Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth has stressed it is her paramount concern the rights and freedoms of people with disability are at the centre of government efforts.
“The rights of people with disability must be maintained and valued, and people with disability deserve to have a say on the policies and programs that affect their lives,” Rishworth said in a statement.
The government has also set aside $10.6 million over the next two years for organisations representing people with physical, intellectual, sensory or psychosocial disability, and organisations championing equality and accessibility for people with disability.
Rishworth added that the efforts of the organisations would support people to participate fully in their communities through advocating for government systems and services that were more accessible.
About one in six Australians live with a disability.
This aligned with the federal government’s ongoing work to meet responsibilities under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to respond to the recent disability royal commission, she said.
“By doubling funding towards systemic advocacy and supporting DROs to promote disability rights, the government is taking strides towards ensuring every person with disability can live their life with freedom and dignity and their perspectives are included,” Rishworth said.
On Friday, the minister named 11 disability representative organisations (DROs) as recipients of community grants valued between $660,000 and $1.3 million. For the first time, grants have also been given to representative groups for Autism, psychosocial disability, physical disability and people with chromosomal variations, as well as specific funding to represent LBTQIA+ people with disability.
Successful grant recipients include People with Disability Australia, First Peoples Disability Network (Australia), National Ethnic Disability Alliance, Women With Disabilities (Australia), Children and Young People with Disability Australia, Inclusion Australia, Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO) Ltd, Down Syndrome Australia, Physical Disability Australia, Autism Alliance National, and Community Mental Health Australia.
The Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA) has also been recognised by the government as a peak group for the individual advocacy sector, delivering a systemic representation of people who engage with individual disability advocacy supports.
DANA will deliver systemic advocacy through representing people who engage with individual disability advocacy supports, and continue to maintain its status as a DRO.
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