disability politics - Australia

In 2010 in Victoria we will be voting for State and Federal governments before the end of the year.

A host of disability organisations, along with families and friends of carers, are campaigning for increased government awareness and action towards the implementation of a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

It is hoped that the implementation of such a scheme would see the beginning of a dedicated income stream to disability services that would support the delivery of desperately needed services across the country, including longterm accommodation and respite care.

Read more about:

The National Disability Insurance Scheme

Follow the NDIS on Twitter and Facebook

The Productivity Commission's hearing into the implementation of an NDIS in Australia

Please consider supporting the campaign, which is supported by many disability organisations, by emailing your candidates before the elections, or your MPs now.

I will add further links of interest as I find them.

June 2010.

Update: August 2010

As I will discuss in a brief post later, the issues paper from the Productivity Commission's inquiry is worth reading. It shows that there is genuine interest in reforming a broken system.

The National Disabity And Carer Alliance website is now fully functional and contact details for the Executive Director, Kirsten Deane, are available. Their most recent media release shows that they have appointed a National Campaign director to oversee an ongoing campaign funded by a coalition of disability groups to promote the NDIS.

Late September 2010.

August 16, the deadline for submissions to the Productivity Commission's inquiry, saw a huge flurry of email hit the PC's inbox. As of today (Sept. 21), a whopping 473 submissions have been publicly posted on the PC's website. Mine is no. 420.

If I have any more thoughts on this matter, I'll start a new blog! and advise you forthwith. Otherwise you can take part in the campaign from this site, everyaustraliancounts.com.au, or follow the NDIS on Twitter and Facebook.

Comments

[Ann O'Dyne]

Hi GT - I was reading the 'Letters to' in The Age yesterday and when I got to the 4th one I thought 'gee, a fourth on this issue, means they must have received 40 at least' and then I saw it was yours.
Sometimes the government uses the public purse as if they are a bad mother spending all the housekeeping budget on chocolates instead of food. There's money for flashy foolishness (Oprah, F1 GP etc) but not for the important things. May you prevail.

[genevieve]

Thanks, I am very glad you saw it!!