The Australian Government plans to repeal and replace the Disability Services Act (1986) (the Act). This is a significant opportunity to shape the vision and direction for the rights of people with disability in Australia for years to come.
Repealing the Act also provides the opportunity to update the legislative framework. This should make sure people with disability are living their lives as equal citizens, engaging in education, employment, social, political, spiritual and cultural pursuits alongside their peers.
The Department of Social Services (DSS) is consulting about a New Act to Replace the Disability Services Act (1986). This consultation closes on 12 February 2023.
The following Disability Representative Organisations (DROs) made this submission to this consultation process:
- Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO)
- Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA)
- Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA)
- First Peoples Disability Network (FPDN)
- Inclusion Australia (IA)
- National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA)
- People with Disability Australia (PWDA)
- Women with Disabilities Australia (WWDA)
The submission was also endorsed by the following individuals and organisations:
Organisations
- Allied Health Professions Australia
- Antipoverty Centre
- Australian Council of Social Service
- Australian Federation of Disability Organisations
- Brotherhood of St. Laurence
- Children and Young People with Disability Australia
- Darwin Community Legal Service
- Disability Advocacy Network Australia
- Down Syndrome Australia
- Family Advocacy
- First Peoples Disability Network
- Inclusion Australia
- Inclusion Designlab, Inclusion Melbourne
- Independent Advocacy in the Tropics Inc.
- Kin Disability Advocacy
- Melbourne Disability Institute, University of Melbourne
- Melbourne East Disability Advocacy
- Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association
- National Ethnic Disability Alliance
- People With Disabilities (WA) Inc.
- People with Disability Australia
- Physical Disability Council of NSW
- Public Interest Advocacy Centre
- Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion
- Queenslanders with Disability Network
- Regional Disability Advocacy Service
- Spinal Cord Injuries Australia
- Women with Disabilities Australia
Individuals
- Andrew Liew
- Dr Linda Steele, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Technology Sydney
- Dr Piers Gooding, Senior Research Fellow, Melbourne Law School University of Melbourne
- Heidi La Paglia Reid
- Jenny Crosbie
- Michelle Wakeford
- Professor Erin Wilson, Uniting Chair in Community Services Innovation, Centre for Social Impact, Swinburne University of Technology
- Professor Jennifer Smith-Merry, Director of the Centre for Disability Research and Policy, The University of Sydney