Page 5458 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 16 November 2010
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for people with a disability, and implementing the policy framework for children and young people with a disability and their families.
We have taken significant steps to assist more people with disability to contribute to the community. We have achieved this through partnering with Social Ventures Australia to establish the ACT social enterprise hub, which is already enhancing self-employment opportunities for people with a disability, and the ACT government has provided funding to the ACT social enterprise hub of $230,000 over three years; developing a disability education strategic plan 2010-13 for public schools, which was guided by the 2009 review of special education in ACT schools; establishing a transition service in 2009 which is already improving outcomes for many school leavers who need time-limited support to establish themselves into early adult lives; and forming partnerships with community and environmental groups to provide volunteering opportunities for people with a disability.
We have also taken steps to enable people with a disability to socialise and engage in the community. We have developed and supported a broad range of inclusive sports, arts and recreational activities. For example, Basketball ACT and Wheelchair Sports New South Wales have started a weekly wheelchair basketball competition at the Belconnen stadium for basketballers with a disability and able-bodied basketballers.
We have delivered disability awareness training to the Australian Federal Police and ambulance drivers and developed a disability awareness and discrimination training register. We provided innovation grants of $200,000 for eight projects in 2009 and a further $200,000 for seven projects in 2010. These projects support the community participation of people with a disability and showcase non-traditional approaches to support.
The ACT government has explored new ways of providing information to people with a disability and their families. Public information stalls have been held in shopping centres; the Luke 14 Launch, which is a disability awareness program for church groups, and as part of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Observance Committee—NAIDOC—Week in July 2010.
We are closer to achieving the goal that people with a disability are able to tell their story once. We are working on a no-wrong-door scheme for people to receive information about supports and services and apply for multiple supports across a service system using a web-based personal information collection tool. We are also improving the quality of the service system, providing an access guide for government, business and community, and a new workforce strategic plan for the period 2010-14.
There is still more to be done, and I turn now to the actions to be undertaken over the next four years. The next implementation plan builds on the progress achieved in 2009-10. It outlines the priority areas for ACT government action through to 2014. The implementation plan has been developed within the context of the ACT Human Rights Act 2004 and is consistent with the United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with a Disability.
The development of a four-year implementation plan has been overseen by the ACT disability strategic governance group. This is a unique model of shared governance,
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