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Inquiry into Disability Funding Cuts Established
December 14th 2004

On Thursday 9th December, the Legislative Council General Purpose Standing Committee No.2 accepted terms of reference for an inquiry proposed by NSW Democrat MLC, Dr Arthur Chesterfield-Evans, into controversial reforms of the Adult Training Learning And Support (ATLAS) and Post School Options (PSO) program.

These programs provide people with a disability with training that assists them to take their place in work and social arenas, and the proposed reforms will see cuts to funding for many people with disabilities, as well as changes to funding arrangements that will result in fewer programs from a greatly reduced number of providers.

The proposed reforms have prompted carers and disability advocacy groups to organise several state-wide protests, culminating with a massive public rally on the in front of Parliament House 22nd of September, blocking Macquarie Street for three hours.

“This program was to give kids with a disability some sort of normal life. A lot of these families feel that this training is so important that they have organised their lives around it. What kind of society have we become when carers of the most vulnerable people in our state have to resort to protest and public demonstrations to have these kind of concerns heard?’ he said.

Dr Chesterfield-Evans worked with several disability advocacy groups to draft the terms of reference, highlights of which include:

• the rationale for, and the expected impacts of the proposed changes to ATLAS and Post School Options;
• the impact of block grant funding on choice, flexibility and portability of support to people with disability ;
• whether positive and sustainable employment, vocational training and support outcomes for people with disability would be achieved;
• the exclusion of students enrolled or proposing to enroll in post secondary and higher education from eligibility for assistance under the new programs;
• the coherence and equity of changes to the ATLAS program in the context of the reform required in the spectrum of day programs for people with disability administer or provided by DADHC;
• the adequacy of the funding levels to provide support to people with disability in order to conform to the aims, objectives, principles and application of principles of the NSW Disability Services Act 1993;
  
  The Committee will be placing an advertisement in all the major metropolitan and regional new papers very soon calling for submission from the public