Engaging the disability sector to build a National Disability Insurance Scheme

http://www.jennymacklin.fahcsia.gov.au/mediareleases/2012/Pages/disability_sector_build_ndis_030512.aspx#.T6M7H5jyyHY.facebook

The Australian Government today announced the members of an expert group that will help ensure a smooth transition for the delivery of services under a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
The group will provide advice about how the disability sector should be supported to deliver services under an NDIS, and how the disability care workforce can be prepared for the change.

Positive Partnerships to continue!!!!

fabulous news!!!!  positive partnerships to continue!!! I highly recommend this FREE course to all parents of children on the autism spectrum.

A new consortium will train more than 450 teachers and 1,450 parents every year in how best to help students with autism, Minister Assisting for School Education Brendan O’Connor announced today.
The Gillard Government is continuing its commitment to give all children the best opportunity to learn and lead productive lives by commencing the second phase of its successful $40.5 million Positive Partnerships initiative.
“I’m pleased that the Gillard Government is continuing this program as part of our $220 million Helping Children with Autism package,” Mr O’Connor said.

http://ministers.deewr.gov.au/oconnor/more-teachers-parents-be-trained-autism-support

Australian Government media release - Discussions begin on disability education

AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT MEDIA RELEASE SERVICE
*******************************************
TITLE: Discussions begin on disability education | Ministers&#039 Media Centre
PORTFOLIO: Education, Employment and Workplace Relations

URL: http://www.ministers.deewr.gov.au/oconnor/discussions-begin-disability-education

SNIPPET: Minister Assisting for School Education Brendan O'Connor and Member for Fraser Andrew Leigh today met with students, parents and teachers of Canberra's Black Mountain School to talk about better
funding for students with disability.. This school visit was the first opportunity for Mr O'Connor to discuss disability education with a school community following yesterday's release of the David Gonski led
Review of Funding for Schooling report.. This school visit was the first opportunity for Mr O'Connor to discuss disability education with a school community following yesterday's release of the David Gonski led Review of Funding for Schooling report.

Media release from Minister assisting for school education

Improving schooling for students with disability

Minister Assisting for School Education

A new group which brings together parents, teachers, young people with disability and peak bodies to advise the Gillard Government on issues affecting students with disability has met for the first time today.

Minister Assisting for School Education Brendan O’Connor opened the inaugural meeting of the Schools Disability Advisory Council, part of the Government’s continued commitment to improving education for all students.

“Every child or young person, irrespective of their background, deserves opportunities and support to participate fully in education and their community,” Mr O’Connor said.

“Today, the council will discuss some of the big issues in education including the Disability Standards for Education, funding and specific measures to help students with disability, as well as getting an update on progress towards the collection of nationally consistent data on school students with disability.

“I look forward to the feedback I will receive from the Advisory Council, to see what we can improve to make sure all students in Australia are getting the best education possible.”

The Council, which was announced by Minister for School Education Peter Garrett last year, comprises members from peak organisations representing people with disability, educators and parent groups, as well as academic experts and young people living with disability.

“We will rely on council members’ advice on developing policy and implementing school education programs and initiatives to improve the educational outcomes, social inclusion, resilience and wellbeing of students with disability,” Mr O’Connor said.

The Gillard Government has a number of important initiatives to improve the quality and consistency of support schools can provide to students with disability, including:
• The $200 million More Support for Students with Disability initiative, with funds to be available to schools this year;
• The collection of nationally consistent data on students with disability to allow more informed and effective government policy supporting students with disability; and
• The Review of School Funding, chaired by David Gonski, which examined the funding support provided to schools working with students with disability.

