Juliana ADDISON (Wendouree) (12:31): I too am honoured to contribute to this debate in support of the Disability and Social Services Regulation Amendment Bill 2023. It is great to follow on from the member for Eltham, who showed her real passion for disability – those dances sound terrific. Likewise with the member for Mordialloc – another excellent contribution from him, which is always most welcome. I would like to thank the Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers in the other place, her ministerial office and the department for the work that they have done to bring this legislation to the house, as well as the previous minister and his office.

The policy area of disability is very important to me, and I believe protecting the rights of people living with disability and supporting them and their families is a critical role and responsibility of government. I know this firsthand because my extraordinary mum Trudie Dickinson worked for more than 40 years as a physiotherapist in the disability sector in Ballarat and the region, particularly working in early intervention for young children with disability. I am very proud of the great work she did improving the lives of patients she treated and their families. I wish to pay tribute to all workers in the disability sector, especially our Health and Community Services Union members and our teachers supporting students in schools. You are unsung champions of our community, and I thank you for all that you do.

Just last week I was delighted to visit the Ballarat Specialist School, where our government is providing better facilities for students with disability with a $10 million upgrade to the school’s infrastructure. It was great to be at the Gillies Street campus with principal Sam Sheppard to see the building works well underway and to hear that the new bus loop is working very well at the senior farm campus in Norman Street. Thank you to the teachers and the students for welcoming me into your classrooms and sharing your experiences. It was wonderful to meet so many students and have a chance to hear about the great programs and activities being offered at the Ballarat Specialist School.

The Disability and Social Services Regulation Amendment Bill 2023 seeks to reinforce the right of residents in specialist disability accommodation through amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act 1997. It proposes amendments to the Social Services Regulation Act 2021 to ensure its effective operation in addition to improvements to the Disability Service Safeguards Act 2018 and other legislation. But its primary purpose is to improve the services, safeguards and protections legislated by the Disability Act 2006.

This is in line with an ongoing review of the Disability Act, a three-stage process to ensure that relevant legislative frameworks are fit for purpose, modernised and creating meaningful change for people with disability. It forms a key component of our Inclusive Victoria: State Disability Plan 2022–26, which seeks to build a more inclusive and accessible community right across our state. The Disability Act review’s first stage was completed in 2019. It focused on defining the roles and responsibilities of both the Commonwealth and the Victorian governments, as well as ensuring the smooth transition of regulatory responsibilities regarding the national disability insurance scheme. The current second stage of the review is strengthening safeguards, rights and protections for Victorians with disability as well as further clarifying rights and responsibilities.

The bill before us today is a result of much of the work done in this stage to date. Additionally, as a part of stage 2 reforms, late last year an exposure draft of the disability inclusion bill, a nation-leading, contemporary, proactive disability inclusion framework, was released for public feedback. Following this, the third stage of the review is intended to consider more complex safeguards and forensic disability provisions within the act.

Returning to the bill before us today, the Disability and Social Services Regulation Amendment Bill seeks to implement several key legislative improvements which are grounded in the experience of service providers and participants. Together the proposed amendments will enhance rights, clarify responsibilities and improve regulation concerning the provision of disability support services. This includes providing for residential rights within specialist disability accommodation where they are not currently provided for under the Residential Tenancies Act.

It additionally clarifies the rights and responsibilities of those in disability residential services who are subject to civil or criminal orders as well as duties of the relevant service providers. This bill also simplifies various processes for service providers and workers alike. The requirement for approving the use of restrictive practices within state-funded services will be aligned with the requirements under the NDIS, ensuring clarity and consistency for services funded by both.

Duplication is further reduced for disability workers seeking voluntary regulation, who will no longer be required to undergo additional criminal history checks where they have already been cleared in NDIS screening. The operation of disability services will be further improved regarding compulsory treatment processes and oversight, facilitating and safeguarding critical information sharing between providers and the accessibility of a range of services by community visitors. Finally, the role, functions and responsibilities of the Secretary of the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing are clarified in relation to the management of both services and related land.

This bill and the broader Disability Act review form part of our government’s continued commitment to supporting Victorians with disability right across our state, and I have had the honour of seeing this in action on several occasions recently within my electorate of Wendouree and across Ballarat. Recently I had the opportunity to accompany the Minister for Regional Development with my parliamentary colleagues the member for Ripon and you, Acting Speaker Settle, the member for Eureka, to Ballarat West employment zone with the very good people from McCallum Disability Services. McCallum has recently merged with Ballarat Regional Industries, BRI, and is now the largest social enterprise in western Victoria, employing over 300 people with disability. I am delighted that McCallum will be moving into BWEZ, a precinct co-funded by our government and the City of Ballarat which will allow them the space and the modern amenities to continue their essential services. Once complete, McCallum will move into a new facility where it will have to move room to expand, creating 275 new jobs – exactly what our Ballarat West employment zone is all about.

I would also like to mention that Acting Speaker Settle and I will both be meeting with Pinarc Disability Support services next week. Pinarc are yet another organisation doing fantastic work to support people with disability in our community, and I am really looking forward to that meeting next week.

I would also like to give a shout-out to the organisers of the Ballarat Community Fest 2023. On 18 February I had the privilege of joining a group of disability service providers as well as local businesses and community members at the Ballarat Community Fest 2023. My thanks go to Gellibrand Support Services for hosting this successful and thoroughly enjoyable day. Notably as well, the community fest was held at the Goods Shed within the recently transformed Ballarat station precinct, an accessible venue now well equipped to accommodate the phenomenal people and organisations that attended.

Elsewhere in the Ballarat railway precinct, in October 2022 our government committed $50 million to upgrade the accessibility of the 160-year-old Ballarat train station. This will include passenger lifts on both platforms as well as a connecting pedestrian overpass. I am so proud that we are delivering this important and necessary project which has been campaigned for by many organisations and individuals across Ballarat and the region, including Grampians Disability Advocacy, who do great work advocating for and supporting people with disability across the Grampians region. I would particularly like to recognise and thank Grampians Disability Advocacy and their amazing executive officer Deb Verdon for their leadership and the work that she does.

I cannot overstate how significant the accessibility upgrade is and the benefits accessible and inclusive public transport at our central train station will bring to the Ballarat community and visitors to our city in the future. It is particularly important with the Commonwealth Games and the para events to be able to make sure that we have a very, very good accessible train station as people catch the train up to Ballarat for the Commonwealth Games athletics. I commend this important bill to the house, and I thank everyone for supporting it. It is a great step forward.

Want to find out more about bills before Parliament? You can read up at legislation.vic.gov.au, see more parliament.vic.gov.au, or reach out to chat with my office.

Otherwise, take a look at more of my speeches to Parliament right here.