Funding for Disability Insurance Scheme Is Not Close

DARU Update

10 October 2011

• IN THE NEWS

• EVENTS

• PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES

• TRAINING

• SUBMISSIONS, CONSULTATIONS AND FORUMS

• FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• PAID AND VOLUNTARY POSITIONS

IN THE NEWS

Funding for Disability Insurance Scheme is Not Close

Ben Packham, The Australian, 6 October 2011

The Gillard government is no closer to working out how it will pay for its promised disability insurance scheme, with Community Services Minister Jenny Macklin urging a national debate on raising the $6.5 billion needed to fund it.

Ms Macklin told yesterday's tax forum the government's commitment to the no-fault scheme was "massive".

"The government does want to take this next big, big step in the area of social support," she said.

"But a debate around how it will be paid for is absolutely imperative.

The Productivity Commission, which recommended the scheme, said it should be funded from consolidated revenue with the states also contributing through a tax swap arrangement.

Under the proposed reform, all Australians would be covered in the event of a significant disability and about 410,000 people with existing disabilities would receive funding support.

It would cover such issues as physical and psychological therapies, domestic help with cooking and shopping, home and vehicle modifications and personal care needs such as help with showering and toileting.

"This is a massive change that we are proposing, a massive change," Ms Macklin said.

"It will have to be paid for. The Productivity Commission has recommended that this new approach be adopted ... but it will cost a lot of money."

Australian Federation of Disability Organisations policy officer Leah Hobson said she was concerned at moves to push disabled people off the pension and into employment.

She said disabled people wanted to work, but disability support systems were “unfair, underfunded and broken".

"If you are a person with a disability and you want to work ... just getting the support for somebody to come into your house and get you out of bed before 9am and then having someone to come and take you to the toilet while you are at work is an impossible situation for some people with disability in Australia," Ms Hobson said..

She said disabilities issues had been on the back-burner for too long.

"We need to be having national conversations about what happens to people with disability and why they are disadvantaged," Ms Hobson said.

To read the article, visit:

Tax Forum Impressions from a Delegate

Leah Hobson, Acting CEO, Australian Federation of Disability Organisations, 7 October 2011

With 187 delegates the event was carefully managed. Each delegate was asked to choose one of the six sessions where they would like to be in the 'inner circle' of delegates, where there were microphones and a facilitator allowing us time to talk. The main opportunity for me to speak was during the transfer payments (income support) session.

“We are concerned about the $130 p.w. gap between rates of DSP and NewStart because one in seven people on Newstart are now people with partial work capacity (people with disability which prevents them from looking for ten jobs a week).”

“Research shows that people with disability make loyal employees with lower rates of turnover, absenteeism and workplace accidents.”

“While people with disability want to work, issues around education (lower education attainment levels), employment (lack of support for people who acquire disability while they're in work, and the low outcomes from the DES program) and the provisions of support (through an NDIS) need to be addressed before simply asking people with disability to work will bring outcomes.”

The piece in the Australian (article included in this Update)also picked up some comments I made after the session during a media conference organised for community sector delegates by ACOSS.

Many of the organisations around the table during the transfer payments session also voiced their support for an NDIS. The Prime Minister reaffirmed government commitment to the NDIS in her opening speech, and this was reiterated by Minister Macklin and the Treasurer.

Aside from the (short!) opportunity to talk, it was a great opportunity to meet some people involved in the union movement, business, academia and other community sector organisations.

Outcomes from the forum include:

• Establishing a Business Tax Working Group;
• Establishing an independent body to look at tax issues;
• Committing to raising the tax free threshold to $21,000 'when possible'.

Questions about the forum or the article in the Australian should be directed to Leah on phone (03) 9662 3324, TTY (03) 9662 3724 or email

High Use of Health Services Among Australians with Disability

AIHW media Release, 30 September 2011

People with severe or profound disability rely up to 10 times as heavily on health services, such as general practitioners, as Australians without a disability, according to a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

The report, The Use of Health Services among Australians with Disability, shows that the high use of health services among people with disability is linked to a high prevalence of multiple long-term health conditions, in particular the combination of mental and physical health conditions.

‘The high use of services prevails even after taking into account the multiple health conditions, with or without mental health conditions,’ said AIHW spokesperson Mr Sean Ackland.

