Page 239 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 10 December 2008

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .

The Assembly voted—

Ayes 11

Noes 6

Mr Barr

Ms Hunter

Mr Coe

Ms Bresnan

Ms Le Couteur

Mr Doszpot

Ms Burch

Ms Porter

Mrs Dunne

Mr Corbell

Mr Rattenbury

Mr Hanson

Ms Gallagher

Mr Stanhope

Mr Seselja

Mr Hargreaves

Mr Smyth

Question so resolved in the affirmative.

Amendment agreed to.

Motion, as amended, agreed to.

Disability employment services

MS PORTER (Ginninderra) (4.41): I move:

That the Assembly:

(1) congratulates the federal government on the announcement of its new disability employment services model; and

(2) encourages the ACT Minister for Disability and Housing to support this model by moving towards its implementations.

I am pleased to move this motion today, coming shortly after the International Day of People with Disability. Last Wednesday, 3 December, the Minister for Employment Participation, the Hon Brendan O’Connor, announced the federal government’s proposed new model for disability employment services to coincide with the International Day of People with Disability. It is proposed that these services will begin on 1 March 2010 and can be considered as part of the federal government’s overarching strategy for developing greater social inclusion in Australia.

I congratulate the federal government on its new disability employment service model. I also note the intention of the Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, Senator Ursula Stephens, to build relationships across government, in active cooperation with governments of all states and territories, as well as the non-profit sector, consistent with the Rudd government’s aim to empower the states and territories to provide innovative ways of implementing federal government policy.

Recently, I attended two ministerial conferences on ageing on behalf of the ACT government, as the Minister for Ageing was not available to attend at the time. This gave me a good opportunity to explore and discuss the many issues that face us in the ACT and across Australia in relation to social inclusion and exclusion. It is obvious that this is an area of concern both to the commonwealth government and to the states and territories.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .