The Disability Information and Resource Centre

About Families Australia

Families Australia is the national peak not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the needs and interests of families. It seeks to do this at the national level by acting as a conduit for information and views between, on one hand, the Federal Government and its agencies, and, on the other, individuals, families and community-based organisations. From time-to-time, Families Australia conducts focus groups and other forms of consultation to explore understandings about contemporary family issues.

Work to date on siblings issues

Since 2009, Families Australia has worked with Siblings Australia to advocate for and raise the profile of siblings as a cohort, for whom the public policy debate about their wellbeing and potential, is largely silent.

During this period of collaboration, Families Australia has worked together with Siblings Australia to develop a position paper prior to the last Federal election, contributed to the development of the Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) position paper on siblings, promoted Siblings Australia web resources, as well as regularly included siblings issues in advocacy papers to the Federal Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA).

Families Australia welcomes the recent undertaking by the RANZCP, in advancing the interests of siblings living in complex environments. Their Position Paper 69: Addressing the needs of siblings of children with disability or chronic illness, (http://www.ranzcp.org/images/stories/ranzcp-attachments/Resources/College_Statements/Position_Statements/ps69.pdf) is supported by a more comprehensive report, (http://www.ranzcp.org/images/stories/ranzcp-attachments/Resources/siblings_report.pdf) in which the lack of data and information about sibling needs and supports is articulated. Strategically, the lack of evidence on siblings and their needs creates a ‘greenfield’ or under-developed public policy area, which presents as an opportunity for policy and program development.

Families Australia is particularly interested to understand the implications of mental health and wellbeing issues facing siblings. Siblings are defined as those who have brothers and/or sisters with a chronic condition; whether that condition is disability or chronic illness and includes mental illness.

Purpose of sibling consultation

The purpose of this focus group is to explore the recommendations made by the RANZCP. The aim is to identify practical strategies to underpin the RANZCP recommendations and which Families Australia will utilise in its on-going support for siblings in the national policy arena.

Focus group arrangements

The focus group will consist of approximately 10 people, the majority being siblings, and may include teachers or other workers with a specific interest in sibling support and potentially one or two parents. This diverse mix will create opportunities for multiple interests to be taken into consideration, for example young siblings or teachers who support young siblings within the education system.

The duration of each session will be 1 ½ hours.

The two alternate dates are Friday, 10th February, 5 – 6.30 pm OR Saturday, 11th February, 10 – 11.30.

The venue: UnitingCare Wesley, Adelaide, 2nd Floor, 10 Pitt Street, Adelaide.

Your hosts: Kate Strohm, Siblings Australia and Stella Conroy, Families Australia. Light refreshments will be available.

The discussion and feedback will contribute to future advocacy for siblings.

The Hosts

Kate is the founder and Director of Siblings Australia, and has a sister with cerebral palsy. Stella has a long history in the human services sector, working across diverse family settings and is currently the senior policy manager with Families Australia. Stella is a sibling of an adult brother, who has an enduring mental illness.

RSVP

If you are interested in attending one of the sessions please send your details (name, phone, email) and preferred session via email to kate@siblingsaustralia.org.au or phone 0408720558 by 30 January.

“What will happen when it becomes harder to care for my child?”

This program from UnitingCare Wesley Bowden assists older parent carers of a child with a disability (over 25), to plan and prepare ahead for a time when the caring role will change and an alternative care plan will be required. Information/Focus groups assist carers to find pathways into the planning process. (Carers over 65 or over 50 if Indigenous Australian).

CARER INFORMATION/FOCUS GROUPS TO COMMENCE

Wednesday 26th MAY 2010

at Northern Connections, 7 Philip Highway, Elizabeth.

Come to a series of 6 consecutive Wednesday morning groups for older carers (or those that interest you) and hear:

• A carer’s planning story
• Respite and Carelink and other community service/network links
• Information/speaker from Disability SA re accommodation/placement processes; or a visit to Mental Illness Fellowship of SA
• Legal Issues for carers
• Caring for the Carer
• Catered lunch provided at Groups 1 and 6

No cost—Respite and transport available.

Please register by contacting Kay or Kylie (North & West metro) 8346 8329 or 1800 052 222.

The Social Justice Initiative at the University of Melbourne is seeking people on low incomes, pensioners, and people with health related electricity needs to participate in focus groups on potential changes to electricity pricing following the rollout of smart meters.

The majority of residential electricity users currently pay a flat or inclining tariff for their electricity usage but when smart meters are rolled out more wide-spread peak and off-peak pricing may be introduced along with critical peak pricing (where the cost of electricity rises substantially for brief periods of exceptionally high demand).

The Consumer Advocacy Panel has funded the Social Justice Initiative to investigate the potential impacts of these pricing initiatives on low-income and vulnerable consumers.

Focus groups will take place in Melbourne, Bairnsdale, Sydney, Wollongong, Brisbane, Townsville and Adelaide during October.

