Newsletter March 2015 by BESTownsville

NEW SL ETT ER March 2015 “To stand with and for vulnerable people with a disability through vigorous independent advocacy.”

Invitation to Consultation - NDIS

In This Issue

The Commonwealth Department of Social Services and State and Territory Government.

Invitation to Consultation - NDIS........... 1

Officials invite you to participate in our public consultation for a national framework on quality and safeguarding for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Support IAT .......................................... 2

The consultation paper was released by the Disability Reform Council on 16 February 2015. A copy of the paper including an easy English version, factsheets and framework summary are located on http://www.engage.dss.gov.au.

General News ...................................... 7

The consultation will provide an overview of the quality and safeguarding framework, and you will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.

Reports .............................................. 18

The Townsville consultation will be held on Thursday 2 April 2015:

Staff.................................................... 20

To assist us with venue and meeting management, we request that you register at http://www.engage.dss.gov.au. If you require an Auslan interpreter or a hearing loop, please register and let us know which of these supports you require no later than 5 business days before the event. This will allow us to make the necessary arrangements to have these supports available. Your participation will be valuable to us. We hope that you will join us as we would like to hear your thoughts on quality and safeguarding for the NDIS and how this may affect you. If you cannot attend a public consultation, you may wish to made a submission online at https://engage.dss.gov.au/ndis-qsf/submission/ or join in an online discussion at https://engage.dss.gov.au/ndis-qsf/discussion/. The closing date for submissions and other contributions is 30 April 2015.

Chairperson’s Report ........................... 2 Funding ................................................ 2 Advocacy Manager’s Report ................ 3 NDIS Update ........................................ 8 IAT - A Brief History............................ 14 QCOSS eNews .................................. 15 Useful Resources ............................... 18 Management Committee .................... 20 Nothing about us without us! .............. 20 Independent Advocacy Townsville Office 2/179-181 Ross River Road MUNDINGBURRA QLD 4812 PO Box 3067 HERMIT PARK QLD 4812 Phone: Fax: E-mail:

1800 887 688 07) 47 252 505 07) 47 256 106 admin@iat.org.au

Newsletter Feedback and Contributions Did you find this newsletter useful? Which section or sections were of most use? Is there anything you feel we should include in future newsletters? Do you have something to contribute? Please send your response to: admin@iat.org.au

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Chairperson’s Report Hello Members and Supporters It is timely that our IAT Strategic Plan is up for review this year. We have set aside the 24 April 2015 for the Management Committee, staff and stakeholders to come together to talk about which direction IAT needs to take for the next three years. With the advent of the NDIS and much uncertainty as to whether independent advocacy across the nation will be funded, and the various cuts in funding of peak disability and advocacy agencies it is vital that we come together to explore future opportunities and possibilities to strengthen our position well into the future to ensure the most vulnerable have a voice. We believe that more than ever before the need for independent advocacy that is on the side of the individual will be required under the NDIS as although thousands of individual’s lives will be much improved there will be mainstream and disability specific providers not always upholding people’s human rights in several areas of community life. There will need to be independent advocacy for individuals experiencing little to no informal support, those that have a Public Adult Guardian, and individuals who have high and complex care supports that have no voice. We look forward to receiving members and supporters feedback and developing together our new Strategic Plan for our future. Until next time, take care Pam

Pam Spelling Chairperson

Support IAT You can make a real difference to the lives of vulnerable people with disability by financially supporting IAT to make sure our advocacy efforts continue in the future. All donations over $2.00 are tax deductible. All gifts are also welcome. You can choose to make a one off donation or a recurrent donation. Alternatively, for further details about supporting IAT contact us on (07) 47252505.

Funding Supported by the Australian Government Department of Social Services. Go to www.dss.gov.au for more information.

Supported by Queensland Health. Go to www.health.qld.gov.au for more information. Supported by the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services. Go to www.communities.qld.gov.au for more information.

