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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-07-17 Daily Xml
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DISABILITY REFORM

The Hon. S.G. WADE (15:10): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Disabilities a question relating to whole of government disability planning.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: In October 2011, recommendation 3 of Monsignor Cappo's Strong Voices report called for a body external to the disability service system to monitor the implementation and quality of disability services reform and service standards on an ongoing basis. In its response to the report, the government said it would expand the role of the Minister's Disability Advisory Council to undertake this monitoring role with annual reports to parliament. Yet, in an answer to a question from the Hon. John Dawkins on 13 June 2012, the minister denied he had responsibility to ensure that whole of government plans for disability are implemented. My questions are:

1. What processes has the minister put in place to monitor the implementation and quality of disability services reform and service standards on an ongoing basis as recommended by the Strong Voices report?

2. What resources have been given to the Minister's Disability Advisory Council to undertake its monitoring role independent of government?

3. When will the first monitoring report be tabled?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (15:11): I thank the honourable member for his most important question about whole of government disability planning. It is important to note that a lot of the issues that have been reported in Strong Voices have been somewhat overtaken by our new collaboration with the federal government on the National Disability Insurance Scheme and the subsequent developments of that.

It is worth noting, of course, that, of the 34 recommendations contained in Strong Voices, 24 recommendations are either completed or being implemented in full, eight recommendations are partially supported and are being progressed as we speak, and two recommendations not supported by government are being addressed in other ways. I can provide the chamber with a very brief overview of the recommendations and the government's response to each. In regard to recommendation 1—a new disability act—I have spoken about that in this place before, and that, to some extent, will go to some of the issues the Hon. Mr Wade has raised. The Weatherill government will be drafting a new disability act and, with luck, will be introducing it into this place later this year.

There are also provisions to have an external body to monitor disability service reforms and standards. The role of the Minister's Disability Advisory Council will be broadened to oversee the implementation of the Strong Voices recommendation, including access and inclusion plans. The access and inclusion plans are being worked on as we speak by my advisory council. They are not access and inclusion plans in relation to just disability issues: they are access and inclusion plans in relation to social inclusion key indicators generally, and that may go to issues for access and inclusion for members of the CALD community, the culturally and linguistically diverse community, in South Australia.

In regard to disability, the MDAC will be required to report on an annual basis on how those issues are being run out across all of government. Of course, as I say, I am not responsible for how individual departments will be responding to access and inclusion plans, but I will be overseeing how my department responds and leading from the front, and I will have, I hope, an important role in making sure that, across government, those access and inclusion plans are rolled out at an exemplary level.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Ms Vincent has a supplementary.

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