Tasmania’s Legislative Council has passed a bill that aims to create a safer and more inclusive Tasmania for people living with disability.

The bill will now be introduced into the House of Assembly and debated in the coming weeks.

Minister for Disability Services, Jo Palmer, said the Disability Rights, Inclusion and Safeguarding Bill 2024 is designed to advance and safeguard the rights and full inclusion of all Tasmanians with disability.

“This bill is an important step forward in delivering what the Tasmanian disability community has asked for and would not have been made possible without their input,” Palmer said.

The Bill creates the position of a Tasmanian Disability Commissioner to promote inclusion and improve quality and safeguarding protections which complement existing investigative and safeguarding roles.

It also establishes a mechanism for the formal inclusion of people with disability in leadership through the creation of a Disability Inclusion Advisory Council.

The Disability Rights, Inclusion and Safeguarding Bill 2024 promotes a social model of disability and the human rights expressed within the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (UNCRPD) and Australia’s Disability Strategy (ADS).

Many measures align with the recommendations handed down by the Disability Royal Commission.

The bill also formalises requirements relating to consultation, planning and reporting of progress in delivering actions through a legislated Tasmanian Disability Inclusion Plan and associated action plans for defined entities.

Under the new legislation, the role of the Office of the Senior Practitioner is elevated to that of decision maker for the authorisation of restrictive practices used by disability service providers and regulates the use of restrictive practices by disability service providers.

The Bill makes provision for a Community Visitor Scheme to be established in the future in response to a recommendation from the Disability Royal Commission.

Jenner Pleads for Autism Tasmania Funding

The news of Autism Tasmania’s closure “should be a punch in the guts for all Tasmanians, not just for those with autism” according the Jacqui Lambie Network MHA Andrew Jenner.

Autism Tasmania’s closure leaves Tasmania without a peak body for autistic people and their families – the only state in Australia without one.

There are over 4500 Tasmanians with autism currently on the NDIS, with one in four families impacted by autism.

Autism Tasmania went into liquidation at the end of June this year, with nine staff losing their jobs and offices being closed.

“This is simply not good enough,” said Jenner. “Tasmanians living and being impacted by autism need and deserve a service that is there to support them.”

“This is not just a few individuals, but a substantial segment of the Tasmanian community. To leave them without a peak body to both support and advocate for them is disgraceful.

“Disappointingly, the feds have made the decision to stop funding Autism Tasmania. It is now the responsibility of the Rockliff government to pick it up.

“This is about priorities: both the Liberal government and the Labor party can find millions of dollars to build an AFL stadium and fund an AFL team – but when it comes to funding services for neurodiverse Tasmanians, they go quiet.

“I do not believe that there isn’t money to fund such an important service, it’s a case of priorities – the Liberals and Labor would just rather see it spent on a stadium.

“Both Liberal and Labor would have you believe that the stadium is going to stop people leaving the state. I have heard from multiple families who have children with autism who feel they have no choice but to go to the mainland to get the support and services they need for their children.

“The government chooses to prioritise those in the Tasmanian community who know how to kick a football.”