Bligh targets those in need

5 June 2007

Record spending in health, disability services, housing and child safety, reflect a government continuing to sustain economic drive and also proudly honouring its social responsibilities, Deputy Premier and Treasurer Anna Bligh said today.

“We’re keeping on the path of continued economic success, but at the same time we have not forgotten those in need,” said Ms Bligh.

“I am pleased to announce today that at the centre of this year’s Budget is a new $500 million five-year investment in social housing. This is the largest ever single injection of new funds for this area.

“These funds will be allocated from the Future Growth Fund and will fund more than 1700 units of new accommodation.

HEALTH

Queensland Health’s budget in 2007-08 is estimated at $7.151 billion, a 12% increase on the 2006-07 comparable Budget. Key health initiatives include:

Recurrent funding of $145 million over four years ($25 million in 2007 08) is provided for clinical education and training, and prevocational and vocational training initiatives for medical, nursing and allied health staff. This funding will be used to further enhance the clinical education and training provided to our current and future health workforce.

The Budget provides $140.9 million in recurrent funding and a total of $149.4 million in equity funding (including an additional $102.2 million) over four years for e-Health. Funding will go towards implementing a multi-use electronic record for patients and client areas to provide a patient-centric focus to health care delivery across a networked model of care.

Recurrent funding of $101.8 million over four years ($25.4 million in 2007-08) is provided for patient transport reforms, including additional funding for services provided by the Queensland Ambulance Service, and further funding support for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the Careflight Medical Service.

The total investment in mental health will increase by $895 million in just over five years to 2010-11. The Budget provides an additional $52.8 million in recurrent funding over four years ($12.3 million in 2007 08) to enable the full implementation of the recommendations of the Review of the Mental Health Act 2000 (Butler Review). This funding will assist the Government in enhancing the provision of support, information and assistance to victims of crime in matters where an offender has a mental illness.

Additional funding of $157.1 million over four years in recurrent funding ($18.6 million in 2007-08) and $122.6 million over four years in capital funding ($64.6 million in 2007-08) is provided for a number of critical health infrastructure projects, including Health Precincts at North Lakes and Brown Plains, and the Thursday Island Chronic Disease Prevention and Management Centre.

Capital funding of $87.6 million over four years ($27.6 million in 2007-08) has been provided to assist Queensland Health in responding to health infrastructure needs across Queensland, including renal services.

A funding package of an additional $95 million in recurrent funding over four years ($20 million in 2007 08) to address a number of critical health priorities including the implementation of a State-wide Trauma Plan, initiatives to prevent youth substance misuse including ‘Ice’, and improved blood safety and quality.

Additional recurrent funding of $80 million over four years ($20 million in 2007 08) for enhancements to outpatient service delivery across Queensland.

DISABILITY SERVICES

Additional $237.4 million in recurrent funding and $136.7 million in capital funding over four years to enhance the delivery of disability services in Queensland. Services for people with disabilities includes:

$33.4 million in recurrent funding and $29.0 million in capital funding in 2007-08, building on the $128 million over four years provided for disability services in the 2006-07 Budget. Key elements of this funding include:

• implementing system reform in response to public consultation on the document Have your say: On improving disability services in Queensland.

• a targeted service response based on advice by Honourable WJ Carter QC around challenging behaviour and disability.

• support for clients with a psychiatric disability/severe mental illness and moderate to high support needs to relocate from mental health facilities to community settings. The capital funding associated with this program is provided to the Department of Housing to provide community based accommodation.

The Budget provides new funding for additional support packages within existing programs and initiatives as follows:

? $20 million over four years to establish new and/or enhanced accommodation and day programs to be provided by Disability Services Queensland or non-government organisations, for people with a disability or for families living with a family member with a disability
? $8 million over four years for the Post Schools Services – Adult Lifestyle Support Program, which assists young people with high and complex disability support needs who do not have work or further education options when leaving school
? $10 million over four years to enable people with an acquired spinal cord injury to continue their care and support upon discharge from the Spinal Injuries Unit in Brisbane and to resume their lives upon their return to the community
? $8 million over four years to enable young people with a disability to continue to receive support when they exit the care of the State on turning 18 years of age
? $20 million over four years to provide increased support to meet the needs of accommodation support and respite service clients with challenging and/or complex behaviour and increasing health and mobility needs of ageing clients.

HOUSING
A housing assistance package of $719.3 million is provided in the Budget, underpinning a range of social housing solutions. Major components of the package include:

- $27.9 million in capital funding and $3 million in recurrent funding in 2007-08 to continue the Responding to Homelessness initiative to deliver a range of accommodation initiatives. This includes the continued redevelopment of the Lady Bowen Complex to further expand the housing options for people at risk of homelessness in inner-Brisbane as well as further allocations to the Crisis Accommodation and Community managed Housing - Studio Units
- $297.8 million for the Public Housing and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing rental programs and the Long Term Community Housing Program to purchase or commence construction of 544 dwellings, complete construction of 410 dwellings, upgrade existing dwellings, and purchase and develop land to facilitate future construction of social housing dwellings
- $42.9 million for Community-managed Housing - Studio Units to purchase or commence 164 units of accommodation, complete construction of 126 units, and purchase and develop land to facilitate future construction
- $24.8 million for the Crisis Accommodation Program to commence construction of three shelters, complete construction of one shelter and one dwelling, purchase two hostels and nine dwellings, upgrade one shelter, purchase and develop land to facilitate future construction and provide current grants to assist in responding to homelessness
- $86.3 million for maintenance, upgrades and new construction in the 34 Indigenous communities. This includes providing $7 million for factory built homes to increase social housing assets on smaller communities.

CHILD SAFETY

The Budget for Child Safety will increase by over $48 million in 2007-08 to $551 million.

The Budget provides $40 million over four years for a range of initiatives, including One Chance at Childhood. Major aspects of this funding include:

- funding of $12 million over four years ($3 million in 2007 08), which is aimed at keeping babies and toddlers safe. These funds will allow the Department of Child Safety to commence initiatives to provide Queensland’s most vulnerable children with their one chance at childhood by building greater expertise at the major risk points of the child, namely, working with high risk babies, deciding if it is safe to reunify a child in care with their parents, and providing a child with an alternative permanent family
- funding of $21 million over four years ($5.3 million in 2007 08) to provide for an extra 13 Child Safety Officers, 16 Court Coordinators, 29 Child Safety Support Officers and an upgrading of Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect Coordinator positions to further the reforms achieved since the release of the CMC report Protecting Children: An Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Foster Care and the subsequent Government Blueprint and to address increased demand in Child Safety Service Centres around Queensland.

• Recurrent funding of $18.7 million over four years and $12.4 million in capital funding over three years has been provided for an initiative aimed at responding to child protection needs in Indigenous communities. The Department of Child Safety has also allocated additional internal funding for this initiative, bringing total recurrent funding to $19.1 million ($2.1 million in 2007 08) and total capital funding to $15.5 million ($7.6 million in 2007 08).
- This funding will establish a number of residential care facilities in Pormpuraaw, Kowanyama, Aurukun, Weipa/Napranum, and Doomadgee. Additionally, a first placement house will also be established on Palm Island as part of the Queensland Government’s five point plan for Palm Island. These facilities will provide a safe place for Indigenous children and young people to be placed for initial assessments and reduce the need to remove them from their community, as well as provide for longer term residential care.
- This funding will also be used to establish employee housing and office accommodation facilities for Child Safety Officers delivering services from branch offices located in Weipa, Cooktown and Thursday Island.

Media contact: Deputy Premier’s Office 3224 6900