RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS - Queensland Parliament ...

2334 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 31 Oct 2012
government and opposition members in their examination of the budget relating to my portfolio areas. I
take this opportunity to thank my assistant minister, the member for Southport, my ministerial staff and
the departmental staff for their very great efforts in preparing for the estimates hearings.
Preparing this year’s budget exposed the gross inability of the former government to manage
Queensland’s finances. That is not surprising, given the puerile commentary of the opposition in its
statement of reservations. As a result of this mismanagement, for which the opposition continues to
refuse to take responsibility, we have had to take some really tough decisions to fix that mess. It has
been a difficult and challenging process. However, we have now laid out a clear plan for the future. For
my portfolio area, that means we are helping the most vulnerable Queenslanders who need our services
the most.
For my department, this budget has been about revitalising front-line service delivery to our core
functions around child safety, disability services and social inclusion programs, whilst also delivering
savings to get Queensland back on track. Throughout this process, we have been upfront about what
we are doing to shape the future for the benefit of people whose lives are supported and sustained by
the services we provide. We have been upfront about the need for greater collaboration and innovation
in the services being provided to Queenslanders. We have been upfront with the sector about how, in
these challenging financial times, it is more important than ever that organisations look for ways to
further collaborate, perhaps share resources and offset costs to better position themselves in providing
the quality front-line services that government funds them to deliver.
My department has been much clearer about the services we want to purchase and our need to
establish an environment of greater contestability to ensure our spend is targeted most effectively and
has the capacity to move funding to areas of greater need over time. I was pleased to advise the
committee that my department is providing $1.756 billion in grants and subsidies to assist
Queenslanders in need in 2012-13. There will be a record spend of $959 million for specialist disability
services. We have increased spending for child safety by $140 million over four years to address the
funding black hole left to us by the former government that used the ‘fingers crossed’ accounting
method in a hope that there were enough savings across child safety at the end of the year to fill that
void.
I was pleased to expand on the $6.5 million in 2012-13 election commitment and the total funding
of $26 million over four years. As part of this, $4 million over the next four years has been committed to
the Parent Connect initiative to help up to 440 parents of children with a disability or developmental
delay each year during the first 12 months following a diagnosis. There is $5.5 million provided in this
year’s budget for new respite funding targeting people with a high-needs disability aged between 16 and
25 years.
In child safety there is a commitment of $4 million to trial Fostering Families in Queensland to
help at-risk families and their children. This is the first of its kind in Queensland. It is designed
specifically to target childhood neglect. We do not want to see any kids fall through the gaps. As the
Attorney-General said in his contribution earlier, we want Queensland to be the safest place in which to
raise a child.
Our Caring for our Community small grants initiative is underway now. We will be providing
$4 million over the next three years to support community and volunteer groups to purchase essential
equipment to help them support Queenslanders. We will move forward into the future with the full
recognition of the value of the community sector and the services that they provide to vulnerable
Queenslanders across the length and breadth of this great state.
Hon. GW ELMES (Noosa—LNP) (Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and
Multicultural Affairs and Minister Assisting the Premier) (11.01 pm): Mr Deputy Speaker Berry, thank you
for the opportunity to reply to the estimates committee report for the portfolio of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs. I would like to thank the chair, my good friend the member for
Redlands, and the five members of the Health and Community Services Committee who attended the
hearing for their diligence and competent conduct of the hearing. I would also like to place on record my
disappointment that the remaining two members—the members for Bundamba and Woodridge—did not
see fit to attend the hearing of the committee regarding my portfolio. This is especially concerning
because the member for Woodridge is the opposition spokesperson for multicultural affairs. I will come
back to that point later.
I would like to thank my ministerial and departmental staff for the time and effort which went into
preparing for this important element of government. The estimates process is a bit like cramming for an
exam. I certainly know far more about my department now than I did at the start of the process.
The committee’s report summarises the large number and diverse range of issues that were
covered at the hearing. I note a dissenting report has been provided. It is signed by the two Labor
committee members—the members for Bundamba and Woodridge. All I can say is thank heavens for
Hansard because without Hansard the two members would have had no idea what went on at the
hearing because they were not there.