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Advocacy Managerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Report Hello Everyone. The first few months of 2015 has been pretty busy for everyone here at Independent Advocacy Townsville. We have successfully passed another Audit under the brand new National Standards for Disability Services. Thank you to all our clients and members who passed on their feedback to the Auditors. We have begun organising our Self Advocacy Workshops to Townsville, Palm Island, Ingham, Hughenden, Ayr and Charters Towers. If you get the opportunity to come to this, you need to! These workshops will enable you to feel prepared for the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme which will be in Queensland in 2016. We are currently working with 28 clients in need of advocacy. Independent Advocacy Townsville has been in the news too of late, especially leading up to our State Elections highlighting the plight of young people suffering in aged care, the hopelessness experienced by people with disability stuck on the Register of Need without assistance and the general concerns of lack of funding for people with disability. We are continuing to apply for extra funding to enable us to meet the needs of clients with disability as well as to ensure that clients are as prepared as possible coming into the National Disability Insurance Scheme in terms of planning for what they will need. Our Advocates continue to raise systemic issues with funding bodies, politicians and Ministers such as why it is so inappropriate for young people to be housed in aged care and why discharge planning is so crucial for people leaving acute mental health care to assist in their reintegration, support and prevention of being readmitted soon after. With the roll out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, there must be an established framework that focuses on housing options for young people living in aged care that are currently falling through the cracks. The NDIS, despite its teething problems, holds much promise for people with disability in Australia, enabling independence, choice and control as never before, a factor critical to achieving this is access to housing for people with disability. There is a demographic sadly existing in Australia, that unless we address will undermine the promise of the NDIS. They are young people with disability, living in residential care, mostly aged care. All you need to fall into this group is to be under 65, living with disability, and in need of appropriate housing to accommodate your specific needs. Some of this group have experienced a single incident that shifted them from a life that does not require support from government and community service organisations, to high support needs. This group struggle with a lack of affordable accommodation options including independent accommodation and supported accommodation, lack of rehab support to enable people to move out of residential care, isolation, lack of control of decision making, lack of joined up services and a lack of funding. Across Australia they have fallen into the bureaucratic gap between undefined support from Health Departments, Disability agencies, Housing Departments and NGOs. People living in aged care are there for reasons different to people with disability â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the services and support are focused of course on the frail aged.

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The services provided are not focused on rehabilitation – so on top of the mental health impacts that come with young people being surrounded by older and sicker residents – there is not proper infrastructure in place to provide adequate care and rehabilitation. With the roll out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, there must be an established framework that focuses on housing options for this group that are falling through the cracks. More can be done to ensure we work in a more coordinated way, creating more community based accommodation options that provides innovative solutions. Many young people will become eligible for NDIS once funding fully rolls out, but lack of affordable housing will become a major hindrance. We do not want anyone languishing in aged and other residential care homes. The latest quarterly report for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) shows the scheme is on time, on budget, and has very high participant satisfaction. Key findings of the report include: Participant satisfaction remains very high with 95 per cent rating their NDIS experience as “good” or “very good”. 13,646 people have been found eligible for the NDIS, with 11,029 having approved individualised support plans in place by the end of December. More than $565.3 million has been committed to these participants. The average package cost is $35,300, which is below the funding expectation of $36,750. The average length of time from application to commencement of services has increased since the last quarterly report to 100 days (up from 95 days). Time taken to commence services can vary across individual circumstances as participants take the time to review their options and select their preferred service providers. National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) Chairman Bruce Bonyhady said the first 18 months of the scheme had been life changing for more than 11,000 people with disability. “The individualised approach of the NDIS has given people with disability and their families the choice and control to pursue an ordinary life — something many of us can take for granted,” Bonyhady said. “We are seeing people living more independent lives, engaging with their community, enrolling in education, entering the workforce for the first time or returning to work, and receiving the services and equipment they need,” he said. “The focus is on what a person can do — not what they cannot — and investing in them leads to not only better social outcomes for individuals, but more economic participation and a stronger Australian economy.” The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will start in Queensland from 1 July 2016. What is the NDIS? The NDIS is a new way of providing individualised support for people with permanent and significant disability that affects their ability to take part in everyday activities. The Scheme is being implemented by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). The NDIS came from grassroots campaigning, widespread community and political support and the Productivity Commission’s 2011 landmark report recommending the reform of disability services in Australia. How does the NDIS work? The NDIS takes a flexible, whole-of-life approach working with eligible participants, their families and carers, to develop individualised plans. The NDIS provides participants with more choice and control over how, when and where their supports are provided. It also provides certainty that they will receive the support they need over their lifetime. The NDIS works to connect participants with community and mainstream supports. The NDIS funds the additional reasonable and necessary supports to help participants pursue their goals and aspirations, and participate in daily life.

