New legislation which will create a nationally consistent worker screening database for the disability sector has been welcomed by Tasmanian advocates.
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The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Worker Screening Database) Bill 2019 passed the Australian Parliament earlier this week.
Launceston-based disability advocate Jane Wardlaw said the bill was a welcome development which would bring accountability in and around the most vulnerable people living with disability who depend on NDIS funded supports to meet their everyday living activities.
"Accountability is the cornerstone of good governance and finally the recent NDIS worker screening database is one step towards improving the quality of supports for people living with disability," Ms Wardlaw said.
"For too long people living with disability have experienced the pitfalls of lack of accountability within the systems that support us.
"Horrific abuse, violence and neglect have occurred because we didn't have appropriate accountability previously."
Ms Wardlaw said people living with disability depended on a formal support network.
"Good disability support workers are essential," she said.
National Disability Services state manager Will Kestin said the database would reduce the risk of harm towards people with disability.
"As a sector we have been pushing for this for quite some time," Mr Kestin said.
"What has happened previously is that support workers who had done the wrong thing by people with a disability, if they've moved to another state there has been no reporting practice to follow them from job to job."
Mr Kestin said there was a shortage of 2500 workers in the sector in Tasmania.
"It's an opportunity for the providers in Tasmania to make sure they are not employing someone who could put the people they look after at risk," he said.
Tasmanian Labor senator Carol Brown expressed her support of the bill during its second reading on Monday.
"Labor welcomes this legislation because we know that people with disability are at a greater risk of abuse than others in our community," Senator Brown said.
"Too often this abuse comes at the hands of people who people with disability should be able to trust the most.
"The national worker screening database will make it more difficult for people with poor records in one jurisdiction to move to another jurisdiction and continue to work with people with disability."
The total cost for creating and maintaining the database is $13.6 million over the forward estimates, of which the states and territories are expected to contribute $6.8 million.