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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-03-09 Daily Xml
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EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION

In reply to the Hon. S.G. WADE (29 October 2010).

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises): The Minister for Disability has been advised that:

The Department for Families and Communities (DFC) has whole of government responsibility for the implementation of the Promoting Independence: Disability Action Plans for South Australia. Promoting Independence has been a fundamental driver of improvements in relation to access and inclusion of people with disabilities across State Government portfolios.

The Promoting Independence strategy is a reporting framework that tracks actions by Government portfolios and their agencies to address the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Clth) and the impairment discrimination provisions of the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 (SA). An across-government Promoting Independence Implementation Reference Group is responsible for monitoring progress, collating portfolio progress reports and compiling the results into an annual consolidated progress report. This group has representatives from each portfolio required to report on the Promoting Independence strategy.

The policies contained in the Promoting Independence strategy apply to all publicly funded services and programs of South Australian Government portfolios and their agencies. The object of the policy is to ensure that government services are accessible for people with disabilities and that all practices within government organisations and services that unlawfully discriminate against people with disabilities are eliminated.

Promoting Independence has been operational since 2000. A review of the strategy is currently underway. This is needed to ensure that the Promoting Independence strategy outcomes reflect recent international and national disability reforms. The Review will complement a wider reform plan of the disability sector currently being undertaken by the Social Inclusion Board.

In July 2010, the Premier asked the Social Inclusion Board to develop a reform plan, Activating Citizenship—to set a future direction for the way people with a disability, their families and carers are supported in South Australia across all government departments.

Activating Citizenship will strengthen the care and respect delivered to South Australians with a disability. It will also ensure the South Australian community is well informed about the rights of people with a disability and understand their responsibility to promote participation and inclusion.

To achieve these aims, consideration will be given to:

Promoting greater understanding across the community about the rights of people with a disability;

Building the community's capacity to monitor the safety of people with a disability;

Providing information about advocacy services to people with a disability and the wider community; and

Developing new and improving existing strategies to ensure people with a disability are safe and protected from violence, exploitation and neglect.

Both reviews are due for completion in mid 2011.

I have also recently announced a review of the Disability Services Act. Part of my motivation behind this decision is to examine ways in which the legislation could be revised to allow for increased opportunities for South Australians with a disability.

The Rann Government also supports the State Strategic Plan goal to increase employment opportunities for South Australians with a disability. The target to double the number of people with disabilities employed in the public sector by 2014 is within reach. In the last four years alone, the number of people with a disability working in the South Australian Public Sector has increased by 41 per cent.

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