Page 1059 - Week 03 - Thursday, 22 March 2018
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(4) Has there ever been any examples in the ACT where workers engaged by registered NDIS providers to deliver high-risk support and services, or services that involve more than incidental contact with a participant, have not been required to undergo background check.
Ms Stephen-Smith: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:
(1) The ACT has agreed-in-principle to the Intergovernmental Agreement on Nationally Consistent Worker Screening for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
(a) Implementation of Nationally Consistent Worker Screening (NCWS) will be undertaken with close reference to current ACT legislative and policy settings. Details regarding implementation will be decided upon finalisation of the Intergovernmental Agreement and subsequent policy.
(b) NCWS is to become operational in New South Wales and South Australia on 1 July 2018. It is intended that it will become operational in the ACT, Northern Territory, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania on 1 July 2019. Western Australia is to commence NCWS on 1 July 2020.
(c) The ACT currently has a rigorous background checking system. The NCWS model will complement current systems by including continuous monitoring for a subset of screened workers.
(2) NCWS will complement current systems such as the Working with Vulnerable People Background Checks by including a continuous monitoring of workers employed by NDIS registered agencies.
(3) Until finalisation of the detail surrounding NCWS, it is not possible to be specific about legislative changes. It is likely that some legislative changes will be required for the harmonisation of the worker screening and working with vulnerable people background checking. These will largely be around data and other information sharing and some modifications to the decision making framework to accommodate the requirements of the NDIS.
(4) Workers delivering such services are required to obtain a Working with Vulnerable People card. Under the Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2011, the delivery of such services by a person who has not obtained a card (except for a family member) is an offence committed by the worker and the employer.
Tourism—event funding
(Question No 941)
Mr Wall asked the Minister for Tourism and Major Events, upon notice, on 23 February 2018:
(1) How many applications have been received to date for grant funding through the Major Event Fund.
(2) What is the total value of funding applied for within each application referred to in part (1).
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