‘This suggests that the level of functional impairment, in addition to the presence of multiple health conditions, increases the likelihood of needing and seeking assistance from the health care system.’

The report shows that, in the 12 months before the data was collected, people with severe or profound disability were 3.5 times as likely to have consulted a specialist doctor, and 5 times as likely to have consulted both a specialist doctor and other health professionals as people without disability.

The report also shows that of all people with mental disorders aged 16–64 years, those with severe and profound disability were 2.5 times as likely as those without disability to access health services (including hospitals) for mental health problems, and twice as likely to consult health professionals (including GPs) for mental health problems.

Similarly, of all people with a combination of a mental disorder and any physical condition aged 16–64 years, those with severe or profound disability were around 3 times as likely to access health services (including hospitals), consult health professionals (including GPs), or consult mental health professionals, for mental health problems.

To download the report, visit:

To read this article online, visit:

National Disability Awards 2011 Finalists Announced

Joint Media Release, 4 October 2011

The Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin and Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers, Senator Jan McLucas recently announced the finalists for the National Disability Awards. These Awards acknowledge the contribution people with disability make to their community as well as promoting inclusion and raising awareness of disability issues.

Twenty one finalists were selected from more than 200 nominations drawn from across Australia. Seven finalists are from Victoria, Among the finalists are advocates, property developers, builders, educators, business people, and for the first time, health and wellbeing providers who have created equal access for people with disability.

The Victorian nominations include

• Frank Hall-Bentinck who many of you will be know has worked for many years as a disability advocate has been nominated for the Minister's Lifelong Achievement Award. ,
• BRACE Education Training Employment and Personalised Lifestyle Assistance have been nominated for a social inclusion award
• Housing Choices Australia and Travability have been nominated for a Inclusive and Accessible Communities Award
• Parks Victoria have been nominated for the Health and Wellbeing Award which acknowledge services that are creating equal access for people with disability

Award recipients will be announced at a ceremony in the Great Hall at Parliament House in Canberra on 22 November.

The National Disability Awards are held annually as part of the Australian Government's celebration of International Day of People with Disability – held each year on 3 December.

To find out what is happening in your community, visit:

or phone 1800 440 385.

Albinos think it's time the world played fair

The Age, Julia Medew, October 8, 2011

As a child, Shari Parker was called everything from ''snow white'' to "Casper" to ''short-sighted Shari''. The taunts made it difficult to grow up with albinism, especially when so few people understood the realities of her condition. At times, it became so hard to accept, Ms Parker tried to evade questions about her fair hair and milky-white skin, telling people she only had ''some parts of albinism'' if they insisted on answers.

Now, at 36, the mother of three and specialist rehabilitation doctor is out and proud. As secretary of the Albinism Fellowship of Australia, she is bringing her people together to share the joys and frustrations of their condition, which is still largely misunderstood.

This weekend, about 70 Australians with albinism will attend the fellowship's annual meeting in Melbourne to hear the latest news on medical interventions to help their sight, as well as practical advice on how to look professional in job interviews, for example.

For Ms Parker, the meeting is also an opportunity for her community, especially children, to feel normal and to help them destroy the myths created about them in books and films.

''We want to get the message out that we're just a variation of normal. We happen to have very fair hair, white skin and are vision impaired, but that's it.''

Contrary to public opinion, people with albinism do not have red eyes, but rather light blue and sometimes violet eyes, which are more likely to turn red in photos because of flash photography. Another misconception is that the condition comes with cognitive deficits. Ms Parker thinks this has stemmed from nystagmus - involuntary eye movement that can speed up with stress or sickness for people with albinism.

Albinism is an inherited condition where the body produces less than normal amounts of melanin - a substance that gives skin, hair and eyes colour. About one in 17,000 Australians is born with albinism and about one in 75 carries an albinism gene. If a carrier mates with another, they have a one-in-four chance of a baby with it.

Ms Parker said she hoped the meeting this weekend, humorously titled SPF2011 (Spectacular Platinum Festival), would be a celebration for people who too often feel stigma.

''It can be a life changing experience to meet other people like you,'' she said. ''The first time I sat through one of these meetings, I wept in the back row. It was such a relief.''

To read the full story visit

ABC Open Looks Behind Disability

Regional people with disability can share stories through an innovative project offered by ABC Open and supported by Nican for International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD).

