Page 681 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 28 March 2006
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ability to do so is a major part of increasing their freedom and practical level of life skills.
Disability ACT has established an information group to ensure improved communication about that evaluation. The client-guardian forum, unions and advocacy groups have been invited to participate in this group. It is anticipated that the first meeting will be held in early April 2006. Four cars have been removed from Disability ACT’s pool of vehicles that are used for administrative use. This has been achievable by the centralisation of some functions and increased efficiencies in administration management.
No cars have yet been removed from group homes as part of this evaluation process. One car was removed from the Fisher respite prior to Christmas. This van was removed because it spent most of the time parked on the site and not being used and there was an alternative option to share Disability ACT vehicles from other locations nearby. There were some initial problems following the removal of the car from the Fisher respite. These included one client having difficulty getting to work for a week during the school holidays. Staff were organising alternative transport arrangements when the client’s father contacted them and said that his son was going to take a week’s recreation leave from work.
A further issue arose with another client who wanted to attend activities after work for two days. The client’s mother volunteered to pick him up and take him to the activities. Since these initial problems, transport arrangements at the Fisher respite have been running very effectively, and the ability of clients to attend activities in general has not been affected.
MRS BURKE: Mr Speaker, I have a supplementary question. Minister, given your strong stance on collective bargaining, what are you doing in terms of consulting with parents and clients of these homes or centres collectively—not house by house—to ensure that facilities operated by Disability ACT are able to access adequate transport options for young people with a disability who reside in disability group homes and respite centres? When will you release the review on transport options for people with a disability affected in these cases?
MR HARGREAVES: I believe that Disability ACT is doing a magnificent job contacting people individually. Had we not done so, we would have been criticised by the opposition for missing somebody out. I do not have anything further to add to that side of the question. I am satisfied that that communication method is most effective when you consider the individual nature of each case. Families of people in disability group homes have unique issues and they need unique solutions. Disability ACT is expert in finding, in partnership with those people, those unique solutions.
With respect to Mrs Burke’s rather tricky and sneaky-type question, asking when am I going to release an internal administrative review—
Mrs Burke: A straight answer; it is a straight question.
MR HARGREAVES: I do not think you are listening at all. I cannot see that you can listen over the sound of your own voice. Mrs Burke asked when I would release the report, which is an internal review on administrative practice. I won’t.
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