Tag: 2023
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Joint Media Statement: Priorities for the response to the Disability Royal Commission
At the end of September 2023 the Final Report of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability was released. Women with Disabilities ACT has issued a media statement along with other Disabled People’s Organisations in the ACT to bring key priorities to the attention of the ACT government.
You can read our statement below.
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Joint Media Release: Disability Sector welcomes Rachel Stephen-Smith as new Disability Minister
Joint Media Release – Disability Sector Welcomes Rachel Stephen-Smith As New Disability Minister
On 11/12/2023 it was announced Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith will become the Minister for Disability in the ACT, replacing Minister Emma Davidson. We welcome Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith as the new Minister for Disability and look forward to a vibrant and robust working relationship with her and her team. We are eager to assist Minister Stephen-Smith to continue the vital work of delivering better conditions for all people with disabilities in the ACT Minister Stephen-Smith has been a trusted pair of hands in the disability sector in the past and has made a significant impact delivering the ACT Disability Health Strategy in 2023.
We thank Minister Emma Davidson for her leadership and support in her time as Disability Minister. Through current immense reforms in both the local and national disability sectors, Minister Davidson has shown dedication and compassion for the disability community and we know she will bring this level of enthusiasm and care to her new portfolio.
We call for continued momentum in the delivery of the ACT Disability Strategy as well as the ACT Government’s response to the Disability Royal Commission and the NDIS Review. We look forward to collaborating with Minister Stephen-Smith and her team to ensure strong disability sector and equal human rights for people with disability in the ACT.
‘AFI welcomes Rachel Stephen-Smith back into the disability portfolio. Minister Stephen-Smith knows the portfolio and has remained connected to it delivering progress towards a health strategy. There will be important tasks ahead delivering the promised new foundational supports and we need the Barr government to deliver its promised funded and robust ACT Disability Strategy. We thank Emma Davidson for her contribution to disability rights work especially her collaborative approach to work with disability organisations and commitment to consultation’, said AFI Head of Policy Craig Wallace.
Kat Reed, CEO of Women with Disabilities ACT (WWDACT) said, ‘WWDACT looks forward to working closely with Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith to continue to improve the wellbeing and health outcomes of women with disabilities* in the ACT. Minister Stephen-Smith’s experience with the portfolio and her commitment to addressing the intersectional lived experience of women with disabilities will be an asset to the ACT government’s upcoming response to the Disability Royal Commission and the NDIS Review.’
ACT Down Syndrome Association CEO Shannon Kolak said, ‘We have enjoyed working alongside Minister Emma Davidson and her team. She has been a fierce advocate for the disability community and we wish her every success with her new Portfolios. We have worked with Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith in her previous role as Minister for Disability and as the current ACT Minister for Health and know our community is in very capable and experienced hands. We look forward to continuing to build a strong working relationship with Minister Stephen-Smith as we embark on a time of reform and change for the disability sector.’
Media Contacts
Craig Wallace, Head of Policy, Advocacy for Inclusion – 0477 200 755
Shannon Kolack, Chief Executive Officer, ACT Down Syndrome Association – 0408 646 857
Kat Reed, Chief Executive Officer, Women with Disabilities ACT – 0412 094 757
ACT Council of Social Services
6 Gritten Street, Weston ACT 2611ACT Down Syndrome Association
Building 1, Pearce Community Centre, Pearce ACT, 2607Advocacy for Inclusion
2.02 Griffin Centre, 20 Genge St. Canberra City, 2601Women with Disabilities ACT
Building 1, Pearce Community Centre, Pearce ACT, 2607 -
Media Release: NDIS Review threatens choice and control
ACT Disabled Peoples Organisations welcome the release of the long awaited report of the NDIS Review while expressing concerns about recommendations which reduce choice, control and agency of people with disability in the scheme.
You can read the release below.
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Submission to the Changing the Children and Young People Act 2008 – Stage 2 Consultation
Women with Disabilities ACT has made a submission to the consultation process around the Changing the Children and Young People Act 2008 (Stage 2).
In the submission we have highlighted the following recommendations:
- Consider the proposed legislation reforms through the lens of family and domestic violence, considering how existing frameworks could be exploited by perpetrators, and strengthening or clarifying definitions of violence if required.
- Recognise that there are societal and institutional biases against parents with disabilities, and consider how principles such as the ‘best interests principle’ might be misapplied due to assumptions about capacity of parents with disabilities. Include safeguarding policies that work against these biases.
- Fund disability violence awareness training for child protection workers in the ACT.
- Consider how the child protection system can help parents to access resources to care for children with disabilities.
- Develop and fund accessible tools for children with disabilities to report experiences of abuse and neglect.
- Consider how supported decision making can be implemented as part of the child and youth participation principle.
- Review the updated processes such as the mandatory reporting threshold and restrictions on information sharing between institutions, and consider how they may impact children with disabilities.
- Fund individual advocates and disability liaison officers in the child protection system, and ensure that disability-informed advice is available to parents who are in contact with the system.
- Develop and fund support groups and information about parenting with a disability.
- Consider how increases in funding for income support, disability support and housing can prevent parents from being in contact with child protection in the first place.
The full submission is below.
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Media Release – Responses to Disability Royal Commission must tackle root causes of violence and exclusion
As the Report of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability is handed to the Governor-General, ACT groups representing people with disability have called on the Australian and ACT Government’s to step up with policies, investments and legislative changes to address the fundamental inequalities it has highlighted.
You can read the media release below.
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Feedback on Disability Inclusion Bill
WWDACT has contributed to the public consultation process on the Disability Inclusion Bill.
You can read our letter to Suzanne Orr MLA below.
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Submission to the ACT Disability Health Strategy
WWDACT has made a submission to the ACT Disability Health Strategy draft consultation. You can read this submission below.
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Submission to the ACT Preventative Health Plan 2020-2025
WWDACT has made a submission to provide feedback on the ACT Preventative Health Plan 2020-2025. You can read our letter below.
