❓ Hon Alison Xamon asks about disability worker registration following the death of Ann Marie Smith and WA's NDIS transition delay. The Minister responds, outlining commitment to NDIS worker screening and collaboration with the Commonwealth for a national scheme in early 2021.
AnsweredQoN 686Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SCHEME —
TRANSITION
686. Hon ALISON XAMON to the Minister for Disability Services:
I refer to the tragic life and
death of Ann Marie Smith and to the delay in Western Australia's
transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme Quality and Safeguards
Commission.
(1) Does the McGowan government
intend to introduce a disability worker registration scheme?
(2) If yes to
(1), would the minister please provide some information on any proposed scheme,
including anticipated time frames?
(3) If no to (1), why not?
TRANSITION
686. Hon ALISON XAMON to the Minister for Disability Services:
I refer to the tragic life and
death of Ann Marie Smith and to the delay in Western Australia's
transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme Quality and Safeguards
Commission.
(1) Does the McGowan government
intend to introduce a disability worker registration scheme?
(2) If yes to
(1), would the minister please provide some information on any proposed scheme,
including anticipated time frames?
(3) If no to (1), why not?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
I am deeply saddened by the tragic
death of Ann Marie Smith and support the criminal investigation into the circumstances of her death. Ms Smith's
death in South Australia, however, cannot be associated with the decision to defer Western Australia's transition
to the National Disability Insurance Scheme Quality and Safeguards Commission until 1 December this year. The WA disability sector overwhelmingly requested a
six-month deferral to allow it to focus on
critical support issues for people with disability during COVID-19 recovery. In
the interim, the complaints investigation and resolution area of the
Health and Disability Services Complaints Office will be allocated more
resources, and the existing quality and safeguarding functions performed by the
Department of Communities will continue.
(1) As per the
intergovernmental agreement with the commonwealth government, the McGowan
government is committed to safeguarding people with disability through the
implementation of National Disability Insurance Scheme worker screening.
(2) NDIS worker
screening will require people who provide NDIS supports and services through a registered
NDIS provider to undergo a worker screening check. All states and territories,
including the WA state government, are currently working with the commonwealth
government on the introduction of nationally consistent worker screening in
early 2021.
(3) Not applicable.
some notice of the question.
I am deeply saddened by the tragic
death of Ann Marie Smith and support the criminal investigation into the circumstances of her death. Ms Smith's
death in South Australia, however, cannot be associated with the decision to defer Western Australia's transition
to the National Disability Insurance Scheme Quality and Safeguards Commission until 1 December this year. The WA disability sector overwhelmingly requested a
six-month deferral to allow it to focus on
critical support issues for people with disability during COVID-19 recovery. In
the interim, the complaints investigation and resolution area of the
Health and Disability Services Complaints Office will be allocated more
resources, and the existing quality and safeguarding functions performed by the
Department of Communities will continue.
(1) As per the
intergovernmental agreement with the commonwealth government, the McGowan
government is committed to safeguarding people with disability through the
implementation of National Disability Insurance Scheme worker screening.
(2) NDIS worker
screening will require people who provide NDIS supports and services through a registered
NDIS provider to undergo a worker screening check. All states and territories,
including the WA state government, are currently working with the commonwealth
government on the introduction of nationally consistent worker screening in
early 2021.
(3) Not applicable.
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.