The Mr D case had previously prompted calls to reinstate the full powers of the Community Visitor, an independent statutory scheme that visits and inspects mental health facilities, hospital emergency departments, state-run disability accommodation and NDIS clients under guardianship in non-government organisations, but whose powers were reduced by the Marshall Government in 2019.
The Disability Rights Advocacy Service said last month that “the effectiveness of this scheme has been diminished, allowing events such as the one at Hampstead to occur”, with “the responsibility for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of people living with disability who reside in facility care being handballed to the Commonwealth”.
But xjmtzywLabor has announced if elected it will “revamp” the Community Visitor Scheme, investing $1 million to reinstate its previous powers – and extend them further, “to ensure safeguarding oversight in government-run homes, non-government disability support services, and where necessary, in private homes”.
The power to visit private homes appears prompted by the 2020 neglect death of Ann Marie Smith, who lived with cerebral palsy – and whose former carer Rosa Maione has pleaded guilty to her manslaughter.
Smith’s death prompted the former Principal Community Visitor of SA’s Community Visitor Scheme, Maurice Corcoran, to publicly slam “the reduction in scope and coverage of the SA CVS”.
“In May 2019, the Marshall government made a decision to reduce the coverage and scope of the CVS and prevented it from visiting individuals with disabilities in group homes and cluster homes who are being supported by Non-Government Organisations (NGOs),” Corcoran said in a letter to at the time.
“This resulted in the CVS no longer visiting 2200 individuals in houses and accommodation that were providing personal support from NGOs and private companies.”
Corcoran said while it would have been “unlikely” the CVS would have visited Smith in her private home unless there was a request by a concerned party, South Australia had not acted to understand the causes of preventable deaths for people with disability.
“This has been a horrible, tragic and preventable death,” Corcoran said.
Confirming the policy commitment, Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas said in a statement that “as a community, we must do everything we can to protect and support our most vulnerable.
“A Labor Government will renew and expand the role of the Community Visitor Scheme to ensure that there is proper, independent oversight and reporting on quality of care.”
Labor’s human services spokesperson Nat Cook said there were “too many stories of people living with disability or mental illness being abandoned… with nobody checking on their wellbeing or living arrangements”.
During a 2019 debate on the visitor scheme’s powers, then-Attorney-General Vickie Chapman told parliament that “transition can be difficult”.
“Obviously, big change comes with those consequences, but we are committed as a government to see this through and to ensure we have a better service for those in our community who require this as it transitions,” she said.
“Any matter of care concern referred by the Department of Human Services by the Principal Community Visitor has been followed up, investigated where necessary and appropriate action taken.
“I am assured that that will continue and, as a member of the government, I will support any action to ensure that that occurs.”
