Palmer reveals shocking extent of waiting lists for Tasmanians living with disability

Tasmanian Labor

Disability
Services Minister Jo Palmer has shed new light on the shocking state of the
housing crisis, showing the Rockliff-Ferguson Government needs to be doing much
more Tasmanians living with a disability.

Ms
Palmer confirmed to Estimates Hearings today that of the 4,382 Tasmanian
families languishing on the Liberal’s housing wait list, 334 are NDIS
recipients and 229 of those Tasmanians are classified as priority.

Additionally,
411 Tasmanians are waiting for support at St Giles and over 600 are on the
waiting list for the Tasmanian Autism Diagnostic Service.

This
is a government that specialises in waiting lists and has not prioritised the
delivery of services – including housing – for our state’s most vulnerable.

It
beggars belief that the Rockliff-Ferguson Government thinks it’s OK that even
priority applicants for housing will now wait a minimum of 90 weeks.

It’s
not good enough that the Premier and his Ministers who are responsible for
delivering understand the extent of multiple waiting lists yet are prepared to
do the bare minimum.

Ms Palmer has been installed as the new Disability Services Minister and, unlike her predecessors, needs to finally act and show that this is a government that cares about delivering results – not just weasel words – for Tasmanians.

Jo Siejka MLC

Shadow Minister for Disability

/Public Release. View in full here.