Page 1763 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 4 June 2014
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The ACT will do what is needed. Delaying the start in this final area I think will be detrimental to those children who stand to benefit most from the early intervention. The NDIS offers new opportunities to families that previously have not been possible. Yes, I understand their concern; yes, I understand their wanting information, which is why I have moved this amendment which goes very much to the heart of that principle. I have no hesitation on this at all. It calls on me to continue to involve the community in the development of the early intervention programs and to ensure that the directorates engage with families affected by this transition.
It calls on me to facilitate families receiving timely information about the early intervention services by hosting, for example, an expo of providers in the first weeks of term 4 so that parents can meet these providers, have a sense of assurance and have questions answered about the opportunities that they will provide.
I will be more than happy to come back to the Assembly in the first sitting week of school term 4 with an update on readiness and the community organisations that are stepping in here. As I have done before, I will continually provide regular updates to this place on the transition to the NDIS, because it is significant reform indeed.
In respect of the phasing stage, in the first six months it will be the very young children, the preschool and pre-preschool children. We will work with the school children year by year from 2015 and transition those young ones through to the NDIS. We will also work in the back-half of this year with the school leavers.
In the general population, we will work from the oldest to the youngest. For example, 63 and 64-year-olds will transition through from July to December of this year. When we look to supported accommodation, we will work from the youngest to the oldest. (Time expired.)
MR DOSZPOT (Molonglo) (4.04): It gives me pleasure to speak to this motion in support of Mr Wall, but it gives me no joy that such a motion is necessary. Becoming a parent and raising a family is a challenge for those of us with children. Even when your children are born healthy and meet all their development milestones, make good progress at school and are socially and emotionally well adjusted, parenting is still at times a challenging burden. When you are confronted with a child that might have a developmental delay, a physical disability, or worse—perhaps both physical and intellectual disabilities or undiagnosed issues—the stress for parents is beyond comprehension to those who have not experienced it.
We on this side of the chamber have at times been critical and questioning of the lack of consistency and cohesion in the provision of diagnostic services for parents trying to find out what it is that ails their young child. When I was shadow minister for disability I met with frustrated parents who told me of the often long drawn-out process to get a diagnosis. They would go from one waiting list to another of a range of professional services, hoping that a diagnosis would be determined before the child was too old to benefit from assistance.
Years ago parents had few options. Today there are a range of wonderful services available and a range of therapies. It is no secret that before the last election the
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