❓ WA Minister for Disability Services expresses concern over the Commonwealth's commitment to disability funding, highlighting potential service cuts if funding isn't secured in the upcoming federal budget. WA has committed to recurrent funding.
AnsweredQoN 941Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
DISABILITY AGREEMENT, STATUS OF NEGOTIATIONS
Will the minister inform the House of the current status of negotiations about the commonwealth, state and territory disability agreement? Ms McHALE
Will the minister inform the House of the current status of negotiations about the commonwealth, state and territory disability agreement? Ms McHALE
AnswerView source ↗
This is a crucial question in the lead-up to the presentation of the commonwealth and state budgets. The Western Australian Government has made it very clear on numerous occasions that the funding committed by Western Australia to address unmet need will be continued on a recurrent basis in 2002-03. That is in stark contrast to the approach taken by the Commonwealth Government, which to date has refused to provide the same assurance, and to the commitment made in 2000 by the Australian ministers responsible for disability services that the funding would be continued. On that understanding, the funding has been committed on a recurrent basis to provide services to people with severe and profound disabilities and their families. The tragedy for many families in Western Australia and throughout the nation is that the services established using that funding may need to be terminated if it is not included in the federal budget next week. About 50 non-government organisations and 1 500 families using the services provided by that funding may be adversely affected by the commonwealth budget. It is vital that the Commonwealth Government begin to realise the importance of that commitment to this group of families. I once again call upon the Commonwealth to work in partnership with the States to address the needs of this very vulnerable group in our community. I continue to support the federal minister in her efforts to ensure that the commonwealth contribution to disability services is not eroded in the forthcoming budget. The evidence to date indicates that it will be. If that commitment is not given, not only will the future of the disability agreement between the Commonwealth and the States and Territories, of which the commitment is an essential plank, be in doubt, but also and more importantly, some of the services currently provided to our families will be at risk.
Ms McHALE replied: This is a crucial question in the lead-up to the presentation of the commonwealth and state budgets. The Western Australian Government has made it very clear on numerous occasions that the funding committed by Western Australia to address unmet need will be continued on a recurrent basis in 2002-03. That is in stark contrast to the approach taken by the Commonwealth Government, which to date has refused to provide the same assurance, and to the commitment made in 2000 by the Australian ministers responsible for disability services that the funding would be continued. On that understanding, the funding has been committed on a recurrent basis to provide services to people with severe and profound disabilities and their families. The tragedy for many families in Western Australia and throughout the nation is that the services established using that funding may need to be terminated if it is not included in the federal budget next week. About 50 non-government organisations and 1 500 families using the services provided by that funding may be adversely affected by the commonwealth budget. It is vital that the Commonwealth Government begin to realise the importance of that commitment to this group of families. I once again call upon the Commonwealth to work in partnership with the States to address the needs of this very vulnerable group in our community. I continue to support the federal minister in her efforts to ensure that the commonwealth contribution to disability services is not eroded in the forthcoming budget. The evidence to date indicates that it will be. If that commitment is not given, not only will the future of the disability agreement between the Commonwealth and the States and Territories, of which the commitment is an essential plank, be in doubt, but also and more importantly, some of the services currently provided to our families will be at risk.
This is a crucial question in the lead-up to the presentation of the commonwealth and state budgets. The Western Australian Government has made it very clear on numerous occasions that the funding committed by Western Australia to address unmet need will be continued on a recurrent basis in 2002-03. That is in stark contrast to the approach taken by the Commonwealth Government, which to date has refused to provide the same assurance, and to the commitment made in 2000 by the Australian ministers responsible for disability services that the funding would be continued. On that understanding, the funding has been committed on a recurrent basis to provide services to people with severe and profound disabilities and their families. The tragedy for many families in Western Australia and throughout the nation is that the services established using that funding may need to be terminated if it is not included in the federal budget next week. About 50 non-government organisations and 1 500 families using the services provided by that funding may be adversely affected by the commonwealth budget. It is vital that the Commonwealth Government begin to realise the importance of that commitment to this group of families. I once again call upon the Commonwealth to work in partnership with the States to address the needs of this very vulnerable group in our community. I continue to support the federal minister in her efforts to ensure that the commonwealth contribution to disability services is not eroded in the forthcoming budget. The evidence to date indicates that it will be. If that commitment is not given, not only will the future of the disability agreement between the Commonwealth and the States and Territories, of which the commitment is an essential plank, be in doubt, but also and more importantly, some of the services currently provided to our families will be at risk.
