Count-in the Copper Coast – Dignity for Disability launches regional SA policy
11/03/2014
The mid-North and Copper Coast should be targeted as a key region to benefit from early rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) while being protected from potentially hazardous coal seam gas mining, says Dignity for Disability in its regional SA policy released today.
Unlike other states that will focus early rollout of the NDIS in specific geographic areas, South Australia has chosen to instead target an age category: children from birth to five years old.
“Dignity for Disability’s upper house candidate Garry Connor was forced to move his family from their home in Port Pirie to Adelaide in search of better services for his sons with profound autism,” said Ms Vincent.
“Children with disabilities like autism benefit most from early intervention and Garry’s story shows that the mid-North and Copper Coast are in desperate need of the very services being promised in the rollout of the NDIS.
“Dignity for Disability will encourage the Government to implement qualitative and quantitative targets in this region by which the success of the newly introduced early intervention services can be measured.”
Dignity for Disability’s regional policy also identifies coal seam gas mining – known as fracking – as a major concern for the Copper Coast and mid-North. The region was identified in the Government’s 2012 ‘Roadmap for Unconventional Gas Projects in South Australia’ as a site of interest.
“Fracking is still an unproven practice. Forcing chemicals and other material into the earth to flush out gas might seem to make good economic sense, but we have no guarantee that our water table and aquifers will not get contaminated in the process,” said Ms Vincent.
“Dignity for Disability is calling for legislation to be passed that prevents fracking from going ahead in South Australia until a body of scientific evidence proves it is safe and sustainable.”
Additionally, Dignity for Disability’s regional policy calls for an overall re-thinking of health service delivery to regional areas. The strategy places an emphasis on accessibility of services and primary care, a model which will ultimately result in less acute treatment in hospital and a lighter bill for taxpayers.