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Where is the NDIS currently available? The NDIS is being introduced in stages, because it’s a big change and it is important to get it right and make it sustainable. There are currently seven trial sites across the country, in the ACT, Barkly in the Northern Territory, Perth Hills in Western Australia, the Hunter region in New South Wales, South Australia (for children aged 13 years and under), Tasmania (for young people aged 15 to 24) and in the Barwon region in Victoria. When will the NDIS be available in Queensland? The NDIS will roll out progressively in Queensland from 1 July 2016. It is estimated that around 97,000 Queenslanders will be supported by the Scheme when it is fully rolled out. Who can access the NDIS? To access the NDIS, people need to meet the following requirements: 

have a permanent and significant disability that affects their ability to take part in everyday activities

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be aged less than 65 when you first access the NDIS

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be an Australian citizen, a permanent resident or a New Zealand citizen who holds a Protected Special Category Visa

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live in a trial site location (during the trial).

What is currently happening in Queensland? The NDIA has a presence in Brisbane and Townsville. The NDIA’s Queensland team is working with people with disability, their families and carers, as well as the disability sector, providers and the Queensland Government, to start preparing for the NDIS. The roll out of the NDIS in Queensland will benefit from the experiences of the existing trial sites as well as drawing on the expertise of Queensland’s disability sector. The specific needs of Queenslanders with disability living in rural, regional and remote areas, and remote Indigenous communities will also help guide the Scheme’s delivery in Queensland. http://www.ndis.gov.au/ Independent Advocacy Townsville will continue to play its role in ensuring that people with disability are as up to date as possible and as ready as possible for the NDIS but do make sure you check the above website and our website to keep up with the information and changes. http://independentadvocacy.org.au/index.php Please also stay cool over these hottest weeks, make sure you are keeping rehydrated with plenty of fluids!

Kylie-maree Beller Advocacy Manager

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ARE YOU READY FOR THE NDIS??

‘SELF ADVOCACY WORKSHOP’ For people with Disability

Townsville 2 DAYS and FREE WORK BOOK

Carer provided for support if required Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd April 2015 10:00am to 4:00pm The Mecure Townsville – Woolcock Street

Ph: 4725-2505

Enrol NOW!!! Limited places available

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General News Next Generation Banknotes Additional Feature for the Vision Impaired | Bashir Ebrahim OAM | Guide Dogs Qld The Reserve Bank today announced that the next generation of banknotes will include a tactile feature to assist the vision impaired community to denominate their banknotes. The tactile feature will be in addition to the existing features present on our current series – bright colours, large and bold numerals and size differentials. The Bank will also continue to fund the production of the CashTest Device. This decision is the culmination of extensive research by the Bank into whether an effective and durable tactile marking could be included on Australian banknotes. This included consultation with the vision impaired community, other stakeholders and overseas central banks. The testing and trialing process for the next generation of banknotes is ongoing and designs have not yet been finalised. Details about the new designs, the release dates and how they will be issued will be released in a timely way, so that the public can be confident they understand how to recognise and use the new banknotes.

Commonwealth Government Announces Review of Advocacy Services Queensland Aged and Disability Advocacy Inc (QADA) has received notification that the Australian Government Department of Social Services will be conducting a review of current aged care advocacy services funded under the Commonwealth Home and Community Care Programme and the National Aged Care Advocacy Programme. The review is set to commence in early 2015, and the outcomes of the rev iew will inform the design of a future advocacy programme accessible to residential, home care and Commonwealth Home Support clients. An external consultant will be engaged by the Department to undertake the review. QADA is awaiting advice regarding the appointment of the consultant and Terms of Reference for the review. Comprehensive consultation with current aged care advocacy providers and the broader aged care sector will form a key element of the review. QADA encourages our supporters to contribute to the review if you have the opportunity.

