More than four million Australians live with a disability. Their rights are protected by a variety of laws, some international – like the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (UNCRPD) – and some national, like the Disability Discrimination Act (Cth) (DDA). But despite the existence of these laws, people with disability … Continued
Inclusion Australia CEO, Catherine McAlpine, spoke at the National Disability Asset webinar. The Asset aims to better understand specific needs and goals of people with disability – to give a more complete picture of their lives. For more info, watch the highlights video
The Women with Disabilities Victoria (WDV) Experts by Experience Advocates (Experts) are a group of 12 women with diverse experiences of disability. The Experts support the development of policies, products and services by sharing their lived experience expertise through consultations and co design sessions. The Experts meetings are held monthly on Thursdays, from 11:00am to … Continued
The Government is focused on building the capability of families and carers of children with disability or developmental concerns in early childhood and education and care settings through new resources aimed at boosting inclusivity and building staff and educator capacity. Delivering on the Government’s commitments under Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031 Early Childhood Targeted Action Plan, … Continued
Hearing and vision-impaired Australians lack the accessible information they need to make an informed decision on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, advocates say.
Closing date: October 31, 2023
The new Disability, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne invites Expressions of Interest for a PhD. The Initiative aims to create and promote safe and socially just futures, where people with disability have access, are included and their diversity valued in all facets of social, political and … Continued
Victoria will have a new Mental Health and Wellbeing Act from 1 September 2023. The new Act replaces the Mental Health Act 2014. It has new rights-based principles that promote the values, preferences and views of Victorians with mental illness or psychological distress. The new principles guide how service providers should deliver assessment, treatment, care and support.
This meticulously researched book uses archival records to explore the history of Kew Cottages through the trajectory of ideas behind development of disability policy, both nationally and internationally, and the treatment of people with intellectual disabilities in institutional care, covering the evolution of disability within our society. Everyone with an interest in the history of disability rights in Victoria should read this book which explores the way policies and services have evolved as our understanding of intellectual disability improves.
The new National Disability Advocacy Framework 2023-2025 (NDAF) and associated Disability Advocacy Work Plan were endorsed by Disability Ministers on 21 April 2023. They were developed by the Australian, state and territory governments, in consultation with people with disability, families, carers, disability advocacy providers and disability representative organisations. The NDAF commits governments to work together to improve national consistency and access to advocacy services for people with disability across Australia. The Work Plan identifies shared priority work areas for the Australian, state and territory governments, to work on to support the outcomes in the NDAF.
The forum was a great opportunity to hear from and gain clearer understanding of the challenges faced by the community organisations and advocacy groups when accessing and working with the NDIS.
The Australian Human Rights Commission, an A-status National Human Rights Institution, welcomes the overarching theme of this year’s Conference of State Parties concerning harmonising national policies and strategies with the CRPD.
The term “evidence-based practice” comes from the medical field, mostly from research trials with a clear cause-and-effect relationship. But this narrow idea of what evidence is can be problematic when applied to a complicated scheme like the NDIS.
The federal government is trying to contain the exploding cost of the landmark National Disability Insurance Scheme – especially difficult given the fears of vulnerable people who rely on it. In this podcast, former Paralympian Kurt Fearnley, chair of the National Disability Insurance Authority, which implements the scheme, discusses its issues and the road ahead.
Government Services minister Bill Shorten has called for the greater use of data and automation in National Disability Insurance Scheme assessments as long as an “ethical framework” is in place. He said that the problem with the former government was that it took the “human elemen out.”
While much of the attention on the scheme is around Tier 3 supports, a major driver of costs is a lack of investment in Tier 2 services. If we do not see adequate investment in mainstream and community services, such as in health and education, people with disability are more likely to require Tier 3 services.