Wednesday, 28 May 2025

Disability services

Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:20): (930) My question is for the Minister for Disability. Disability sector groups advise they believe there are discussions taking place on the government’s already announced plan to absorb the disability services commission, the Victorian Disability Worker Commission and the Victorian disability registration board into the new Social Services Regulator. Given the minister’s own disability plan has the slogan ‘Nothing about us without us’, can the minister outline which specific disability groups are involved in these discussions?

Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:20): I thank Ms Bath for her question. On this side of the house we make absolutely no apologies for ensuring that we have a system of regulation for all social services that recognises the interconnectedness and the complexity of the different issues that people seek to resolve through social services regulation, be they disability issues, be they housing issues, be they children and family services issues. What our government is looking to see in the Social Services Regulator is a simple one-stop shop, uncomplicated version of regulation for social services, as was discussed in the house and with your spokesperson for disability last year. The discussions that we have continued to have with people both in this place and outside of this place are about how we best achieve a simplistic system of social services regulation. That means that somebody who has a disability issue and who also has a housing issue has one place they need to go to ensure that it is regulated appropriately.

Melina Bath: On a point of order, President, on relevance, this question is very specific. It asks: which specific groups has the minister consulted with?

The PRESIDENT: I believe the minister was being relevant.

Lizzie BLANDTHORN: I was seeking to be as relevant and as helpful as I possibly could for Ms Bath, because I am sure that she is genuinely interested in the same outcomes that I am, which are that vulnerable people in the Victorian community have a system of regulation that they can rely on that goes across all social services and that when they have issues with a service that they might be accessing, be it a regulatory issue, a compliance issue or a service delivery issue, there is a simplistic way in which a person who often has complex needs and multiple points of vulnerability and difficulty accessing government services and systems can actually resolve those. There have been broad-ranging conversations, including with the opposition spokesperson for disability, the shadow minister for disability, as to how we can best achieve that. That is an ongoing conversation that we will continue to have, and at some point we will put a proposal to this Parliament in terms of how we resolve that.

Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:23): I thank the minister for her response. But she did not identify which groups of those that she needed to consult with she had consulted with, so we are still in the dark.

David Davis interjected.

Melina BATH: That is right: if any. The disability sector has made it clear it wants a standalone, disability-focused regulator led by people with disabilities, in line with the relevant recommendations from the disability royal commission, not a service absorbed under the umbrella of the Social Services Regulator. Minister, can you provide families with a guarantee that there will be a standalone entity as a regulator, not a service that sits under the Social Services Regulator?

Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:23): I would note that Ms Bath is now conflating two different issues. The disability royal commission absolutely recommended –

Melina Bath interjected.

Lizzie BLANDTHORN: Sorry, President, I believe I have the call. The national disability royal commission made recommendations about regulation of disability services, and there are continuing discussions at the Commonwealth level with all of the disability ministers around the states as to how we can best achieve that. That is an ongoing conversation, absolutely, and we remain committed to those same objectives. Here in Victoria what we would like to see is a simplistic, easy-to-understand, easy-to-use, easy-to-access system of regulation of all social services that recognises interconnectedness and complexity of issues. As well as with the shadow minister, we have had conversations with VCOSS, with unions and with plenty of others, including continuing to have conversations with the opposition about how that might best be achieved.