Disability Minister, Lizzie Blandthorn, has dismissed the sector's calls for a stand-alone disability regulator, stating it would be amalgamated into a new Social Services Regulator (SSR).
The Minister's stance shuns Disability Advocacy Victoria (DAV), which represents more than 20 advocacy groups in the state.
DAV has been clear it does not want its stand-alone, dedicated regulator being consumed into a larger service.
Despite DAV having written to the Minister with this request, incredibly Ms Blandthorn told the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee (PAEC) hearing it was not the wish of the wider sector to have an independent regulator.
Ms Blandthorn told PAEC there would not be a stand-alone service, and it would indeed become part of the SSR, despite her State Disability Plan slogan being 'Nothing About Us Without Us'.
Shadow Minister for Disability, Tim Bull, said you cannot have a slogan that you will listen to disability groups and then ride roughshod over the wishes of 20 advocacy organisations.
"Also of concern is the Minister conceding her State Disability Plan 2022-26 has 186 actions, but one year out from its conclusion, only 28 are completed, 139 remain in progress and eight have not yet commenced. Four years into a five-year plan, this is not acceptable.
"The Budget papers also outline a $105.8 million cut to the State Disability Budget, but the explanation is vague with the reason given it 'primarily reflects the successful completion of government initiatives'.
"Our most needy and their carers deserve a better answer than just being given a primary reason with no detail. They are rightfully asking what are the other areas impacted by these cuts.
"It is time the Minister came clean on a range of fronts and started listening to the sector as her State Disability Plan slogan suggests."
