
IdA Media Release 31 07 2024
Media Release – 31 July 2024
A Message from the CEO of Integrated disAbility Action, Inc. (ldA) Janet Wright
Dear Members and Community,
The Disability Royal Commission, which ran from 2019 to 2023, heard from people with disability, their families, supporters, kin, advocates and representative organisations about how many people with disability have been hurt and harmed at school, at work, in hospital, in prison, in public, and in disability services. The process of consultation was painful for people with disability sharing their stories and for the advocates, families and carers who supported them.
The stories that people with disability told filled three full volumes of the Disability Royal Commission final report, showing the scale of abuse against people with disability. The Royal Commission made 222 recommendations across all levels of government, but also to schools, disability providers, healthcare, police, prisons, employers and more. We have significant concern that only 13 recommendations of 222 have been fullyaccepted, and that after nine months, so many recommendationsremain still to be resolved across different levels of government.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime examination of the scale of violence so many people with disability experience and deserves and demands a response of the same scale.
Key recommendations from the Disability Royal Commission, about how to stop the violence that so many people with disability are subjected to, included national coordination, reform of disability service providers, changes to the law, increased access to support and leadership of people with disability in driving these changes. There is little concrete commitment or funding for any of these areas.
We welcome the commitment to the following reforms, but it is not enough to once again make a choice on behalf of people with disability, without identifying their priority areas.
$39.7 million to establish a new disability advocacy program – It is important to note here that ldA and other Independent PEER run advocacy services are not included in this funding at the time of this media release.
$6.9 million to review and modernise the Disability Discrimination Act-This has been an ongoing ask from ldA members.
$23.3 million to establish a Disability Employment Centre of Excellence.
$1.2 million to develop targets to reduce and eliminate restrictive practices-We whole heartedly agree with this but it doesn’t seem like enough funding.
$15.6 million to unify national disability quality and safeguarding arrangements.
$12.3 million to improve national approaches to accessible information and communications, including Auslan.
$4.4 million for consistent approaches to community visitor schemes as a safeguarding mechanism-We have been advocating for an increase to this program for years, again we had hoped for more funding.
$12.1million to amend the Migration Health Requirement to be fairer and more inclusive for children with disability.
$227.6 million to implement a new specialist disability employment program.
$2.6 million for the continued delivery of the National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline and the Complaints Resolution and Referral Service.
$2 million towards improving the safety of women and girls with disability.
$3.7 million to continue the Primary Care Enhancement Program for People with Intellectual Disability-This program is run by Primary Health Network and does not currently exist in the NT.
$19.6 million to support grassroots efforts to improve community attitudes around disability.
It is also important to note that the NT Government has committed $920,000 to fund consultation with the disability community and stakeholders, including First Nations groups, to inform the design and delivery of local disability reforms within Territory. The funding will support NT disability advocacy groups to engage with the disability community across the Territory, with consultations expected to commence by September 2024. This funding is a Territory commitment and is not part of today’s media release.
We will continue to review the roll out of recommendations and endeavour to keep you informed. If anyone would like to discuss with me thevarious reports and opinions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Janet Wright, CEO
Integrated disAbility Action, Inc. (ldA)