Page 4058 - Week 11 - Thursday, 21 September 2017
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Since 2014, when there were 64 registered service providers for people with disability in the ACT, this figure has now grown to 814 registered service providers, although we recognise that not all registered providers are necessarily delivering services in the ACT at this time.
I would like to again pay tribute to the great work of the staff of Disability ACT and Therapy ACT in providing front-line services over so many years, from staffing group disability housing to specialist therapy units. Of the approximately 500 staff, many have gone to work for private providers, set up their own services, found other career paths or retired as we have moved to the NDIS model for disability services.
Of course, some have remained in the new child development service, which is now collocated with the new NDIS early childhood early intervention provider, EACH, in Holder. We have also retained a core group of dedicated policy staff in the Office for Disability. The 2017-18 budget allocated $2.2 million over four years to support ongoing policy and oversight responsibilities related to the implementation of the NDIS within the office.
I am sometimes asked what is left for an ACT minister for disability to do in this space but believe me there is still plenty. The ACT government currently provides almost 60 per cent of the funding for the NDIS in the territory. I believe we have a responsibility to ensure that Canberrans are getting the full benefit of the NDIS and that we are using our experience to shape the system for successful national implementation.
The Office for Disability continues to take an active role in monitoring and advocating on issues faced by both NDIS participants and providers in the ACT. The Office for Disability continues to proactively work with the commonwealth Department of Social Services and the NDIA to achieve better outcomes for Canberrans with disability.
As highlighted earlier in the week, for example, since the announcement of Marymead’s decision to reduce overnight care, the Office for Disability has been working closely with Marymead and the NDIA at both local and national levels. The NDIA has committed to reviewing the circumstances of participants most affected by Marymead’s decision to ensure that they have adequate and appropriate supports.
The Office for Disability is working closely with the NDIA to generate an urgent solution for families while a pricing review is undertaken for the NDIA. I have also written to and spoken with both the Hon Christian Porter MP, commonwealth Minister for Social Services and Dr Helen Nugent, chair of the NDIA board, to highlight the emerging market issues and express the ACT government’s concerns about the pricing levels for short-term accommodation.
The ACT government will continue to advocate to the NDIA to ensure that there is an adequate and reasonable pricing schedule for the provision of short-term accommodation. The ACT government has also raised concerns about market failure
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