Page 2865 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 13 August 2013
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priority projects have been identified—and then cascading down through the ones that are less urgent. The intent is to fund, resource and implement the priority projects first, so in each of the areas we will see over a couple of years a rolling out of those projects as resources in the budget allow for that funding.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Coe.
MR COE: Minister, since the speed humps were installed and traffic was diverted onto other streets, how many accidents have taken place on Beaurepaire, Trickett and Messenger streets?
MR RATTENBURY: I will need to take that question on notice.
Disability services—workers compensation premiums
MS LAWDER: My question is to the Minister for Disability, Children and Young people. Minister, one of the biggest challenges facing disability service providers in the ACT is the disproportionate cost of employing staff when compared to other jurisdictions. For example, service providers in the ACT will pay as much as eight per cent of their staff salaries in workers compensation whilst their counterparts in New South Wales may pay as little as two per cent for their workers comp premiums. Minister, would a national pricing schedule under the NDIS take into consideration this disparity?
MS BURCH: I thank Ms Lawder for her question. I think as we move through DisabilityCare and reflect on the opportunities with the four launch sites, we do need to reflect on those pricing schedules and how they impact on ACT providers. This is something that has come up in many forums. And I acknowledge Andrew Wall was at one forum where providers raised the pricing schedule. This is something that we need to keep an eye on. We need to work through that.
I know I get regular feedback through the officials about how the launch sites are going and, in many ways, it is a slow start to such a significant change. I think the pricing schedules will be something that we look at over time, and I am very conscious of the need to pay attention to it for providers here.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Ms Lawder.
MS LAWDER: Minister, how might service providers be supported to meet any shortfall left by a national pricing schedule?
MS BURCH: As this change moves in, and until we have a defined pricing schedule here for the ACT it is very much hypothetical in response to that, it is something that we need to do and work with providers on. I know that as we move through this transition there is a significant amount of money—it is $12 million over the next coming years—to work with the community sector in the preparation for and transition to DisabilityCare. That will include, about their own business models, them getting prepared to effectively move from block funding into a market space. It is something I am very much aware of. I think the decision for us to go into a pilot or
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