The full list of members is available at: http://www.deewr.gov.au/Schooling/Programs/Pages/SchoolsDisabilityAdvisoryCouncil.aspx

Tony Abbot on the NDIS and Every Australian Counts' response

Very disappointing
http://everyaustraliancounts.com.au/media-release-every-australian-counts-welcomes-mr-abbotts-statements-in-support-of-the-ndis/
MEDIA RELEASE: EVERY AUSTRALIAN COUNTS WELCOMES MR ABBOTTS STATEMENTS IN SUPPORT OF THE NDIS
The Every Australian Counts campaign welcomes the statement on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) by the Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott at the National Press Club today in Canberra.
Mr Abbott has today given the strongest statement of support for the NDIS from the opposition saying that:
"The coalition strongly supports the Productivity Commission's recommendation for a disability insurance scheme but, with an estimated price tag of $6 billion a year this important and necessary reform can't fully be implemented until the budget returns to strong surplus". 
John Della Bosca National Director of the Every Australian Counts Campaign said "The Every Australian Counts campaign welcomes Mr Abbott's statement in support of the NDIS. It's significant that in Tony Abbott's first major speech for the year he has made the NDIS one of 3 priority areas that the Coalition would address if elected into Government"

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2012/s3419855.htm
MARK COLVIN: The Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has made a major speech in Canberra today but he stopped short of making any specific new promises.
Tony Abbott described a national disability insurance scheme and Medicare funding for dental services as worthwhile aspirations, but he said neither could be implemented before there's a strong budget surplus.

Media release - International Day of People with Disability

Thursday 1 December

Every Australian Counts – including those with a disability

Disability Discrimination Commissioner Graeme Innes said today that more needs to be done to improve the opportunities for people with disability in our society.

In a speech ahead of the annual International Day of People with Disability on Saturday 3rd December, Commissioner Innes handed out the bouquets and brickbats for 2011.

 The good news is, the year in review saw the outstanding announcement of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Politicians should be commended for getting the ball rolling for a scheme that will lead to a fair and equitable system for the delivery of disability services across Australia.

 “A National Disability Insurance Scheme has the potential to make a huge difference for the human rights of people with disability and their families and enhance the extent to which people with disability - can participate in and contribute to Australian society.” said Commissioner Innes.

Accolades are due to cinema chains and movie distributors. The field of visual and audio entertainment has seen positive progress for people with disability. This year, captions and audio descriptions on 60 screens in cinemas across Australia have become available during every session at which the movie is shown.

 The airline industry features for the third year in a row for worst practices affecting people with disability. Airline exclusion still exists with Jetstar, Virgin and Tiger continuing their policy of refusing to carry more than two people using wheelchairs on each aircraft.

“There is an endemic problem in the assistance that particularly budget airlines provide to people with disability, it comes down to ineffective staff training and a lack of available employees,” said Commissioner Innes.

 The issue of employment also dominated the year in disability - the low number of workers with disability in the Commonwealth public service needs to be redressed. In Australia it is 3.1 percent, in New Zealand, it is 10.4 percent.

 “There is little sign of improvement in recruitment of people with disability. The recent PricewaterhouseCoopers report revealed that while employment of the general population is 80 percent, for people with disability, it is 40 percent,” he said.

 Also on Commissioner Innes’ list of best and worst was the issue of language and attitude towards people with disability. It’s all in a word, but words do matter.

 “This year, I add my name to the long list of critics - of Kyle Sandilands, for his unacceptable use of language demeaning women and people with disability. If he thinks that jokes using words such as spastic and retard are funny, he should be removed from Australian air waves,” said Commissioner Innes.

Media Realease: Macklin & McLucas - Sign up and stay in touch on new National Disability Insurance Scheme website - 3 December 2011

Media Release

JENNY MACKLIN MP

Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services
and Indigenous Affairs

SENATOR JAN McLUCAS

Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers

Sign up and stay in touch on new National Disability Insurance Scheme website

To kick off International Day of People with Disability, the Australian Government has gone live with a new National Disability Insurance Scheme website.

The website, www.ndis.gov.au, is designed to keep people up to date with the Government’s progress towards a National Disability Insurance Scheme.

