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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-11-29 Daily Xml
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DISABILITY SERVICES

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (15:15): My question is to the Minister for Disabilities. Will the minister outline the importance of the major disability reforms that were announced this past year, and can the minister provide an update on the progress of these reforms?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (15:16): I thank the honourable member for his very important question and, yes, I can and now will. I thank the honourable member for his ongoing interest in this area as well. As we head to the end of the parliamentary year, it is only natural to reflect on the work that has taken place these last 12 months. While all of my portfolio areas offer different challenges and opportunities, today I would like to take this opportunity to highlight the once-in-a-generation reforms taking place in the field of disability.

I acknowledge at the outset that these reforms are incredibly overdue. For far too long people with disabilities have endured a support system that was inequitable, under-resourced and overly bureaucratic. Now, thanks in large part to the introduction of individualised funding—but also into the future, the launch of the National Disability Insurance System—we are moving in the right direction towards a system that recognises the rights of people with disability, that encourages flexibility and choice, and that recognises and meets not only their basic needs but also their aspirations.

Disability reform is a major focus of the Weatherill government, and the introduction of individualised funding is the centrepiece of this reform. I have spoken of this system change on a number of occasions over the last several months and I will continue to provide my parliamentary colleagues with updates from time to time because this reform really matters. Individualised funding and self managed funding will change people's lives for the better. We know this is the case because that has been the experience overseas, interstate and during our own trial here in South Australia. An independent review of the South Australian trial conducted by Jenny Pearson & Associates found that:

Individualised funding and self managed funding significantly enhances the choice, dignity, control and empowerment of people who have a disability, their families and carers.

This review has been publicly released on the sa.gov.au website and is also produced in Easy Read format for anyone who is interested in learning more about the positive results of the trial. We know that the best person to make decisions about disability support services is the person who is to receive them. It is our clients who know what services best suit their own unique circumstances.

So, under this new system clients will draw up a personal support plan for how their individual budget is to be spent. This personal support plan is a guide, not a contract, of what must be purchased. Choice and control will lie with the individual person with a disability. Clients can choose when, where and how they access support and, importantly, they can change arrangements and service providers at any time so long as it is consistent with their personal support plan.

Clients can choose to manage their own budgets themselves—this is what we refer to as self-managed funding—or they can choose to have the payments administered by a family member or a professional broker or, indeed, a non-government organisation, or Disability Services themselves. As I have detailed in this place previously, individualised and self-managed funding is being rolled out in three stages. Stage 1 is well underway, with over 2,250 Disability SA clients receiving letters of offer earlier this year.

I am told that so far 349 clients have expressed interest in individualised funding, and a further 50 requests were received for someone to call them back to answer some specific questions. I can confirm that all stage 1 clients have now received a second package of information this week, or should have done, providing each client with details of their own personal budget and reminding them of the different options for managing their funding should they wish to do so. The information pack contains Easy Read documents explaining the new system in simple language with simple illustrations. Stage 1 clients commence individualised funding and self-managed funding in January next year.

We are also turning our attention to our stage 2 clients—those who are currently receiving individual support but through block funded arrangements. There are approximately 5,000 stage 2 clients who should receive their first letters towards the end of this year. My department is working closely with the major disability service providers to ensure these formerly block funded clients really understand the new system and the choices that they have into the future. Indeed, the director of Funds Management and Disability SA this week hosted a 'pizza planning night' and a number of CEOs from the disability sector have all offered their time and their skills to help us drive this reform over the next 12 months.

I am very grateful to these CEOs who have put their hands up to help us with this work because we need the support of the sector to ensure a smooth transition to the new system. The Disability SA leadership team has also had the benefit of spending a considerable amount of time discussing the ins and outs of the new system with the highly regarded individualised funding expert Dr Simon Duffy, who spent two weeks in Adelaide in October. His advice was extremely useful and my department was encouraged by his positive feedback on how we are tracking.

We have also had other well-known disability advocates offer their advice over the past few months, including Dr Michael Kendrich, Ms Helen Sanderson and John Waters. All of these experts bring years of experience to the table, and I must say that more often than not it is their advice of what not to do that is most valuable as we navigate our ways towards a brand-new system.

As we can see, introduction of individualised and self-managed funding is well and truly progressing. It is remarkable to think that it was only last December that the Premier and I announced this major system reform, and I must say that I am genuinely impressed by the efforts of the Disability SA leadership team, and the leadership coming from the local community organisations as well who are working ceaselessly on this, as well as a number of other significant reforms.

Other disability reforms that we are looking at include the response to the Strong Voices blueprint, the creation of a disability justice plan, the introduction of a community visitors scheme, the closure of the residential facility at Strathmont and, of course, the launch of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

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