Ms FINOCCHIARO - 2014-05-15
Can you inform the Assembly about the significance of this year’s budget for the Northern Territory’s first Disability Services portfolio as part of the Country Liberals plan to modernise the delivery of disability services?
Ms Lawrie: You cut funding.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for her question. This is one of the great news pieces coming out of this year’s budget, the very first Disability Services budget: $83.3m. I take up the interjection from the Leader of the Opposition; it was not a cut it was an increase. We are very excited about the fact we are, for the first time in the history of the Northern Territory, ensuring that allocation of money goes to people with disabilities, their families and carers to improve their lives and access to services and make sure they become an integral part of the community, as they should be.
The Country Liberals government is committed to modernising the delivery of disability services across all sectors of government, and $50m per annum is allocated to 44 external service providers across Australia so they can help us deliver these very important services in the support and care of people with disabilities.
Among the highlights of the disability budget, I am pleased to inform the Assembly there is a new funding agreement between the NT Office of Disability and the Department of Education to make sure a very special project based in Rapid Creek, Project 21, continues. This project started last year and is a work readiness program for young people transitioning from school. The Minister for Education and I are very pleased to say it will have ongoing funding, an increase in funding from last year, and the minister and I look forward to visiting Project 21 in the near future to share that piece of good news.
The 2014 budget also includes $2.25m to go towards the NDIS, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, trial in the Barkly region. The Northern Territory government is contributing 60% of that funding requirement. This is very exciting for the whole of the Northern Territory and Australia, because for the first time this scheme will be rolled out in very remote areas of Australia. All eyes will be on the Barkly region.
Further to this, tomorrow marks the first meeting of the Territory’s new advisory council on disability reform. The meeting will be held in Alice Springs. I look forward to being part of that meeting tomorrow, and I am very excited about this new Disability Services portfolio and the $83.3m budget allocated.
Ms Lawrie: You cut funding.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for her question. This is one of the great news pieces coming out of this year’s budget, the very first Disability Services budget: $83.3m. I take up the interjection from the Leader of the Opposition; it was not a cut it was an increase. We are very excited about the fact we are, for the first time in the history of the Northern Territory, ensuring that allocation of money goes to people with disabilities, their families and carers to improve their lives and access to services and make sure they become an integral part of the community, as they should be.
The Country Liberals government is committed to modernising the delivery of disability services across all sectors of government, and $50m per annum is allocated to 44 external service providers across Australia so they can help us deliver these very important services in the support and care of people with disabilities.
Among the highlights of the disability budget, I am pleased to inform the Assembly there is a new funding agreement between the NT Office of Disability and the Department of Education to make sure a very special project based in Rapid Creek, Project 21, continues. This project started last year and is a work readiness program for young people transitioning from school. The Minister for Education and I are very pleased to say it will have ongoing funding, an increase in funding from last year, and the minister and I look forward to visiting Project 21 in the near future to share that piece of good news.
The 2014 budget also includes $2.25m to go towards the NDIS, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, trial in the Barkly region. The Northern Territory government is contributing 60% of that funding requirement. This is very exciting for the whole of the Northern Territory and Australia, because for the first time this scheme will be rolled out in very remote areas of Australia. All eyes will be on the Barkly region.
Further to this, tomorrow marks the first meeting of the Territory’s new advisory council on disability reform. The meeting will be held in Alice Springs. I look forward to being part of that meeting tomorrow, and I am very excited about this new Disability Services portfolio and the $83.3m budget allocated.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016