Posted June 2, 2023
Under Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031, federal, state, and territory governments have committed to improving health services to create better health outcomes for people with disability. Notwithstanding this, it was brought to the committee’s attention that people with disability continue to face a range of barriers including accessing appropriate, accessible, responsive and equitable reproductive health services and education.
Posted May 26, 2023
The report finds that there is a critical need for improved visibility of people with disability within the criminal justice system and for greater transparency of outcomes in relation to programs designed to support their re-entry (including housing outcomes). Many of the programs designed to support people leaving correctional facilities have a limited evidence base and focus on recidivism to the exclusion of other related factors, such as housing and access to services that support people with disability to live independently in the community. Likewise, many supportive housing programs have not been evaluated for justice-involved people with disability.
Posted May 19, 2023
The Planning Inclusive Communities (PIC) project stems from research on mobility, participation, and the diverse experience of everyday life in the planned and designed city centres, towns and neighbourhoods of Australia. This report presents the thoughts, experiences, and ideas of 97 participants on what makes communities inclusive, their current experiences of living in their communities and what change is needed to make communities and cities more inclusive.
Posted May 18, 2023
Jury duty is an important civic duty associated with active citizenship. Barriers to jury service in current law and practice are out of touch with community expectations, laws and policies about non-discrimination and the inclusion of people with disabilities in public life. This report recommends ways to remove barriers from current law and practice that prevent people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or have low vision from serving on juries.
Posted April 28, 2023
The report investigates how to improve services, supports and programs for people with disability from culturally diverse backgrounds. The study concludes that ‘good’ practice for services involves three key elements, including the involvement of people with disability from culturally diverse backgrounds at all stages of developing, implementing and managing services. The report makes three recommendations for changes at a system, organisational and individual level.
Posted April 14, 2023
The committee is particularly moved by evidence that participants feel distressed, frustrated, and unheard when planners do not understand their lived experience of disability. Planners are a key interface between participants and the NDIS. If planners do not understand a participant’s disability and how it impacts their daily life, this is likely to have a negative effect on a participant’s plan and their experience of the NDIS.
Posted April 3, 2023
The Independent Review of Services Australia and the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) Procurement and Contracting examined the procurement processes leading to the award of contracts to Synergy 360 and associated entities. The review focused on internal agency practices and processes and the conduct of Services Australia and NDIA officials in undertaking the relevant procurements. the Independent Review produced an Independent Reviewer’s Report as well as a Taskforce Report to the Independent Reviewer.
Posted March 24, 2023
This report lays bare the failures of Victoria’s criminal justice system in a comprehensive assessment that reveals “jailing is failing”. It is increasingly clear that in Victoria, the growth in the adult imprisonment rate has not been driven by severity of offending or crime, but rather by systemic failings, and policy and legislative choices, that have resulted in people being funnelled unnecessarily into imprisonment. In particular, this includes those denied bail and awaiting sentencing and those denied parole.
Posted March 13, 2023
The research report looks at what should be done to make a more inclusive society that supports people with disability to be safe and independent. It considered several questions about inclusion and it found that inclusion is more than just being in the community physically. Inclusion is when people with disability feel welcome and know they belong, are safe and can speak up and have their say.
Posted March 3, 2023
The report provides an overview of all measures being tracked under Australia’s Disability Strategy at ‘baseline’ – that is, when the Strategy began in December 2021. Moving forward, baseline data will be the point of comparison against which changes for each of the measures will be compared over the life of the Strategy.
Posted February 24, 2023
The Royal Commission has published a research report titled Economic Cost of Violence, Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of People with Disability. It estimates that the economic costs of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation (maltreatment) of people living with disability is $46 billion annually, or $9,600 on average per person with disability.
Posted February 20, 2023
In October to November 2022, the Housing Hub ran a series of workshops designed to gather collective knowledge about SDA-funded group homes from providers and stakeholders. This report provides background to the workshops, and discusses the main findings and recommendations towards a better future for people with disability who choose to live in shared arrangements.
Posted February 17, 2023
Disabled people working in Australia’s screen industry face prejudice and systemic discrimination, including lower pay, greater casualisation and stigma and stereotyping, a new report finds. The findings, drawn from a national survey of more than 500 people – both disabled and non-disabled – and in-depth interviews, are included in the Disability and Screen Work in Australia: … Continued
Posted February 10, 2023
The Royal Commission has published its Report on Public hearing 21, which was held in February last year. The hearing examined the experiences of people with disability engaging with the Disability Employment Services (DES) program. It focused on Mzia (not her real name) who has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).
Posted February 10, 2023
The Pandemic Research Project looks at how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental health and wellbeing of women with disability. Women have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic due to several factors, including economic insecurity, over-representation in certain sectors of the economy, and caring responsibilities.
