Advocacy review to empower people with disability

The Australian Government today encouraged people with disability, their family, friends and advocates to participate in a review of the National Disability Advocacy Framework.

The National Disability Advocacy Framework provides a structure for governments to work within to enable and support people with disability to protect their rights and overcome barriers.

Commonwealth, State and Territory Disability Ministers endorsed the current Framework in 2012.

The review will ensure the Framework remains relevant in a changing disability environment, including the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

The Department of Social Services is leading the review on behalf of state and territory governments, and in consultation with advocacy agencies and other key stakeholders.

I encourage people with disability, their families and friends to read the advocacy discussion paper and share their views on the current framework.

Feedback from the review, together with insights from recent NDIS consultations, will be used to develop the new Framework.

Governments will use the Framework to promote greater consistency across advocacy programmes and ensure the rights of people with disability are upheld.

It will also help to describe how advocacy will be provided in the NDIS environment.

The new Framework will be presented to the Disability Reform Council in December 2015 and will be released to the public in early 2016.

To have your say, make a submission at engage.dss.gov.au/ndaf before 24 July 2015.