Page 2123 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 5 June 2019
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ACT government knows that most people with disability are not in fact NDIS participants. Some are waiting for a decision on their NDIS eligibility. The NDIS was never intended to be the only answer for people with disability and, even for participants, was never intended to meet every need.
That is why the ACT government is continuing to invest, through the 2019-20 budget, to fund important services, including the integrated service response program established last year. This program ensures that people with high or complex needs are being supported with the services they need, including additional help in navigating mainstream services or the NDIS, particularly when they are in crisis and need that extra support.
Another service that will receive support with this funding in this year’s budget is the children and young people’s equipment loan program, CAYPELS, which provides specialist paediatric equipment and assistive technology for children with disability through their carers and health professionals.
Other services that will remain accessible through this investment include the child development service, which offers free assessment, referral, information and linkages for children zero to six years where there are concerns relating to their development; the ACT taxi subsidy scheme, a highly valued scheme which supports NDIS participants and other eligible Canberrans with their transport needs by subsidising regular taxi trips; and maintaining support for rehabilitation, aged and community care services that the commonwealth has now determined are no longer considered “in kind” supports under the NDIS.
The ACT government is committed to ensuring that Canberra is the most accessible and inclusive city we can be for all people with disability. That means continuing to fund mainstream and universal services that our community needs in addition to our commitment to fully fund our share of the NDIS.
MS ORR: Minister, what else is the ACT government doing to ensure that people with disability can participate fully in our community and society?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Ms Orr for the supplementary. By fostering an inclusive and engaged community, people with disability are better able to participate fully in our community and enjoy their rights as citizens.
Work is underway on a disability justice strategy for the ACT. It is well established that people with disability often do not have access to the legal supports and services they need and that the legal system can be particularly difficult to navigate. I am looking forward to the release of the finalised disability justice strategy in coming months, along with the first action plan.
The next round of the disability inclusion grants will open later this month. These grants provide community groups, organisations and small businesses with the opportunity to apply for a grant of up to $20,000 in order to become more inclusive and accessible for people with disability. The impact will be spread across people’s lives in areas of employment, recreation, sporting pursuits and participation in
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