People with Disability Australia (PWDA) has released a document, A Fair Go for People with Disability, listing their “wants” for the next Federal Budget.
The advocacy group is asking for several measures to be funded and implemented for Australia to meet their responsibilities under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability.
PWDA President Samantha Connor said that widespread improvements to many disability policy areas were urgently required, but they must be developed in conjunction with people with disability.
“Over the past six months, the National Disability Insurance Agency has been trying to ram through changes to the NDIS that were designed without meaningful input from disabled people and which will almost certainly result in perverse outcomes,” Ms Connor said.
“We need a seat at the table to talk about any proposed changes to our NDIS, to have full access to the scheme’s raw data, to enter into legitimate co-design processes if any changes are required and to be sufficiently resourced in order to do so.
“PWDA and the entire disability sector is united in standing against changes which will adversely affect people with disability, especially exceptionally marginalised groups.”
Like other disability organisations, PWDA has been lobbying the Australian Government to urgently prevent sweeping changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
PWDA is among 11 key disability sector organisations that called on government to halt its plans for so-called NDIS independent assessments. The group last week put its foot down, setting its terms of engagement for any future cooperation with the government.
The government’s proposed privatised assessment system has been robustly blasted by people with disability, their families, academics, service providers and allied health professionals.
People with Disability Australia will be one of the first organisations to see the latest Federal Budget this week and will enter the budget lock-up on Tuesday.
It will be the only disability organisation in the lockdown.
Ms Connor will attend the budget lockdown in Canberra.
“The budget will be critically important for many disabled Australians who are facing heightened anxiety and significant disadvantage during a period of disruption, unrest and fear about the pandemic,” she said.
“We call upon government to ensure that we are able to access society on a level playing field, get the support we need and to have a fair go, just like other Australians.”
