this sector—they are highly valued. The projections for the people who are to enter NDIS at full scheme is something like 32,000—a doubling of the sector workforce in South Australia. There is a massive need for skilled workers under the NDIS. The negotiations are going to be respectful and consultative with all of the people who are involved in this process. We want to retain people in this sector.

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: So there's going to be job losses.

The Hon. R.P. Wortley: Job losses as well—guaranteed.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: No, I utterly reject the premise of what honourable members opposite are trying to portray. I do trust that they are not being part of some alarmist process.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Let the minister answer.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Whether or not the process under the NDIS proceeded under the public corporation which was established by the previous government, it was always the intention that services would ultimately shift to the non-government sector. So the honourable members may wish to speak to the Hon. Katrine Hildyard about what her plans were under this process, or prior to that the Hon. Leesa Vlahos, or they may actually care to reflect on their own cabinet submission that they probably signed off on as the NDIS proceeded in South Australia, and work out what their ultimate plans were there.

I can continue to repeat that we intend consulting widely on this process as it goes forward. It is going to be a delicate process. We understand there are a lot of sensitivities for people, but the NDIS is here to stay in South Australia. So we must proceed on that basis and work things ultimately in consultation with people as best we can going forward.