A MAJORITY LIBERAL GOVERNMENT WILL:
- Establish a Tasmanian Disability Services Commissioner, for continuous improvement in delivery of supports and services for people with disability, with an investment of $1.2 million over four years.
- Invest $1.4 million over four years to boost the Tasmanian Autism Diagnostic Service, with three additional assessors to meet demand.
- Continue our investment of more than $1 million in annual funding* for independent advocacy organisations, including Speakout Advocacy, Advocacy Tas and the Association for Children with Disability (ACD).
- Provide ongoing funding of $150,000 over three years to Paraquad Tasmania to manage and deliver its Physical disability Sports programs.
The Tasmanian Liberals are committed to the principle that people with disability have the same right of access to services as all Tasmanians.
We will continue to ensure people with disability, their carers and their families, receive the essential supports they need.
The NDIS is one of the most complex and important reforms seen in Australia in recent years, and the potential to transform the lives of people with disability cannot be overestimated.
Tasmania has reached its full NDIS roll-out and is now supporting 10, 109 Tasmanian participants with over 50 per cent or 5714 Tasmanians accessing supports for the first time as at 30 December 2020. This year, the Tasmanian Government will invest $254 million as our State’s contribution to the Scheme, increasing to $274.6 million in 2022-23.
This clearly shows that more people with disability in Tasmania can now access the supports and services they need to live and enjoy their life than before.
Whilst the NDIS is a national scheme, we continue to advocate strongly on behalf of Tasmanians with disability and the service providers that support them to ensure that the NDIS delivers the best possible outcomes for Tasmanians.
We remain committed to funding disability support services that remain outside of the scope of the NDIS, including mainstream children therapy services, advocacy services and continuity of supports for people with disability who are not eligible for the NDIS, through Tasmanian and Commonwealth Government services like health, education, justice and transport.
We have already committed over $100 million over the next four years in supports and initiatives across Government which directly or indirectly benefit people with disability.
A re-elected Majority Liberal Government will also:
Establish a Tasmanian Disability Services Commissioner, for continuous improvement in delivery of supports and services for people with disability, with an investment of $1.2 million over four years
We will establish a Tasmanian Disability Services Commissioner as part of our review of the Tasmanian Disability Services Act 2011, and envisage this office act as an independent body, providing a free and confidential complaints resolution process with the aim of continuous improvement in the delivery of support and services for people with disability.
A Tasmanian Disability Commissioner will help ensure people with disability, and their families, receive the inclusive and accessible supports and services they need, including those supported through mainstream services.
Funding of $1.2 million over four years, or $300,000 per annum, will be provided.
Invest $1.4 million over four years to boost the Tasmanian Autism Diagnostic Service, with three additional assessors to meet demand
The Tasmanian Liberals acknowledge the value of early intervention for children with disability.
With autism representing over 30 per cent of all Tasmanian NDIS participants and face to face assessments required to compete the assessment process, there remains an ongoing need to attract more allied health professionals to the service.
We will invest $1.4 million over 4 years ($350 000 per annum) which will enable the employment of three additional assessors.
This means more children with ASD and their parents and carers will have access to earlier assessment and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, which in turn gives them access to earlier support and better wellbeing outcomes.
Continue our investment of more than $1 million in annual funding* for advocacy organisations, including Speakout Advocacy, Advocacy Tas and the Association for Children with Disability (ACD)
The Tasmanian Liberals recognise the critical role that independent disability advocacy services play in helping to ensure people with disability can enjoy the same rights as anyone else.
We will continue our investment of over $1 million in recurrent funding across these well-established independent advocacy organisations, to ensure people with disability have a voice.
Provide ongoing funding of $150,000 over three years to Paraquad Tasmania to manage and deliver its Physical disability Sports programs
The Tasmanian are committed to providing safe, fair and inclusive opportunities for all Tasmanians to participate in sport, recreation any physical activities of their choice.
ParaQuad currently manages and delivers its activities through Physical disABILITY Sports Tasmania. It has successfully delivered quality, low cost, sport and recreation programs to Tasmanians with disability for over a decade.
Activities include: wheelchair sports, wheelchair Aussie rules, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, wheelchair sports in schools, ten pin bowling, powerchair sports, and boccia.
A re-elected Majority Liberal Government will provide funding of $50,000 per annum to allow ParaQuad Tasmania continue to deliver its programs.
These initiatives add to investments recently announced or underway including:
- Additional funding to support our needs-based funding model for students with disability. The 2020-21 budget increased funding from $3 million to $11 million and in subsequent years this will increase further to $14 million.
- Maintaining Children’s Therapy Services for children whose needs fall outside the NDIS (such as rehabilitation, health related, or short term).
- NDIS transitional funding for people with psychosocial disability.
- A $10 million virtual TAFE campus to provide more flexible access and remove barriers for students who are unable to participate in traditional campus based learning.
- $4m for TasTAFE and Libraries will give even more options for students with disability to connect with TAFE and study. It will see an increase in access to IT and class-based delivery in some of our in some of our more remote areas and minimise the need for travel wherever possible.
- A state-of-the-art nursing, aged care and disability hub at TAFE’s Alanvale campus.
- An additional 600 free training places in full qualifications and skill sets for the disability sector under the joint State-Federal JobTrainer program.
- Continuing taxi supplements for eligible NDIS participants up to a cap of $1000 in the first year and $350 in subsequent years.
Our record in Government:
- Delivered our Accessible Island: Tasmania’s Disability Framework for Action 2018-2021.
- Premier’s Disability Advisory Council (PDAC) and the Ministerial Disability Consultative Group (MDCG), engaging directly with people with disability and the services that support them
- Commenced a review of Tasmania’s Disability Services Act 2011.
- Secured over $14 million of Information Linkages and Capacity-building (ILC) funding for Tasmanian-based organisations.
- Procurement policies supporting opportunities for Australian Disability Enterprises, who employ the services of people with disability.
Costings:
The cost of this policy is $2.75 million over four years.
*Advocacy Services already funded.