FIVE new videos: understanding advocacy and legal services Carers Queensland launched a series of five new explainer videos to help people better understand advocacy and legal services available in relation to guardianship. In collaboration, with Queensland Aged and Disability Advocacy (QADA), the Public Trustee, the Office of the Public Guardian and Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT), these short videos are entertaining and easily understood. Ms Debra Cottrell, CEO of Carers Queensland, said, “We have created simple and clean content that describes some complex legal guardianship issues which are sometimes confusing.” Animation characters were carefully selected to appeal to a wide range of community groups. “It was important for us to make guardianship issues as uncomplicated as possible and help people maximise their experience with QCAT and other legal and advocate services,” said Ms Cottrell. The videos are available on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeMalPFKUIk and on each of the organisations’ websites. Created by Explainer Videos the videos can be viewed individually or as a set.

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NDIS Update Queensland welcomes the National Disability Insurance Agency

NDIS Updates Queensland Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disability website www.qld.gov.au/disability Phone: 13 QGOV (13 74 68) Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services (Disability Services) www.communities.qld.gov.au/disability Phone: 13 QGOV (13 74 68) Email: disability@communities.qld.gov.au National Disability Insurance Agency www.ndis.gov.au Phone: 1800 800 110 Sign up to receive regular email updates at: www.ndis.gov.au/sign-updates

Submissions To the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The adequacy of existing residential care arrangements available for young people with severe physical, mental or intellectual disabilities in Australia. There is no appropriateness of aged care living for young people with disabilities. Aged care does not stimulate or offer recreation activities for the young. Music, games, entertainment, meals, meal times, wake and retire to bed times, are all structured around an aged person. Alternative systems should be housing for age appropriate within communities, just like you and I if we had to purchase/rent our own homes. We look at the neighbourhoods, the surrounds, is there parklands, waterways, access to public transport and shops, schools. We would have the choice; there is no choice for young people who live in aged care, regimental and structured. The introduction of NDIS for Young People in Nursing Homes will allow them to have a choice of their accommodation wishes - aged care or community care. But will there be suitable accommodation available and accessible with the right amount of supports to meet the needs of people who want to leave aged care. Currently there is insufficient accommodation, services and funding available to meet these needs. Current jurisdictions do not consult with or respond to the organizations supporting young people with disabilities. Having people on a Register of Need is ticking the boxes in administrations. Politicians need to integrate and listen to the issues and really hear their subjects. Until such time politicians mix and visit in this sector, there will be no real understanding of the issues and lack of resources available to allow people a quality of life. Until such time politicians make a change in their schedules, and realise there other issues apart from roads, schools, health, employment all of which are important, but photos on roads are more impressive than a photo with a young person in an aged care facility.

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IAT - A Brief History IAT has been incorporated for over two decades, providing advocacy support and high quality services to people with disabilities in the Townsville and surrounding districts. Covering rural and regional areas from the Cassowary Coast in the north, east to Palm Island, south to the Burdekin, and west to Hughenden. IAT is located opposite the Cathedral School, in Mundingburra. We have two Advocates and continue to offer advocacy support to vulnerable individuals. We also provide information to family, friends and other community members. We continue to stand for peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rights and freedoms. We also provide information sessions and presentations to answer any queries and welcome any questions relating to providing an information session about Independent Advocacy Townsville. As economic and political situations change we are maintaining a positive outlook and continue to support people with disabilities during the introductory phase of new schemes and other changes within the sector. IATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s advocacy speaks, acts and writes with minimum conflict of interest by standing with, and for people with disability to promote, protect and defend their welfare, rights and justice by: being on their side and no-one elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, without jeopardy to the most vulnerable being primarily concerned with their fundamental needs: and remaining loyal and accountable to them in a way which is emphatic and vigorous and which requires the bearing of costs by the advocate or advocacy group.

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QCOSS eNews The following information has been retrieved from the QCOSS eNews.

National call for urgent reversal of $1 billion worth of damaging cuts to community services Councils of Social Service (COSS) across Australia have today joined forces to call on the Federal Government to urgently reverse the damaging cuts to community services so that they can continue to support the country’s most vulnerable. The Federal Government has identified up to $1 billion in “savings measures” from community services that include: 

$270 million over four years to Department of Social Services;

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foreshadowed cut of $197 million to Department of Health;

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$500 million in cuts to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community services;

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additional cuts to legal services including Legal Aid and community legal services.

