7Guiding principles

7 Guiding principles

(1) Without limiting the rights of persons with a disability, it is a guiding principle of the regulatory scheme under this Act that persons with a disability to whom disability services are provided have the same rights as other members of the community—

(a) to be respected for their human worth and to be treated with dignity as individuals; and

(b) to live free from abuse, neglect and exploitation; and

(c) to realise their individual capacity for physical, social, emotional and intellectual development; and

(d) to exercise choice and control over their own lives; and

(e) to access information and communicate in a manner appropriate to their communication and cultural needs; and

(f) if a child, actively to involve the child's family and any other caregivers in decisions affecting the child and to have information and support to enable this to occur; and

(g) to choose disability workers with the values, skills and qualifications that meet their needs; and

(h) to access services which support their quality of life.

(2) Other guiding principles of the regulatory scheme are—

(a) the registration of disability workers and disability students in accordance with this Act is to occur in a manner that is transparent, accountable, effective, efficient and fair; and

(b) fees required to be paid under this Act should be reasonable, having regard to the effective and efficient operation of the registration scheme; and

(c) restrictions on the practice of disability workers in accordance with this Act are only to occur if they are in the public interest and if they are necessary to ensure that disability services are provided safely and are of an appropriate quality.

(3) It is the intention of Parliament that the guiding principles specified in this section should, if practicable, be given effect to in the administration of this Act and the regulation of disability workers and disability students.

Part 2—Governance

Division 1—Disability Worker Registration Board of Victoria

8 Establishment of the Board

There is established the Disability Worker Registration Board of Victoria.