There's been a mixed reaction to the establishment of a new Tasmanian disability consultative group.
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Minister for Disability Services and Community Development Jeremy Rockliff has announced the formation of a new Ministerial Disability Consultative Group to get feedback on disability services in Tasmania.
"The group will look at ways the government can continue to improve support for Tasmanians with disability, and encourage members to share their experiences with the NDIS and related policies, to ensure their voices are heard and represented," Mr Rockliff said.
"The group will be made up of at least 60 per cent of people with lived experienced of disability, and members will be able to connect from where they live or work across Tasmania."
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Women with Disabilities Australia executive director Carolyn Frohmader and disability advocate Kristen Desmond questioned why the group would not made up entirely of people with a disability.
"Why is it only 60 per cent? It should be 100 per cent and needs to be people with disabilities themselves," Ms Frohmader said.
Ms Desmond welcomed the new body but said having at least 60 per cent of people with disability was "not good enough".
"The Government should be aiming to have 100 per cent of this group made up of Tasmanians living with disability," Ms Desmond said.
"It is critical that people with disability (whether NDIS participants or not) are given the opportunity to speak for themselves. The Government should not be taking advice from anyone else on this important issue.
"I do have to question how seriously the Government will take the advice of this group. In 2019 the long established Ministerial Disability Advisory Group was disbanded to establish the Disability Reference Group and very little if anything has been heard about the work of that group.
"I hope this new group when established will be able to have a real and positive impact and not be relegated to being just another working group that enables the Government to say they are giving people with disability a voice but delivers no real positive change for people with disability in this state."
However, Launceston disability advocate Jane Wardlaw said she wrote to the Premier about such a group and welcomed it.
"It's a great idea," Ms Wardlaw said.
"The group needs to include the disability community and that includes families, support workers and providers who can work collaboratively to ensure everyone is covered.
"It is not just about the NDIS but the people who are not eligible for the NDIS but want to know about state policies, including the transport plan."
Membership for the new group will be done through an expression of interest process.
Ms Desmond encouraged young people with disability to express an interest in joining the group.