"Community organisations have been working in a state of uncertainty for months as these cuts have been made and foreshadowed. "Last week, we saw the release of the Government-commissioned McClure report in which one of its key recommendations is an investment approach to secure better social and economic participation by those most vulnerable in our communities. Yet these cuts are jeopardising the very social infrastructure provided by community organisations to support such approaches "Our strong message today is that the pursuit of these cuts has already had a devastating impact on services and people in communities right across Australia. "We welcome the efforts of Social Services Minister Scott Morrison to put in place transitional arrangements in recent weeks, which provided short-term relief for some services struggling to support the critical needs of clients and communities. However, many essential community organisations have been facing long-term uncertainty as the Government makes these decisions. "We recognise that we face a Budget challenge. That's why ACOSS has made a series of fair and responsible proposals to the Federal Budget. But these cuts hit essential community services, during an economic downturn and rising unemployment. The Councils of Social Service across Australia are calling on the Federal Government to: 1.

Stop these funding cuts and determine, in partnership with the community service sector, adequate funding levels to meet community need and maximize social and economic participation for everyone.

Extend current funding for organisations that have not yet been able to finalise new Government funding offers.

Adopt the recommendations of the Productivity Commission to improve government contracting with community organisations.

Media Contact: Fernando de Freitas 0419 626 155 See ACOSS Budget Submission containing more than $13 billion of potential savings in the next financial year, rising to over $18 billion in 2016-17. Facts and timeline on cuts to community services: 

In the 2014 Federal Budget, $230m was cut from the DSS grants program over four years and the criteria for accessing these reduced funds were reset.

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In June 2014 services were given six weeks to reframe their service offer according to the new criteria set by the Government, and to bid for the reduced funds available.

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The Government said they would advise community services on the outcome of this funding round in October 2014.

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In December 2014, as part of the mid-year economic and fiscal outlook, a further $41m was cut from the DSS grants Program.

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On December 23, two days before Christmas, the Government contacted services to advise whether their bid for funding had been successful or not; and announced that peak bodies representing many of these services would also be defunded.

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Some services were advised they were considered ‘preferred providers’ but were not told exactly what services they would be asked to provide, nor how much funding they would receive. They were also told they must treat this advice as confidential.

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Through January 2015, organisations continued to await detailed funding offers, advising Government that they were being placed at risk of breaching contracts with suppliers and failing to meet obligations on notice periods for staff in terms of potential redundancies, given their lack of funding security.

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Even services told they were preferred providers faced the risk of trading insolvent because they did not know what amount of funding they would receive.

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At the end of January, Social Services Minister announced transitional funding for ‘frontline’ organisations that had lost funding; and opened the way for detailed funding offers to be made to organisations that had been successful in the DSS tender process.

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On 26 February the Government made a further concession, advising that DSS would make available information about who was offered and lost funding for activities in particular areas, to organisations in the context of current contracting; could provide shortterm extensions to the due date for signing contracts to organisations that had not yet finalised their funding offers with the Department; would contact organisations that lost funding in the current round and advise them who had been offered funding, so that those organisations could engage in direct discussions regarding transitional arrangements; and that confidentiality in funding agreements should no longer be an impediment to community organisations working together on service provision.

QCOSS calls on Ergon Energy to consider low-income households in its future network strategy In our submission to Ergon Energy on its future network strategy, QCOSS calls on Ergon to ensure that its future network tariffs are embedded with consumer related principles of bill stability and simplicity. As electricity is an essential service that households rely on every day QCOSS believes that is important to provide a voice for residential consumers, and particularly low-income and disadvantaged households. With many Queensland households now struggling to pay their electricity bills QCOSS is especially keen to ensure that any decisions made by Ergon and the Australian Energy Regulator on future network tariffs are equitable and do not result in worse outcomes for low-income and vulnerable regional Queenslanders. QCOSS is looking for Ergon to ensure that adequate assessment and trials are conducted over the next few years on its full suite of tariffs. It is important that this assessment should include the impact on low-income and vulnerable people and the identification of the barriers that may exist to the take up of the new tariffs. QCOSS will be continuing its engagement with Ergon as it develops the new tariffs and will ensure that low-income and vulnerable people are fully represented. Below is the link to the Submission to Ergon Energy on its future network tariffs document. https://www.qcoss.org.au/sites/default/files/QCOSS%20Submission%20to%20Ergon%20Tariffs_Fi nal_180215.pdf

