1997-1998
Australia's Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services, Budget Document 1997-98.
The 1997-98 Budget provides three measures for improving the services available to people with disabilities and their families.
Fach Sheet 15
Improving Services for People with Disabilities and their Families
The 1997-98 Budget provides three measures for improving the services available to people with disabilities and their families. These measures are additional money to State/Territory governments to address unmet need in accommodation support services for people with disabilities, new funding arrangements for the National Relay Service and the provision of replacement speech processors for children with cochlear implants.Additional accommodation support places for people with disabilities
People with severe or profound disabilities, and the families who care for them, will benefit from a 1997-98 Budget measure which provides a total of $54 million over four years.
State and Territory governments will be able to help at least 500 additional people and their families to gain access to personal care and accommodation support services as a result of the new initiative.
Funding to State and Territory governments will be increased through a renegotiated Commonwealth/State Disability Agreement by the following amounts:
1997-98 $m | 1998-99 $m | 1999-2000 $m | 2000-2001 $m |
5.9 | 11.8 | 18.0 | 18.3 |
The increase in funding demonstrates the Federal Government's commitment to people with disabilities, and to assisting State and Territory governments in their efforts to address the considerable level of unmet need for accommodation support services. This builds on the already substantial contribution by the Federal Government to assist State and Territory governments in the provision of accommodation and other support services for people with disabilities.
The Federal Government's total contribution for this purpose has increased from
$186 million in 1989-90 to an estimated $315 million in 1997-98.
New arrangements for National Relay Service
New funding arrangements have been announced for the National Relay Service which provides people who are deaf or who have a hearing, speech or communication impairment with the ability to use the national telephone system on terms comparable with other Australians.
Financial assistance is also available to eligible consumers to purchase equipment such as telephone typewriters or modems to use the relay service.
Under new telecommunications legislation, funding for the operation of the National Relay Service and the associated equipment program will become part of the Universal Service Obligation arrangements for telecommunications carriers from 1 July 1998.
The National Relay Service, which is managed jointly by the Department of Health and Family Services and the Department of Communications and the Arts, is currently funded under a Budget appropriation of $26.1 million over four years until the end of June 1998. There will be no gap in provision of the service at the end of the current contract period.
The total effect of this Budget measure on the portfolio is as follows:
1997-98 $m | 1998-99 $m | 1999-2000 $m | 2000-2001 $m |
0.0 | -7.9 | -7.9 | -8.0 |
(See separate fact sheet for details of replacement speech processors for children with cochlear implants.)
Contact:
Accommodation Support: Roger Barson, Assistant Secretary, Policy and Planning Branch, Disability Programs Division. Phone: (06) 289 8744
National Relay Service: Ruth Goren, Assistant Secretary, Office of Disability, Disability Programs Division.Phone: (06) 289 8348
Top of page
