2018-2019 State Budget

QDN Member Update – 2018-2019 State Budget – NDIS and interface issues

The 2018-19 State Budget has a focus on supporting people with disability and the continuing transition to the NDIS, particularly people from Far North Queensland, Maryborough, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Logan,

Redlands and Brisbane to successfully transition to the NDIS.

Key areas in the budget include:

An overall $2 billion in financial support for people with disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) rollout, including:

o   Health care: providing $10 million to maintain existing community nursing and allied health services (such as assistance with wound care, catheters, PEG feeding) for people who have transitioned to the NDIS, when their NDIS plans do not include these services. This will be delivered through the Community Care program. This is to ensure people retain this essential support while states and territories negotiate with the Australian Government and the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) on the long term responsibility for these services

o   Aids and equipment: the government has allocated $6.2 million for aids and equipment and vehicle modifications to assist people with disability access and participate in their communities

o   Advocacy: the previously announced $9.5 million over three years, providing advocacy for people with disability who have entered the NDIS to give them extra protection and support, including $750,000 in 2018-19 for the QDN to provide peer-to-peer advocacy for people with disability who are yet to enter the NDIS.

o   Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal and the Public Guardian: funding to address increased demand resulting from the roll-out of the National Disability insurance Scheme

o   Worker Screening: providing $1.7 million over three years to support nationally consistent worker screening with the implementation of a National Clearance Database to be managed by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, including $1.2 million over three years and an additional $500,000 in 2018-19 for the development of a Queensland Police Service electronic interface with the national database.

Continuing to fund specialist disability supports for individuals in the Sunshine Coast in the lead up to NDIS transition from 1 January 2019

Managing and adjusting funding through existing contracts to 400 service providers of disability services and community care as their clients transition to the NDIS

Continuing supporting clients within the Community Care program

Supporting Queensland’s quality and safeguards system until 30 June 2019 or until an NDIS National Quality and Safeguarding Framework is implemented in Queensland.

Continuity of Care

The government will continue supporting clients 65 years and over in Far North Queensland, Maryborough, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Logan, Redlands and Brisbane to successfully transition to the Commonwealth Continuity of Support Programme

All Abilities Queensland

The government will continue to deliver All Abilities Queensland: opportunities for all (state disability plan 2017-20), and implement recommendations from its Action Plan and this and all other departments’ Disability Service Plans.

Human Rights Act for Queensland

The government has announced $2.3 million over four years, in addition to $616,000 a year in ongoing funding, to the Anti-Discrimination Commission to support the operation and administration of a Human Rights Act for Queensland.

Cost of Living: Rebates and budgeting support:

The government announced a range of rebates to ease cost of living pressures for Queenslanders.  Many households will benefit from $5.5 billion in a range of rebates, an increase of $200 million on the previous year, Including:

$312 million to fund a range of energy rebates and concessions, of which, $212 million is to specifically assist vulnerable Queenslanders and $100 million Electricity Asset Ownership Dividend will be provided to all households to deliver an electricity rebate/ credit of $50 a year in 2017-18 and 2018-19 for every household electricity bill.

Continuing to manage other concessions for eligible Queensland households, including electricity, rates, water and gas concessions with an estimated total budget of $283.8 million in 2018-19

The government has made an ongoing investment of $6.5 million per annum for the Better Budgeting Initiative which has seen Good Money Stores open in Cairns and the Gold Coast, providing access to budgeting advice and no or low-interest loans for vulnerable people. The initiative is providing Queenslanders with ongoing access to 27 financial counsellor and financial resilience workers located across the state to respond better to financial stresses, personal issues and cost of living pressures

Housing

The government will contribute $339.1 million towards construction and upgrades of social housing

The government will make a $1.716 million final instalment to the Elderly Parent Carer Innovation Initiative to provide sustainable housing options for adults with disability when they can no longer be cared for by their ageing parents

Health

The government has committed $570 million over six years to improve public hospital capacities

Domestic and Family Violence

The government has allocated $14.2 million for new and enhanced domestic and family violence services to respond to service gaps.  QDN recommends targeted strategies be developed to respond appropriately to people with disability experiencing domestic and family violence.

Employment

The government will contribute $155 million to the Back to Work program, making a $369 million commitment over the next four years

Correctional Services

The government has provided additional funding of $2.9 billion to improve service delivery for people with disability and mental illness in prison.

Disaster Management and Relief

The government will continuing investment of $3.5 million over four years from 2016-17 that has been provided to modernise the Community Recovery Disaster Management System, including programs to improve the disaster resilience of vulnerable people and support organisations, to improve customer responsiveness, to improve planning capabilities and enhance capability across the community recovery sector.