Page 3477 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 22 October 2014
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The opposition feel compelled to move this motion today after the minister’s categorical failure to respond to the previous motion brought to this place some months ago. In an amended motion agreed to by members of this place in June this year, the minister was called upon to report to the Assembly in the first sitting week of term 4 in 2014 with an update of the readiness of early intervention non-government service providers to commence in the 2015 school year.
What we saw yesterday skimmed the absolute surface of what needed to be articulated. I also note that the words used in this statement are the same glossy, flowery language that goes out in letters to potential providers and families alike, give or take a few words. The minister put great stock in the numbers provided to her by KPMG and their market soundings. She told us with great enthusiasm that KPMG have interviewed 31 providers, interviewed five peak body organisations, carried out 14 family focus groups with 64 participants and produced reports on best practice in early intervention and advice to government on transitioning.
All these numbers do not help the families of the 300 or so children who are currently accessing worthwhile, meaningful and result-bearing early intervention programs, nor do they help the families who next year will need to access such services for the first time. What these families want to see are the facts about exactly who is coming to the ACT to provide these new services, where these services will be located and how many places will be available within these programs.
The minister also relies heavily on the fact that the government hosted an expo, which, incidentally, was called an early intervention and therapy services expo. In reality, it had about five early intervention providers on display. It is all smoke and mirrors with this minister and her government.
In an email sent to me by a constituent hoping to get some information by attending this expo I was told:
I attended the expo on Saturday specifically with the purpose to meet all these new providers that would be coming to run Early Intervention Programs that are facilitated with a specialist educator.
Once again we were disappointed.
Out of the 50 stall holders we found only 5 that “maybe” are going to run a program and have put in a tender. Out of those, 2 do not have any premises or representation currently in the ACT and are not going to pursue it until they know the outcome of the tender. One may do something out of their current premises (Cerebral Palsy) if they have enough parents approach them. Out of the other two, one is a brand new business … which will have premises in November and the other is still looking at the premises that the ACT Government are willing to offer up … Out of these possible 5 organisations the programs they may have are as follows:
1. A group program once a week for 2 hours and the parent stays. Pointless when children are needing to become independent from their carers …
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