Ms Kerry Lawless:

I need someone to sit down and go through it with me one-by-one and then go through it again because, like Ms Newman, I get incredible fatigue and my brain shuts down every so often. I need small amounts of continual training and I probably it for longer than anybody expects. Then I will know how to use the library system because without that, every single thing I do takes me longer and takes more effort than it does for someone without a disability. It takes longer and more effort than it should do if I was getting the supports I need.

I agree that the way funding is administered is a problem. I am aware that I have been critical today but in defence of the disability services - and countless reports show this - they are incredibly under-resourced and understaffed. They are good people who are overwhelmed and trying to do their best with what they have. The structure needs to be looked at and there has to be an automatic right to these supports, rather than this negotiation. We must really look at what people need, including these soft skills and one-to-one peer supports that the Deputy mentioned.