Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness, Senator Arbib. Can the minister update the Senate on what the government is doing to help build appropriate housing for Australians with a disability? And what is the importance of providing supported accommodation to Australians with disabilities?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Moore for her question. This is an extremely important issue for people with a disability and also for the many thousands of families and carers who want to ensure that in future there is supported accommodation for members of their families. Recently the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers, Senator McLucas, announced that $60 million is now available under the government's new Supported Accommodation Innovation Fund to provide housing for people with a disability. This funding will deliver up to 150 innovative, community based, supported accommodation places, with the Australian government providing the capital funding. As Senator McLucas has said, people with disability are desperate for more accommodation options, and this new fund will encourage innovation in the way supported accommodation services are provided. The government is looking to community organisations to develop accommodation options so that they can bring in their local support networks as well as their existing resources—resources such as land—to help leverage the funding. This funding, of course, is on top of the Australian government's $100 million capital injection in 2008 to build more than 300 supported accommodation places for people with disability, which are on track to be delivered by 2012. This funding will also help people with a severe disability to live as independently as possible in the community and to fulfil their potential.

Senators would also be aware that we are building the foundations for a National Disability Insurance Scheme into the future. This reform is quite possibly the most significant social policy reform since Medicare and is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. But we know that it is going to take time, and the government are acutely aware that the demand for better services and for supported accommodation is upon us now.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Given the importance of providing access to appropriate housing as described, Minister, how is the Australian government working to make social housing more suitable for Australians with a disability?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On numerous occasions I have come into this chamber and talked about the benefits arising out of the stimulus housing program—the large number of disadvantaged and vulnerable Australians who are benefiting from the provision of social housing. We have talked about the $5.6 billion being invested through the stimulus—$5.6 billion that those Liberal and National party senators actually opposed. They opposed vulnerable Australians getting social housing.

At the same time as that, one of the real benefits has been the requirement for more than 80 per cent of these dwellings to incorporate universal housing design. Universal design features provide housing that meets the needs of all people at various stages of their lives, including people with disability and senior Australians. The provision of universal design for these houses is going to go a long way to supporting people with disability— (Time expired)

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Minister, are there any risks to the rollout of programs that assist with housing Australians with a disability?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

By 2013-14 the Australian government's contribution to specialist disability services will be around $1.35 billion. That is compared to $620 million under the former Howard government. It is more than a doubling of the funding.

We do not know, of course, whether the coalition will be to afford to fund these incredibly important projects that assist Australians with disability to get access to housing and services. The opposition spokesman on finance, Mr Robb, when questioned about the black hole on Channel 10 recently, said in relation to the $70 billion figure: 'That is the order of the magnitude. No, it's not a furphy. We came out with the figure.' So we know there is a $70 billion black hole. We know that every time the coalition have this sort of black hole they go straight for services, so we can expect cuts to services across disability, across housing, if the coalition get back into power.