I once again call upon the Commonwealth to work in partnership with the States to address the needs of this very vulnerable group in our community. I continue to support the federal minister in her efforts to ensure that the commonwealth contribution to disability services is not eroded in the forthcoming budget. The evidence to date indicates that it will be. If that commitment is not given, not only will the future of the disability agreement between the Commonwealth and the States and Territories, of which the commitment is an essential plank, be in doubt, but also and more importantly, some of the services currently provided to our families will be at risk.
Ms McHALE replied: This is a crucial question in the lead-up to the presentation of the commonwealth and state budgets. The Western Australian Government has made it very clear on numerous occasions that the funding committed by Western Australia to address unmet need will be continued on a recurrent basis in 2002-03. That is in stark contrast to the approach taken by the Commonwealth Government, which to date has refused to provide the same assurance, and to the commitment made in 2000 by the Australian ministers responsible for disability services that the funding would be continued. On that understanding, the funding has been committed on a recurrent basis to provide services to people with severe and profound disabilities and their families. The tragedy for many families in Western Australia and throughout the nation is that the services established using that funding may need to be terminated if it is not included in the federal budget next week. About 50 non-government organisations and 1 500 families using the services provided by that funding may be adversely affected by the commonwealth budget. It is vital that the Commonwealth Government begin to realise the importance of that commitment to this group of families. I once again call upon the Commonwealth to work in partnership with the States to address the needs of this very vulnerable group in our community. I continue to support the federal minister in her efforts to ensure that the commonwealth contribution to disability services is not eroded in the forthcoming budget. The evidence to date indicates that it will be. If that commitment is not given, not only will the future of the disability agreement between the Commonwealth and the States and Territories, of which the commitment is an essential plank, be in doubt, but also and more importantly, some of the services currently provided to our families will be at risk.
This is a crucial question in the lead-up to the presentation of the commonwealth and state budgets. The Western Australian Government has made it very clear on numerous occasions that the funding committed by Western Australia to address unmet need will be continued on a recurrent basis in 2002-03. That is in stark contrast to the approach taken by the Commonwealth Government, which to date has refused to provide the same assurance, and to the commitment made in 2000 by the Australian ministers responsible for disability services that the funding would be continued. On that understanding, the funding has been committed on a recurrent basis to provide services to people with severe and profound disabilities and their families. The tragedy for many families in Western Australia and throughout the nation is that the services established using that funding may need to be terminated if it is not included in the federal budget next week. About 50 non-government organisations and 1 500 families using the services provided by that funding may be adversely affected by the commonwealth budget. It is vital that the Commonwealth Government begin to realise the importance of that commitment to this group of families. I once again call upon the Commonwealth to work in partnership with the States to address the needs of this very vulnerable group in our community. I continue to support the federal minister in her efforts to ensure that the commonwealth contribution to disability services is not eroded in the forthcoming budget. The evidence to date indicates that it will be. If that commitment is not given, not only will the future of the disability agreement between the Commonwealth and the States and Territories, of which the commitment is an essential plank, be in doubt, but also and more importantly, some of the services currently provided to our families will be at risk.
I once again call upon the Commonwealth to work in partnership with the States to address the needs of this very vulnerable group in our community. I continue to support the federal minister in her efforts to ensure that the commonwealth contribution to disability services is not eroded in the forthcoming budget. The evidence to date indicates that it will be. If that commitment is not given, not only will the future of the disability agreement between the Commonwealth and the States and Territories, of which the commitment is an essential plank, be in doubt, but also and more importantly, some of the services currently provided to our families will be at risk.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.