ABC Open is a new and exciting initiative that invites people in regional Australia to share their stories online, using words, photos, video and sound. People with disabilities are encouraged to contribute to ABC Open's The Moment Behind the Photodigital storytelling project.

Highlighted contributions to The Moment Behind The Photo will be showcased during the 2011 International Day of People with Disability on 3 December.

The idea is simple – find a personal photo which means something to you and share it online, with a text or audio description. Maybe you vividly remember the moment the photo was taken, or what was happening outside the frame, or maybe the photo speaks volumes about a particular time in your life.

ABC Open producers work in regional centres around Australia to help people learn skills to get involved. ABC Open producer for the Mid North Coast of NSW, Wiriya Sati said "every day brings something new, collaborating with people from so many walks of life.”

“These contributors were immensely creative and confident in taking up the project and learning and overcoming various challenges in that process. While some of the participants had never tried digital story-telling, others in the group had used video editing software and brought in their digital cameras and photos on memory sticks."

“The biggest challenge was to fit the stories into a minute and 20 seconds. Making group decisions on what to cut out from where - and we did it!”

IDPwD National Coordinator Craig Wallace said “It’s exciting to be working with ABC Open to look behind moments and images to get the real story about skills and abilities.

“It’s about people with disabilities driving content and telling stories ourselves. There’s already some great stories coming through ABC Open and this is a powerful medium to show people with disabilities as we really are”, Mr Wallace said.

For more information about ABC Open and to share your stories, visit:

EVENTS

Mental Health Week 2011

Mental Health Week runs fromSunday 9th to Saturday 15th October.World Mental Health Day ismarked every year on the same date: 10th of October.

Mental HealthWeekaims to activate, educate and engage Victorians about mental health through a week of interactive events across the state including an official launch, community festivals, art exhibitions, music, theatre and seminars.

For a list of Victorian events visit

Next WESABI Meeting

Wesabi is currently undergoing some exciting changes. After discussion between Wesabi members, we decided that for the rest of the year, we will meet bimonthly instead of monthly, and we will meet in the City instead of Footscray.

This month we will also have a special guest speaker – Florence Kingsley-Matthews. Florence co-ordinates the Peers Inspiring Peers Program, which runs structured peer support that empowers people with acquired neurological conditions. She will be running a course in Footscray early next year.

Wesabi is your group, so come along to your next meeting and have a say about where and when you would like to see Wesabi meet. You can even get involved in organising meetings!

A heads up that our last meeting for the year will be our Xmas meeting, on Friday 16th December, also at Ross House.

Lunch provided (gold coin donation welcome).

PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES

PIECES - practical support for community organisations

VCOSS, October Edition

In this issue:

• VCOSS Clearinghouse Training and Development Opportunities
• Clever Ideas Forum 2011 - what's stopping you from using skilled volunteers?
• VCOSS Clearinghouse Training Calendar 2011 - governance, OHS, strategy, finance
• Bankmecu / VCOSS Finance Network - share ideas with other sector finance workers
• Human Rights Workshops - practical workshops throughout Victoria
• Doing I.T. Better - free workshop for disability advocates
• CSA Governance Support Program - free support for your board
• Other Training and Development Opportunities
• 2011 Not For Profit Summit: Think Resources - ideas, workshops, networking
• Anti-Poverty Week: 16-22 October - register an event now!
• African Think Tank Leadership Seminars - encouraging and supporting leadership
• Volunteering Victoria Workshops - learn about successful volunteer engagement
• Non-profit Masterclass in Advanced Strategy, Risk and Governance - book now
• Resources – Grants, Trainers, Skilled Volunteers, Office Space etc
• Skilled Volunteers: A Guide for Community Organisations - available now
• Human Rights Electronic Mailing Lists - keep up to date
• PilchConnect - legal help for community organisations
• Green Piece
• Moreland Energy Foundation - supporting community sustainability
• Coefficiency Australia - pilot program success!

To view this e-bulletin online, visit:

National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children

An Easy English version of the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children (the National Plan) has been released.

The National Plan is an agreement by all Australian governments to work together to reduce violence against women and their children so that they can live in safe communities. It recognises that women with a physical or intellectual disability are more likely to experience domestic violence, family violence and sexual assault compared to other women and the violence is likely to be more severe and continue for longer.