Page 3327 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 21 October 2014
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Just this morning I had an email from a constituent who is currently trying to navigate the planning sessions with the NDIA to find out what similar package of assistance and support will be available for her daughter so they can access early intervention services next year. This constituent recently had a response from the minister advising that there will be a further forum or expo on 17 November. The email says:
I had our planning session with the NDIA for—
our daughter—
yesterday. They also didn't know much about the 17th November and like us parents, do not know of any early intervention program’s. Still very concerning! So will be interesting to see what amount of funding—
our daughter—
will get and how they are going to allocate costings. I wonder if they will put some aside for a program.
On the other side, we have parents who are still concerned. The petition I presented in this place articulated that concern with in excess of 2,000 Canberra residents identifying this as an area they are concerned about and that they are looking for the government to reconsider their decision.
Just recently I was contacted by a service provider that is currently looking at expanding into the ACT. I think that these moves should be supported and encouraged at every turn, but the difficulties that they are facing seem to make it prohibitive for them to set up here. Again, I will read from this organisation’s email:
I have also asked on a few occasions for someone to contact me about a possibility to use a location/office space in Canberra that will become vacant with services ceasing so we can streamline our services better and provide social skills groups, centre based therapy but no one has returned my calls or responded to our requests. We are supposed to operate in January under the NDIS and this deadline is fast approaching and we have received very little or no support so far. We have parents concerned and coming to us with questions that we often cannot answer. We are in the business of helping people and I love nothing more than seeing children thrive with the support and intervention they deserve but this process is not being made easy and we feel like we are swimming upstream with little support and I know that our program manager, who only works three days, feels the enormous pressure on her shoulders as parents are asking questions that she cannot answer.
These are just two examples—one from a parent and one from a service provider—showing that there is still a lot of work to be done and that challenges remain. The minister’s statement this morning, as I said earlier, is simply inadequate and does not go to addressing her amendment that she moved in June stating that she would provide an update on the readiness of early intervention and non-government service providers available to commence here in the 2015 school year. We will be considering our options as an opposition but, plain and simple, this is unacceptable.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
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