More support for Canberra families and inclusion

The ACT Government believes that when our city and our economy grows, all Canberrans must share in the benefits.

That is why the 2018 Budget expands our investment in services and support for Canberrans who need it most, delivering more resources for community providers who work with women, children, people with a disability and those experiencing homelessness.

Supporting the transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme

The ACT was the first jurisdiction in Australia to sign up to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The Government is committed to ensuring the Scheme delivers better support for Canberrans living with disability.

Over the next four years, the ACT Government will contribute more than $650 million for services and supports through the NDIS. At the same time, we will deliver new investment in programs and services for people with disability, including:

• $1.8 million to establish an NDIS Transition Integrated Service Response program to support people with high and complex needs not currently met by the Scheme and for individual advocacy services
• $580,000 to develop a Disability Justice Strategy to recognise and respond to the disadvantage that people with disability face when dealing with the justice system and provide ongoing support for the Canberra Community Law’s Socio-Legal Practice Clinic
• $200,000 over four years to expand the Disability Inclusion Grants program to support community groups, organisations and small businesses to become more inclusive and accessible for people with disability.

Tackling family violence

The ACT Government is continuing to deliver the Safer Families package as the most significant investment in addressing family violence across our community in Canberra’s history. This initiative is delivering more services in new ways, bringing family violence out of the shadows and ensuring those that need help get the support they need. The 2018 Budget will strengthen our investment through:

• Delivering the Family Safety Hub which is a network of government, specialist and community organisations and people with lived experience of family violence who will collaborate to develop better responses to family violence, with $6 million to pilot new approaches to enhancing safety
• $6.5 million for more accommodation places, particularly for women seeking shelter from violence through services like the Beryl and Doris Women’s refuges
• $1.7 million for more counsellors at the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre and Domestic Violence Crisis Service to ensure women in crisis can get the help they need as quickly as possible.

Better protection for our children and young people

We are continuing to build on our investments in keeping Canberra’s children and young people safe with new initiatives including:

• $3.5 million to improve the adoption and permanency process for vulnerable children in the ACT
• $2 million for the independent review of the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people involved with Child and Youth Protection
• $1.4 million to deliver the restorative practice Family Group Conferencing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families at risk of ongoing involvement with the child protection system
• $345,000 to continue the Child and Youth Protection Quality Assurance and Improvement Committee to deliver better outcomes for children whose safety is at risk from abuse and neglect.

A more inclusive Canberra

This Budget will help make Canberra even more inclusive by doing more for community self-help groups, our veterans and seniors, women and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Canberrans. This includes:

• $1.8 million to support veterans and seniors through increased grant funding and an ACT Public Service employment program
• $800,000 to make the Reconciliation in the Park festival an annual event which will bring Canberrans together to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and heritage on the Reconciliation Day public holiday
• $700,000 to introduce a grants program celebrating LGBTIQ visibility and further cement Canberra’s position as the most LGBTIQ inclusive city in Australia
• $696,000 to deliver the ACT Women’s Plan 2016-20 to progress gender equality and improve outcomes for Canberra’s women and girls
• $640,000 over four years to establish a Seniors Rights Service for Legal Aid to provide targeted legal services to older Canberrans who are experiencing, or are vulnerable, to elder abuse
• $469,000 over four years to support Self Help Organisations United Together (SHOUT) to continue assisting and building capacity for self-help groups in the ACT community.

This year, we will also establish the Chief Minister’s Charitable Fund to provide additional support for Canberrans most in need, and leverage individual and private sector philanthropy.

Our new investments in targeted services and supports through the 2018 Budget will ensure help is on hand for Canberrans when they need it most.

Media contact: Tim Cooke     0466 023 084    tim.cooke@act.gov.au