Page 249 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 10 December 2008

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Mr Hargreaves: Yes; it is 2009.

MR DOSZPOT: That is all I am trying to clarify. I was just trying to make sure. People are looking for relief in a lot of these areas, and I do not think 2010 would have been appropriate; it is too long to wait. Thank you for that clarification.

MS PORTER (Ginninderra) (5.14), in reply: I would like to thank members for their contribution to this debate. I thank Ms Bresnan for her support. We welcome the Greens’ support in this area and in the implementation of this model in the ACT. Thank you for that. Also I would like to thank Mr Hargreaves for his support. I am sure that being the Minister for Disability and Housing now—

Mr Hargreaves: Again.

MS PORTER: Again, but also Minister for the Ageing, you have a logistical understanding of how these models can be successfully implemented. Thank you for your positive response to this.

I would like to thank Mr Doszpot for your words as well. I would just like to point out that I know that you are concerned about the red tape. We are all concerned about red tape in this place and it can frustrate many of us at times. But this model is a model which aims to reduce red tape. We welcome that in this new model.

As I said, I thank members for their support of this motion and for their comments in relation to the new model and what the ACT might be able to introduce through cooperation with the commonwealth, states and territories.

I mentioned before how important the not-for-profit organisations are in realising the programs that can increase our life chances, especially for people with disabilities in all areas of their life. If in only one aspect of our daily living we experience a disadvantage or a barrier to access, it can prevent us pursuing any type of work, be it paid work or unpaid work. All the pieces of our life’s jigsaw have to be put together to make it work.

As I said previously, there are many areas of our daily living that affect us. It is not just the fact that there might not be a job there; it might be that we cannot get to that job or that we have not got sufficient training or support, say, with our family or, as Mr Doszpot, mentioned carers. They are a very important aspect in this whole jigsaw, as we put things together. We may not have the support of people for us to be able to go out and take on a paid job.

There are many barriers that we face and many barriers all of us as individuals face in our community but this is particularly so for people with disabilities. That is why we really welcome this model that is put forward by the Minister for Employment Participation. We welcome the fact that this work will go on between all states and territories and the commonwealth and that an overarching strategy will be developed for greater social inclusion in this particular area across Australia.

I know that this is not the only area of social inclusion that the federal government is concerned about. There are many areas that it is concerned about and it will continue to look at those different models to face particular issues.


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