DISABILITY SERVICES, SELF-MANAGED FUNDING
04/04/2012
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (15:13): I have a supplementary question.
Can the minister expand on the definition, I suppose, of ‘self-managed funding’
under this new rollout? I suppose what I am asking is: will this give people
with disabilities and their family, where necessary, true control to spend the
money on whatever they wish, or will it still need to come from a list of
approved providers?
The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Communities and Social
Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Minister for
Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (15:14): I thank the honourable member for her
supplementary question in regard to the definition, I suppose, of ‘self-managed
funding’. There are two components to self-managed funding, and one of them is
an individualised budget. As I mentioned in my answer to the question, the
individualised budget will be rolled out to all people with a disability of
moderate to high need. The individualised budget, in consultation with the
department and also probably with an independent adviser if the person wishes,
will be used to draw up a plan for how those funds in the individualised budget
will be spent.
That is not to say that plan will be overly prescriptive. I have
outlined before in this place that there will be some minimal requirements. They
will, of course, be around safeguarding and adequate training of staff and they
will be around, of course, the adequate wages being award payments for those
staff so that people cannot use their individualised budget to go out and
undercut award wages, for example. So, they will not be able to spend their plan
or their budget on whatever they wish, but they will be able to spend the money
they are given on a plan that they work out with their advisers for what best
suits them into the future. Whether there will be approved service providers—I
am sure there will be, but that will not stop people from going to other service
providers, as long as those limitations are applied.