If you would like to participate in the focus groups please contact Michael McGann on 03 8344 3203 or mmcgann@unimelb.edu.au

Contact Name: Michael McGann
Contact Phone: 03 8344 3203
Contact Email: mmcgann@unimelb.edu.au
Details for prospective participants:

“Energy and Justice: Investigation of the Impacts of the National Rollout of Smart Meters on Consumers”

You are invited to participate in the above research project, directed by Dr Jeremy Moss (Director of the
Social Justice Initiative, University of Melbourne) with assistance from Michael McGann (research
associate, Social Justice Initiative). This project is being co-funded by the Consumer Advocacy Panel and
the Social Justice Initiative.
The aim of this study is to investigate consumers’ perceptions, behaviours and cost minimisation strategies
in relation to alternative electricity pricing structures that may arise following the national rollout of smart
electricity meters over the coming years. The rollout of smart meters will do away with the need for monthly or quarterly domestic meter readings and the calculation of domestic energy bills based upon a flat pricing structure. Instead, they will allow for the remote reading of electricity meters and the introduction of new ways of charging consumers for their electricity use, such as the use of peak and off-peak rates and the use of critical peak pricing (where a higher than normal price is charged for brief periods of exceptionally high demand). The information on consumer behaviour gathered through this project will be used to make recommendations to protect consumer interests and minimise the adverse financial impact of forthcoming changes to the national electricity market following this rollout.
Should you agree to participate, you would be asked to contribute in two ways.
Firstly, you will be required to fill in a brief survey questionnaire about your household circumstances and
about your domestic energy consumption: level of household income, number of dependents, type of
accommodation, the physical health of household members, expenditure on energy, and the sources of
energy available to your household. This survey should take no longer than 30 minutes to complete.
Secondly, you will be invited to participate in a one-and-a-half hour focus group. At this focus group, you
will be given an opportunity to discuss your perceptions about energy prices, the sort of behaviours that
you adopt to reduce your domestic energy consumption, and the concerns you might have about various
alternative energy pricing mechanisms (e.g. peak-pricing and time-of-use charges). With your permission,
the focus group would be tape-recorded so that we can make an accurate record of what participants say.
When the tape has been transcribed, you would be provided with a copy of the transcript, so that you can
verify the information concerning your participation is correct and/or request deletions. We estimate that the time commitment required of you at this stage would not exceed 20 minutes.
We will ensure that any exposure to health or other risks as a result of your participation in this project is
minimised insofar as is possible. In this regard, counseling and support resource information shall be
available should you require it at any stage. We will also protect your anonymity and the confidentiality of
your responses to the fullest possible extent, within the limits of the law. Your name and contact details will
be kept in a separate, password-protected computer file from any data that you supply. This will only be
able to be linked to your responses by the researchers, for example, in order to know where to send your
focus group transcript for checking. In the final report, you will be referred to by a pseudonym. We will
remove any references to personal information that might allow someone to guess your identity, however,
you should note that as the number of people participating in the study is quite small, it is possible that
someone may still be able to identify you.

Once the reports arising from this research have been completed, a brief summary of the findings will be
available to you should you wish to receive it. It is also possible that the results will be presented at
conferences. The data will be kept securely at the Social Justice Initiative for five years from the date of
publication, before being destroyed.
Please be advised that your participation in this study is completely voluntary. Should you wish to withdraw at any stage, or to withdraw any unprocessed data you have supplied, you are free to do so without prejudice.
For further information, or if you would like to participate in this project, please Michael McGann on
(03) 8344 3203 or mmcgann@unimelb.edu.au
Should you have any concerns about the conduct of the project, you are welcome to contact the Executive
Officer, Human Research Ethics, The University of Melbourne, on ph: 8344 2073, or fax: 9347 6739.

Here is an opportunity to meet with representatives from the Federal Government’s Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy face to face to talk about the issues relating to telecommunications accessibility.

On 16 February 2009, Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, announced that his Department would undertake a feasibility study into whether a disability equipment program that is independent of telecommunications carriers should be established.

More information on the study (including the discussion paper) and the Signposts for Change Forum can be found at www.dbcde.gov.au/communications_for_consumers/telephone_services/access_for_people_with_disabilities/independent_disability_equipment_feasibility_study

The Minister made the announcement at the Signposts for Change: People with Disabilities and Telecommunications Forum in Melbourne.
Comprehensive public consultation is being undertaken as part of the study.

This consultation includes:
• a discussion paper (submissions closed on 17 April 2009),
• focus groups with individuals from the disability community, and
• face-to-face consultations with disability and consumer advocates, carriers, health professionals, industry representatives and government departments.

As part of the consultation process, representatives from the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy are visiting Novita Children’s Services on Thursday 25 June 2009. The representatives would welcome the opportunity to meet between 6 – 10 clients who are interested in sharing their personal experiences in accessing or trying to access telecommunications equipment or services in a focus group setting.

When: 2 pm Thursday 25th June 2009 for approx. 2 hrs
Where: NovitaTech, 171 Days Rd, Regency Park SA 5010
If you are interested in being involved in this focus group please contact:
Glad Greco Phone 1300 85 55 85, Email: glad.greco@novita.org.au as soon as possible but no later than Monday 15th June 09.
If you require additional information, please contact either:
Rob Garrett Research & Innovation, Novita,
Email: rob.garrett@novita.org.au Phone: (08) 8243 8263, Fax: (08) 8243 8208 or
Nadine Coutts Consumer Engagement, Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, GPO Box 2154 CANBERRA ACT 2601

Email: nadine.coutts@dbcde.gov.au Phone: (02) 6271 1862  Fax: (02) 6271 1850
Please note that numbers for the focus group may need to be limited. Assistance may be available for transportation by taxi to and from the focus group.