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Member Profile: QCOSS offered 7 all-expenses-paid scholarships to attend their annual conference in Brisbane. Tania applied for the scholarship highlighting that IAT are the only agency in the region who provide independent advocacy for people with disabilities, and advised that due to the fact that the Townsville region is underrepresented, that IAT staff can rarely travel to and attend training and professional development opportunities outside of the local area due to lack of funding. QCOSS then awarded Tania with a scholarship to attend the conference in Brisbane, and was asked to provide a profile of information about her role and the organisation she works for. Tania Brown, Independent Advocacy Townsville Tania Brown is an Advocate at Independent Advocacy Townsville. She was a winner of a QCOSS State Conference scholarship in 2014. Independent Advocacy Townsville provides a client-driven service to speak, write and act on behalf of a vulnerable person with a disability to defend their rights and opportunities. They work to ensure that clients are not subject to discrimination, abuse, neglect or exploitation as a result of their disability and advocate for their basic human rights to be met. The organisation believes in working with the community to create opportunity, enable choice and change systems. Tania is motivated by knowing that there are so many vulnerable people out there who don’t know how to work the system, or who are isolated and get taken advantage of. She says, “I’m driven to help these people by educating them, and assisting them to ensure they understand that their disability is not what identifies them, and that they are people who have the same rights as everyone else and, with a bit of courage, can make a very valuable contribution.” If she could change one thing to make the lives of her clients better it would be for government departments to be more consistent in service delivery. She says, “I have noticed that vulnerable people, particularly people with a mental illness, have no faith in the system because there is no consistency in service delivery to assist them on the road to recovery.” “The system needs to be changed to be proactive rather than reactive in terms of service delivery, and if the government could do something to make this change there would be a noticeable difference in the number of people using the service and better outcomes for all.” Tania’s vision is that the NDIS will actually be a benefit to vulnerable people in Queensland. Currently there is limited funding available for service providers and vulnerable people are left on a register of need, often for years at a time, without being able to access services they need. Her hope is that the NDIS will change this and that people will learn to advocate for themselves to get access to the services they require. The best part of Tania’s job is seeing that her work has empowered her clients and given them the courage to continue speaking up about their basic human rights. She says, “There is nothing more satisfying than knowing my clients develop the confidence to speak up and understand that speaking up shouldn’t be something to be feared, but holds services and individuals accountable to use government funding appropriately and to treat people fairly and equally.”

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Reports Australian gambling research priorities The Australian Institute of Family Studies has published a paper on gambling research priorities. The paper is intended to assist researchers and policy makers to develop research focused on improving the short and long-term health and wellbeing of Australians who gamble and who are affected by gambling. https://www.qcoss.org.au/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=58316&qid=314373

The Cost of Youth Homelessness in Australia - Snapshot Report 1 This report provides selected findings from the first wave of data collection and is the first of several reports on the findings from the Cost of Youth Homelessness in Australia study. It provides a brief account of the depth of problems that homeless young Australians experience. A second report in the series will examine the economic costs of homelessness and will be launched in mid-2015. https://www.qcoss.org.au/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=58318&qid=314373

Homelessness and housing stress among police detainees This paper provides an examination of homelessness and housing stress among Australia’s criminal justice population. Using data from the AIC’s Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) program, this study examines the prevalence and nature of homelessness among a sample of police detainees. The authors estimate that 22 per cent of the detainee population is homeless or experiencing housing stress in some form; much higher than has been previously estimated. https://www.qcoss.org.au/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=58319&qid=314373

Review of Australia's Welfare System The Australian Government has released the final report into the review of Australia’s welfare system, ’A New System for Better Employment and Social Outcomes’. The review’s purpose has been to identify how to make Australia’s welfare system fairer, more effective, coherent and sustainable and encourage people to work. https://www.qcoss.org.au/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=58325&qid=314373

Useful Resources The National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline (The Hotline) – a telephone service for reporting cases of neglect and abuse of disabled members of the community. Hotline: 1800 880 052 TIS: 13 14 50 TTY: 1800 301 130 NRS: 1800 555 677 Email: hotline@workfocus.com For more information visit the Website: http://www.disabilityhotline.net.au/

Welcome to the Disability Lawyer. The goal of this site is to provide a searchable, indexed resource of information about disability and the law.

