Mary Sayers, the Cyda chief executive, said the figures had “exploded” for a number of reasons, including that governments had tightened access to the disability support pension, which is paid at a higher rate. “The other is the absolute entrenched disadvantage that young people face in the labour market,” she said. “So we’ve got a whole range of these really intractable problems that need attention.
Data provides useful information for designing supports and services that meet the situations, needs and goals of people with disability. However datasets are largely disconnected. The National Disability Data Asset (NDDA) is a pilot that aims to link datasets across government departments and jurisdictions to improve data quality and comparability, creating a wide range of new insights through analysis. The NDDA maintains highest standards to ensure data integrity and privacy through the process.
Education Minister James Merlino has pledged to tackle “school gatekeeping” – where students with disabilities are steered away from a particular school – describing it as an “ugly lottery” for parents. Mr Merlino said the Victorian government’s $1.6 billion changes to student disability funding – which was announced in the 2020 state budget and will be rolled out in 340 schools this year – would ensure every school was “truly inclusive” for students with disabilities.
Many of you will remember that last year’s Senate Estimates were as messy as hell. The most frustrating thing, by far, was the number of really juicy questions that were taken on notice. In the last Estimates hearing, the NDIA took no less than 88 questions on notice. And guess what? The answers are back! While many of the answers are so useless they are pretty much the bureaucratic version of giving someone the finger, there are nuggets of gold among the many pages of boredom. Here’s what we learned…
People with high or complex disability support needs have traditionally had extremely limited options when it comes to finding somewhere to live. The growing specialist disability accommodation market is beginning to change that.
More than 75% of people with disabilities across Australia last year did not have legal representation at their NDIS appeals, according to data obtained under freedom of information from the AAT, which reviews government administrative decisions. While people with disabilities are attending their NDIS appeals without any legal representation, the NDIA uses up to three lawyers to represent it in one tribunal hearing.
Globally, Australia ranks 21 out of 29 among OECD nations for the employment of people with disabilities. A recent research project by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Business School found that the entrepreneurial spirit developed by those with disability is in part due to the failings they experienced in traditional working environments.
The essential functions and value of advocacy and representation in the protection and advancement of rights are described throughout the report and evidenced through The contribution advocates made at hearings, and submissions received from advocacy organisations.
Under the administrative review system that allows people to challenge government decisions, NDIS participants who have been denied supports and applicants who have been denied access to the scheme can appeal to the tribunal. While few people with disabilities are legally represented in these cases, new figures provided to the Senate show increasingly they face the prospect of negotiating with or facing off against lawyers from top private firms.
Finding a job can be difficult, and if you have a disability it’s even harder because of persistent workplace discrimination. But people with a disability are increasingly taking control of their own lives, building their entrepreneurial skills and establishing their own enterprises.
The disability royal commission’s interim report was handed down on Friday, detailing how people with disability were experiencing violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation across all aspects of their lives. The 561-page report outlines the attitudinal, environmental, institutional and communication barriers people with disability face when seeking inclusion within Australian society.
With organisations just months away from their funding ending, Tony Jones provides an overview of the current state of play in how disability advocacy is being funded and the New South Wales government’s response for further allocations.
“Participants have reported they have spent thousands of dollars chasing assessments to show their functional capacity and some Australians cannot afford the same access to professionals as others.”
But looking at the funding more closely, advocacy organisations say it is not “additional” money, but rather is reflective of the natural growth of the scheme.
“It’s well recognised that people with disability face multiple barriers to finding and keeping paid work,” said Romola Hollywood, Director Policy and Advocacy, People with Disability Australia (PWDA). “Without targeted measures, in a tightening labour market, people with disability will continue to be excluded from mainstream employment. This budget has missed a critical opportunity to turn the tables, and that is a shame.”