Page 2493 - Week 08 - Thursday, 30 August 2007
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by the ACT disability reform group in 2002. Members may recall Challenge 2014—a ten year vision for disability in the ACT was launched by the former minister, Mr Bill Wood, on 19 August 2004 along with the strategy document from Disability ACT called Future directions: a framework for the ACT 2004-2008.
Sadly, this report was all but summarily dismissed in a most insulting manner by the Minister for Disability and Community Services. I know that highly offended many of the members on that disability council, which was quite sad. It should be said that the government has not really taken on board with great sincerity the many representations from stakeholders. Of course, we are seeing this all too familiar situation within the Stanhope government across a range of portfolios that we have been debating this week. Most notably, as I have said, the Disability Advisory Council, which, under the expert direction of the former chair, Craig Wallace, works tirelessly to provide government with the ammunition to make incremental changes to a sector that is still well behind when it comes to a variety of issues.
I will now refer to some comments made by the citizen’s jury in its report. It praises the government where praise is due, as, indeed, we do and I will. However, there are some very large areas of unmet need, and some areas where incrementally we could have done a bit better. This report from the ACT Disability Advisory Council is The report of the citizen’s jury on the community’s progress towards Challenge 2014—a ten-year vision for disability in the ACT. I am reading here from page 5 of that report where the citizen’s jury recommends the following priorities for the period ahead:
• More effort on education campaigns and information events targeting the younger generation, business, media and community mainstream organisations.
• Early intervention activities to be given increased focus with greater emphasis to be placed on life long planning for people with disabilities.
• A greater focus to be given on support arrangements being in generic, normative community settings with segregated accommodation and service models being only part of much more comprehensive service delivery solutions.
• Government must provide sustainable funding levels including appropriate indexation without annual fluctuations in budget allocations that impact adversely on quality business planning and service delivery.
• Business should be represented on the Disability Advisory Council and BLITS—
That is an acronym I have not got my hands on at the moment, and I apologise for that. I can provide Hansard with that at a later date. Mr Hargreaves, who is going to stand in the place of Minister Gallagher this evening, may now be able to tell me if that has been rectified, because it is important that business should appear and be represented on the Disability Advisory Council. The report goes on:
• … ensure that the business sector takes a lead role in improving access for people with disabilities including to employment opportunities.
• Government and business to address barriers to employment of people with disabilities and to create more part-time employment opportunities supported by appropriate training.
• Increased focus by government on facilitating adequate housing and accommodation consistent with Challenge 2014.
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