Page 1440 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 10 April 2013

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For areas in New South Wales, the NDIS changes will take effect from July this year. In the ACT, our changes will take effect from July next year. So we do have a bit over 12 months to work with the community, to work with these families and to work with the providers to understand the impact of these changes and to make sure that there is indeed an enhanced service offer; there is more choice for individuals and families with a disability here in the ACT, because that is the premise of the NDIS.

MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mr Hanson.

MR HANSON: Minister, how is your answer—indeed, the statement by Disability ACT staff—consistent with the stated principle on the NDIS website that:

If an individual currently receives care and support, these arrangements will continue.

MS BURCH: I think the premise of that is that if someone is receiving a service, whether it is a respite service or a care in the home service, that service is deemed to be necessary for that person to participate in society. Whether it is provided through the government or whether it is provided through a non-government provider, in many ways the service is still required. Through the NDIS, where this amount of money will be provided to the individual or to their families who are caring for them, they will have the choice of where they provide or purchase that service from. In many ways an existing service provider may not be the provider of preference for some people come July of next year. That is some of the change—and it is significant change; I make no bones about it—and that is the work that we have to go through, not only with the providers but with the families who, for the first time, will be empowered to make those significant decisions.

MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mr Hanson.

MR HANSON: Minister, how does this actually represent choice if the preferred choice of the person with a disability is actually to get that service through Disability ACT?

MS BURCH: That is part of the narrative and the conversation that we need to go with. Equally, there are many service providers and families in town that do question the ACT’s role of being a government service provider, particularly in our group homes where we are the landlord and the service provider. There are many that understand or believe that tenancy support should be quite separate from service provision support.

So there are a number of policy questions that need to be within this. Part of that, rightly so, is a narrative that as a government we will have internally, but in partnership with the community, about our role in specialist services and what we offer, and if we do offer services, what would those services look like. But as I said, the NDIS will change the look and the existing arrangements from July of next year.


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