The Disability Information and Resource Centre

Yesterday, August 10th, the Federal Government announced it’s support for a National Disability Insurance Scheme.

From The Australian:

Julia Gillard throws weight behind historic disability reform

Julia Gillard throws weight behind historic disability reform

AUSTRALIA will have a National Disability Insurance Scheme after Julia Gillard yesterday declared her unequivocal support for the key social policy and the Productivity Commission said any hostile state could be bypassed.

The Prime Minister’s support for the historic reform came in response to the commission’s final report on disability care and support, which strongly endorses a commonwealth-run, no-fault NDIS.

“I certainly want to see a national disability insurance scheme. I share the vision of a national disability insurance scheme as the right way forward for our country,” Ms Gillard said.

But the Prime Minister said there was a lot of policy work still to do before the scheme, estimated to cost an additional $6.5 billion beyond current disability funding, could be rolled out. She said it could be seven years before the scheme was up and running.

Ms Gillard also warned that the new system must be “fiscally sustainable”, saying “We’ve got to get the money right and that will take time”.

Fierce resistance from some states to the mining tax, the carbon tax and aspects of health reform have dogged the federal government’s recent reform agenda, leading to concerns over its ability to deliver major policy.

But a disability insurance scheme, along with large-scale, aged-care reforms proposed earlier this week, could be the circuit-breakers the government is looking for. The NDIS has received bipartisan support, with the federal opposition and most states backing the measure. Assistant Treasurer Bill Shorten, a former parliamentary secretary for disabilities, said the NDIS was a key plank of social policy.

“There are four pillars which assure the quality of Australian life for all – the minimum wage, the age pension, compulsory superannuation and Medicare. The National Disability Insurance Scheme has the potential to be the missing fifth pillar,” he said.

Read the rest of The Australian’s story here.

Read the government’s press release.

Read the Productivity Commission’s Final Report.

Click here to listen to an interview between Alan Jones and Mary Lou Carter. The interview contains discussion about matters relevant to family carers and the federal governments new Carer Recognition Bill.

Over at the Purple Orange Blog is a post entitled How to Vote.

This post outlines things to consider when evaluating the disability policies of the contenders in the upcoming SA state election (and doesn’t endorse any particular party or candidate).

The Family First party have released their disability policy, which calls for an additional $110 million in funding for the disability sector.

You can view this news story from the Advertiser State Edition on the policy.

Disability Speaks have released the following statement regarding the upcoming SA state election:

At the Disability Speaks Public Meeting on February 17th, the Minister for Disability, Jennifer Rankine, did not reveal policy or funding initiatives and suggested we ” watch this space “.Well we watched and we watched and the Labor Party have released their Disability Policy for the 2010 election. The question is, was it worth waiting for? and most importantly how does the ALP stack up against the Liberal 2010 Disability policies.

The ALP Policy document confirms the allocation of additional education funding, $17.25 million to establish six new special education units and a range of early intervention services to children with Autism Spectrum Disorders including $4.0 million in support for private schools . This funding is not disability funding as it comes from the Education Dept budget and we have noted in a previous Disability Speaks communique and agreed that they are well targeted and will be very much appreciated by many with children in the disability community.

The 2010 Official ALP Disability Policy does however announce new funding of $17.5 million for equipment and home modifications for adults and children with a disability. Disability Speaks has been running media advertisements in the metropolitan press demanding that this area of the disability unmet needs waiting lists be addressed and this program will support that call! This funding is new money over 4 years.

But Disability Speaks has also previously argued that at least $120 million needs to be spent over the next four years by Government to address the current critical crisis in accommodation, respite and support services across South Australia. Sadly there is no new funding in the ALP policy for any other critical needs.

Subsequant to the ALP Official policy launch the government has also announced an additional transition program with $14.5 million dollars over four years to assist in the transfer of clients with disabilities from hospital to appropriate accommodation. This again is a new funding iniative!

The original 17 page ALP Policy Document is an impressive presentation but only offers the additional equiptment support plus plenty of sometimes questionable rhetoric . We are unable to deliver the ALP document direct online because of the file size but will supply on request the complete file to any Disability Speaks supporters who would like a full copy. Please ask by return email and we will fire it off to you! We do believe it is available online from the ALP wedsite.

The ALP policy makes much of the impending Cappo/ Social inclusion inquiry and how this will be the basis for a future plan. This is however noguarantee the plan will be supported by the ALP and many cynics in the disability community are seeing it as another Rann fairy tale like his promised 2001 Disability pre election policy guaranteeing a ten year plan that has never eventuated.

There is however no doubt at this stage the ALP has committed more funding for disability services in the next four years than the Liberal party. The ALP policies also appear to be appropriately funded.

We have attached for your interest a direct comparison based on our interpretation around the questions from our Public meeting of howDisability Speaks interpret the relative position of the two major parties in their election policies. Please circulate this file to all your supporters and print a copy for your noticboards and hand out!

We have asked and will deliver online on Thursday “The Final Word” in their own words a final one page summary from both the ALP and Liberal Party where they state their own 2010 Disability Committments and support position

Me ……………….I have not decided who to vote for yet? Both parties positions and history remain open to much conjecture and I have yet to see either Rann or Redmond talk about disability issues like they really matter. The choices on offer appear totally inadequate and a bit like being asked would you like to be tortured by testicualr electrocution or waterboarding?…………… there are no great outcomes which is very distressing.

We will keep you informed as the week progresses

Good luck in picking a winner!

David Holst

Chair

Disability Speaks Steering Committee

0418555683

www.disabilityspeaks.com.au

Disability Speaks have also released this comparison between the Labor and Liberal positions on disability.

The SA Liberal party have released their Disability Policy Statement for 2010.

You can read it here.

The SA Labor Party have released their Disability Support Policy.

You can read it here.

The Rann Labor Government have announced that, if re-elected, they will inject an immediate $7.7 million to clear waiting lists for equipment for South Australia’s children and adults with a disability.

You can read their full media release here.

The South Australian Council on Intellectual Disability Inc (SACID) have released a document outlining their priorities for the 2010 SA state election.

You can read it here.

Australians with disabilities will soon find it easier to access government information online.

Minister for Finance and Deregulation Lindsay Tanner and Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities Bill Shorten said the Rudd Government had endorsed new website accessibility standards, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0.

“This is an important step in making democracy more open, accessible and accountable for all Australians,” Lindsay Tanner said.

“It will encourage and enable people living with disabilities to more fully interact with, and get services from government online.”

The new standard replaces WCAG 1.0, a mandated requirement for agencies since 2000.

More information can be found here.