Closing date: November 27, 2023
The Disability Representative Organisations (DRO) grant opportunity will run from 2024–25 to 2025–26. The DRO grant opportunity will provide $10.208 million (GST exclusive) over 2 years ($5.104 million per year) to organisations to provide systemic advocacy for Australians with disability.
The Greens have secured a comprehensive review of the Significant Cost Threshold, an outcome with significant potential to reduce discrimination in Australia’s migration system and improve life for many families seeking to make a life in Australia.
“Disability is a part of the rich tapestry of human diversity, and something that nearly all of us will experience at some point in our lives,” explains Jackie Dilworth. “It’s also a significant identity that defines how we experience the world. Yet people with disabilities have been marginalised and misunderstood for generations.”
Just over three years ago, then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the federal government would finally solve the issue of young people with disability having to live in nursing homes. The government developed a strategy and committed to getting all young people out of aged care facilities by 2025.
Victorian organisation Women’s Health in the South East said forced sterilisation was often performed to prevent pregnancy, that it breached “every international human rights treaty to which Australia is a party” and “constitutes torture”.
“With access to inclusive education still very limited, discrimination in hiring practices, and disability employment services that often fail to meet individual needs, young people are disadvantaged on many fronts when it comes to finding work, and some genuinely can’t work at all.
People with Disability Australia and Advocacy for Inclusion have called for Hanson to withdraw the video and apologise. The People with Disability Australia president, Nicole Lee, said the video showed “insensitive cruelty” and it contained “offensive, inappropriate and inaccurate depictions of disability supports under the NDIS”. “People with disability experience high levels of abuse as it is and now we’re being used as cheap shots for political point scoring,” she said.
The Chair of the Disability Royal Commission, the Hon Ronald Sackville AO KC, has written to the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Australia’s airlines and domestic airports outlining concerns people with disability have reported to the Royal Commission based on their experiences with air travel.
DANA and AFDO collaborated on a brief Pre-Budget Submission calling for continuity of advocacy funding (including systemic advocacy and representation) as the Disability Royal Commission comes to an end. The submission highlighted the need for an immediate injection of additional funds to address the crisis in demand. It specifically drew attention to the risks faced … Continued
The submission is informed by the collective knowledge and experience of independent disability advocacy member organisations. It explores the context, key barriers and challenges for the disability advocacy sector and outlines recommendations to support achieving positive outcomes for people with disability throughout Australia by eliminating the risk of experiencing violence, abuse, neglect or exploitation.
With only a quarter of public maternity hospitals reporting adequate services for women with disabilities, Ms Benzie says the time is now to implement disability identification – which would lead to a better understanding of the needs of women with disabilities.
Held in Melbourne on 17 October, the program set out to “unpack and examine the impact and effect that advocacy has in a variety of areas” from large-scale policy to community-led projects. Opening address was presented by Amanda Rishworth MP, Minister for Social Services with keynote provided by Ben Gauntlett, Disability Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission. The livestream is still available so catch up now.
“People have experienced a lot of fear, illness, isolation and neglect,” explained Dominic Golding, policy officer at National Ethnic Disability Alliance. “COVID has had a really big impact on where we feel secure and safe.”
The National Disability Advocacy Framework is a shared commitment to disability advocacy between the Commonwealth, state and territory governments to ensure there is access to advocacy services for all people with disabilities nation-wide. However, the current state of play is that advocacy – a key safeguard – is not currently assured.
This fifteenth session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an important moment for stocktaking and reflection. With 185 ratifications since its adoption in 2006, the Convention has crystallized the commitment of the international community to realize an inclusive, accessible, and sustainable world for all.