MEDIA RELEASE
The ACT Disability Directed Advocacy Caucus which includes Advocacy for Inclusion, Women with Disabilities ACT and ACT Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disability has described today’s ACT Budget as positive for Canberrans with a disability saying the Government has delivered some welcome investments in co-design, work on new disability foundational supports, funding to boost the community sector and improvements to infrastructure in areas of need.
Specifically, we warmly welcome some modest funding to implement the Disability Inclusion Bill and to enable community co-design in the rollout of key disability reform. This is vital to ensure that we get the design of these supports right and deliver the potential of the Inclusion Bill.
We welcome positive investments in health care which supports the ACT Disability Health Strategy including funding for the new North Canberra Hospital, parking improvements at the Canberra Hospital and support to long stay patients at the University of Canberra Hospital.
Gaps remain however especially in advocacy and funding for organisations which do not receive multiyear funding. We would like to have seen a more thorough set of investments to support the goals of the ACT Inclusive Education Strategy to allow students with a disability to receive education free from discrimination.
We also note some welcome investments in housing but urge these to focus on accessible and affordable housing for people with disability, including people with intellectual disability. We also welcome positive investments in accessible community infrastructure from playgrounds to toilets and group centre upgrades plus transport.
We welcome assurances that the $90 million provision for Foundational Supports remains available – as the timeframes for the negotiation and delivery of the new support system have slipped. We will need to ensure that provision is adequate especially as the extent and impact of the NDIS changes becomes clear.
Quotes attributable to organisations:
Women with Disabilities ACT
“This ACT Budget delivers encouraging progress for people with disability in Canberra. We welcome the ACT Government’s continued investment in women’s safety, including funding to implement the recommendations of the Long Yarn report through Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, the continuation of the Victim Survivor Voice project, increased funding to frontline services, and the ongoing delivery of the Extraordinary Residential Care unit for children and young people with disabilities and/or mental health conditions who cannot remain safely with their families. While this investment in frontline services is good to see, the ACT Government must also appropriately fund accessible crisis services and primary prevention programs to ensure women, girls and non-binary people with disabilities can live free from violence in the ACT.
“In health, we welcome the funding for a perinatal mental health feasibility study and funding to continue publicly funded autism assessment services for children up to 12 years. These are great beginnings, and we look to the government’s continued investment to increasing the accessibility of support for neurodivergent women, girls and non-binary people in the ACT.”
Kat Reed, CEO Women with Disabilities ACT
ACT Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disability
“Overall, we see this budget as being positive for people with disability in Canberra. We look forward to the implementation of the Disability Inclusion Act and hope to engage with the ACT Government around the creation and implementation of Foundational Supports. We welcome all investment in education and while we saw no specific funding for the continued implementation of the Inclusive Education Strategy, we hope to see the ACT Governments continued commitment to funding this work to ensure that all children can access education at their local school, alongside their peers, free from discrimination”.
Shannon Kolak, CEO ACT Down Syndrome & Intellectual Disability
Advocacy for Inclusion
“This Budget lays some critical foundations to reset disability reform and deliver in areas of identified community need. We welcome funding to support improved community engagement in the vital work of constructing the new Foundational Support system in the ACT. We also welcome funding which ensures that the community is able to step up and provide agencies with quality advice as they shape their plans under the new Inclusion Act framework.
“We also welcome funding for critical health spaces. Initiatives to improve accessible urban infrastructure and transport have also been a focus of our advocacy for some time.
“There are some gaps for us, which include ongoing additional support for disability advocacy at a time of great need and change as well as accessible and affordable public and community housing supply at scale”.
Craig Wallace, Head of Policy, Advocacy for Inclusion
The ACT Budget is detailed and we look forward to continuing analysis over coming weeks. A more detailed list of measures and gaps is in the PDF document below.
For comment in the first instance contact Craig Wallace via 0477 200 755.