It will provide easy-to-read information, up-to-date news, disability and carer resources, and fact sheets on reform of disability care and support services.    

It also contains disability and carer resources, including an online directory of Australian Disability Enterprises that provide job opportunities for people with disability, links to the Australian national disability abuse and neglect hotline, support from CRS Australia, and information on Commonwealth Carelink centres.

It’s important that as a nation, individuals, businesses, community organisations and governments come together on International Day of People with Disability to celebrate and acknowledge the contributions, skills and achievements made by people with disability.

This year’s United Nations theme—Together for a better world for all: Including persons with disabilities in development—is based on social inclusion and equal enjoyment of human rights and participation in society.

The Australian Government is working to deliver a National Disability Insurance Scheme to make sure all Australians with disability get the care and support they need, no matter where they live or how they acquired their disability.

We have already started work with the states and territories to lay the foundations for reform by mid-2013.

This website will be an invaluable resource for people who want to keep informed of the progress we are making.

We encourage people to go online, sign up and stay in touch as we progress the biggest change to disability care and support services in Australia’s history.

Date: 3 December 2011

Media contact: Keely Bell 0417 297 157

Media Release: Rudd & McLucas - Improving the lives of people with disability worldwide

MEDIA RELEASE

KEVIN RUDD MP

Minister for Foreign Affairs

SENATOR JAN MCLUCAS

Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers

Improving the lives of people with disability worldwide

The Australian Government today announced support to improve the lives of people with disability worldwide at a symposium on the World Health Organisation and World Bank’s World Report on Disability in Sydney.

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd and Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers, Senator Jan McLucas said the Australian Government will contribute $2 million towards a new United Nations Trust Fund to assist countries to implement the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

“The Australian Government is pleased to support this symposium—further discussion and action on the World Report on Disability will help us to improve the quality of lives of people with disability worldwide,” Mr Rudd said.

“Australia is already making a difference right around the world. We’re helping children with hearing impairments in Samoa to go to school, we’ve worked with Cambodia to develop disability rights legislation and in Indonesia, children with disability can now go to school because more than 1,000 buildings we funded have wheelchair access.

The United Nations Trust Fund will support developing legislation to protect the rights of people with disability, improving the delivery of services, encouraging dialogue between governments and persons with disability and improving the data and research on disability.

“Our contribution is a further demonstration that Australia is not only meeting its formal and legal responsibilities under the Convention. It shows that we are genuine when we say we want a ‘fair go’ for people with disabilities,” said Mr Rudd.

Delivering the opening address at the symposium, Senator McLucas commended the World Health Organization and the University of Sydney for their pioneering work and to ensuring the insights of people with disability remain at the forefront.

“Today’s symposium has brought together a diverse mix of people from the disability sector, including policy makers, researchers, leaders from Disabled Persons Organisations, representatives from the World Health Organization and members of the World Report on Disability‘s editorial committee to discuss how we can improve the lives of people with disability,” Senator McLucas said.

“This report brings to the fore some of the stories about people with disability, which are too often shunted off to the margins. It shines a light on the fact that people with disability have a markedly lower labour force participation rate or have poorer health outcomes when compared with the rest of the community.

The report provides an extensive review of the challenges people with disability face around the world, including their experiences of inequality, and recommendations on how to overcome these barriers. 

It recommends that all governments enable access to all mainstream policies, systems and services, adopt a national disability strategy and plan of action, and increase public awareness and understanding of disability.

“The Australian Government is working hard to improve support services and care for people with disability,” Senator McLucas said.

“Further, in March this year we launched our National Disability Strategy, which sets a 10-year national framework for all governments to tackle the barriers faced by Australians with disability in mainstream government services.

“And we are working with the states and territories to build the foundations for a National Disability Insurance Scheme, which would entitle all Australians to support in the event of significant disability. 

5 December 2011

Media contacts: Kate Sieper (Rudd) 0466 745 615 - Belinda Featherstone (McLucas) 0408 743 457