http://www.thedisabilitylawyer.net.au/

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Management Committee Chairperson and Public Officer: ..................Pam Spelling Secretary: ......................................................Elise Whebell Treasurer: ......................................................Erion Haxhiraj Associate Member:........................................Linda Anderson Ordinary Member:..........................................Karene Gravener

Staff Advocacy Manager: .......................................Kylie-maree Beller Advocates: ....................................................Anne Hansen .........................................................................Tania Brown Administrator: ................................................Beverly Smith

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Nothing about us without us! This was the theme of the United Nations Assembly to ratify the Convention on the Rights of People with Disability. IAT works on the same principle – we are run by, and for, people with disability. This ensures that the agency is driven by people with a lived experience of disability and how societal values around disability impact on people’s lives. We are therefore able to remain relevant and focussed. Organisations like IAT can only survive with the involvement of community. We know there are many people with skills and experience that would be an asset to our organisation. Membership is open to anybody who supports the values, mission, and work of this agency. It is from the membership that we draw our management committee, which is the governing body of our organisation. Therefore, we are especially interested in people who want to become involved, who could contribute to the agency by supporting the work we do and the values we hold. In return, IAT offers the opportunity to be involved expand on and develop skills and experience relating to the governance of an organisation, and to be involved with like-minded people in a supportive environment.

Mission Statement “To stand with and for vulnerable people with a disability through vigorous independent advocacy.”

What we Believe IAT believes all people have the right to:  Be treated with respect and dignity  Be valued as individuals  Participate in the decisions and choices that effect their lives  Be involved in and contribute to their community  Safety and protection from abuse, neglect and exploitation  Live the life they choose

Key Elements of Advocacy      

Functioning by speaking out, acting and writing Minimal conflict of interest Sincerely perceived interests Promotion of the persons welfare, well being and justice Vigor of Action Costs

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Membership is free for both ordinary and associate members. Ordinary Membership   

Ordinary Membership is open only to people with disability. Ordinary members have voting rights and can nominate for positions on the management committee. Ordinary members make up the majority of positions on the management committee.

Associate Membership  

Associate membership is available to any person concerned with issues affecting people with disability. Positions on the management committee (other than that of chairperson) are available to associate members; they have voting rights only for the period of their inclusion on the committee.

What membership does not include:  

Automatic or preferential approval for advocacy support – all members, should they require advocacy, would be subject to the same entry criteria and referral process as any other person requesting advocacy support Automatic approval for membership of the management committee – any person nominating for membership of the management committee must nominate and address a set of selection criteria. This is to ensure that members are able to support the values of the organisation, and assists us to determine how we can assist the management committee members to increase their skills and knowledge in relation to the management of this agency

If you would like to become a member of IAT, please complete one of the membership application forms at the back of this newsletter and return to the office for processing. If you would like to discuss membership or joining the management committee please call us on (07) 4725 2505 or toll free on 1800 887 688.

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ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM I would like to apply for Associate Membership of

Independent Advocacy Townsville Name: .................................................................................................................................. Signed: ........................................................ Address: .............................................................................................................................. .............................................................................................................................................. .............................................................................................................................................. Postal Address: ................................................................................................................... .............................................................................................................................................. .............................................................................................................................................. Phone Number: ........................................... Date: ............................................................

On completion, please return to Independent Advocacy Townsville 2/179-181 Ross River Road MUNDINGBURRA QLD 4812 PO Box 3067 HERMIT PARK QLD 4812

Phone: Fax: E-mail:

1800 887 688 07) 47 252 505 07) 47 256 106 admin@iat.org.au

OFFICIAL USE ONLY Proposed by:

........................................................

Signed: ..........................................

Seconded by:

........................................................

Signed: ..........................................

Accepted by Meeting of the Management Committee. Date of Meeting: .....................................................

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ORDINARY MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM I would like to apply for Ordinary Membership of

On completion, please return to Independent Advocacy Townsville 2/179-181 Ross River Road MUNDINGBURRA QLD 4812 PO Box 3067 HERMIT PARK QLD 4812

Phone: Fax: E-mail:

1800 887 688 07) 47 252 505 07) 47 256 106 admin@iat.org.au

OFFICIAL USE ONLY Proposed by:

........................................................

Signed: ..........................................

Seconded by:

........................................................

Signed: ..........................................

Accepted by Meeting of the Management Committee. Date of Meeting: .....................................................