Senate debates

Thursday, 15 October 2015

Documents

Disability Support Program; Order for the Production of Documents

12:22 pm

Photo of Mitch FifieldMitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I understand that the information that Senator Carr is seeking can be viewed at the Department of Education and Training's website. The report found that the program, which has been evaluated since 2004, appropriately assists universities to meet their obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. It complements but does not duplicate activities funded by the NDIS. It funds the barriers to higher education that students with disability ranked as most important to overcome, such as difficulties in completing assignments and exams and participating in lectures and tutorials, and is valued by university staff.

The evaluation identified areas for improvement, in particular the administrative requirements of the DSP pose a significant administrative burden for universities. Universities are completing a large number of claims for small amounts of money, with 57 per cent of 2013 claims for amounts between $500 and $1,499 accounting for only six per cent of allocated funds.

Question agreed to.

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