Participants from the National Disability Insurance Scheme will be given the chance to speak about their experience as part of an innovative Citizens’ Jury. People with Disability Australia (PWDA) will be running the Citizens’ Jury, which begins in Sydney today and continues until Friday 20 February. A report will be provided in April 2015. This … Continued
The Not for Profit sector is preparing to make submissions to the Senate inquiry into how the Department of Social Services provides funding grants to community services brought on by the Greens last week. Community Council for Australia CEO, David Crosbie, said his organisation, which represents a significant number of charities and Not for Profits, … Continued
Governments across Australia are working together to ensure the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) delivers the best possible support for people with disability. A public consultation process was launched today by the COAG Disability Reform Council – made up of state, territory and federal disability ministers – to discuss quality and safeguards for the NDIS. … Continued
Former disability discrimination commissioner Graeme Innes would head a new employment advocacy body to encourage more companies to hire people with disabilities under a policy to be announced by NSW Labor on Tuesday. Labor leader Luke Foley will unveil his party’s disability policy at the National Disability Services conference, following an address from NSW Premier … Continued
The Governor, Glenn Stevens, has today announced that the next generation of Australian banknotes will include a ‘tactile’ feature to assist people with a vision impairment. As previously announced, existing features to help the vision impaired tell the difference between different denominations of Australian banknotes will be maintained on the new series. These include: bright … Continued
Michael Sullivan has his own name for the NDIS, one that he believes better explains the scheme’s purpose. Speaking at a disability conference earlier this month, he said a National Disability Insurance Scheme “sounds like something might go wrong”. “How would that make you feel?” he asked the crowd at Geelong’s Deakin University, to boos … Continued
The new arrangement threatens eight peak bodies, with 200,000 members. The former chairman of the United Nations committee representing people with disabilities has added his voice to the chorus of anger over the government’s shake-up of the sector, challenging its claim it is in acting in accordance with the UN convention. Ron McCallum, who is … Continued
Deaf Australia and other leading disability peak organisations have condemned Assistant Minister for Social Services, Minister Fifield’s Friday media release, entitled ‘New voice for all Australians with Disability’, announcing the Federal Government’s decision to replace effective disability-led advocacy services with five new organisations that focus on demographic data, such as women, children and ethnic background. … Continued
The Australian Public Service has launched a new scheme, RecruitAbility in an effort to raise the woefully low number of people with a disability they employ. The scheme works by fast tracking applicants who self nominate as having a disability in the recruitment process so that they are guaranteed an interview if they meet the … Continued
The Senate will hold a nation-wide inquiry into the abuse of disabled people in institutions and homes in Australia, following a Fairfax Media/ABC investigation. The Greens moved a motion in the Senate on Wednesday afternoon, which passed with Labor’s support without requiring a formal vote. Last year, Juliette Anderson, who suffered abuse at the hands … Continued
Not all peak disability bodies and advocates are happy with the Federal Government’s move to establish a combined disability alliance to provide Government advice, with those opposed to the move describing it as divisive and misleading. As many as 10 leading disability peak organisations, including the Australian Foundation of Disability Organisations, have condemned Assistant Minister … Continued
The Federal Government’s cuts to the disability sector are a “catastrophic” blow and breach the United Nations convention on the rights of disabled people, advocacy groups and one of the architects of the convention says. The Department of Social Services announced yesterday it would fund an alliance of six groups representing disabled people by demographic … Continued
A new Alliance representing the interests and views of all people with disability will provide advice to the Australian Government on improving social and economic participation, and breaking down barriers. The National Cross-Disability Alliance will provide the Government with practical advice to help improve policies and legislation impacting people with disability across Australia. It will … Continued
Over the last half century, our society has become very sensitive to the power of words and we refrain from using slurs against any group, regardless of sex, age, color or other defining characteristics. This has not always been the case when referring to the largest minority among us: people with disabilities. There have been … Continued
A bill to stymie a class action lawsuit by workers with intellectual disabilities failed in 2014. The Australian government intends to revive it – but why? In October 2014, David Freud, the British welfare minister, gave a speech in which he argued that some workers with intellectual disabilities should not be paid the UK minimum … Continued