Media Release by The Hon Jane Prentice MP

$5.3 million invested in advocacy services for Australians with disability

Joint Media Release with:

    • The Hon Jane Prentice MP, Minister for Social Services and Disability Services
    • The Hon Christian Porter MP, Minister for Social Services
    • The Hon Jane Prentice MP, Minister for Social Services and Disability Services

The Turnbull Government will provide disability representative organisations with funding of more than $5 million to continue their important advocacy work on behalf of people living with disability.

Minister for Social Services, Christian Porter, and Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services, Jane Prentice, today announced the organisations that would be made funding offers totalling $5.3 million, an increase of $875,000.

“This commitment from the Turnbull Government ensures advocacy services for disability will continue to be funded until 30 June 2020,” Minister Porter said.

“This allows these organisations to continue their important work representing and protecting the rights and dignity of people with disability.

“These organisations were chosen through an open, merit-based selection process which also considered service provider diversity, to ensure Australians with disability will have their views represented.”

Assistant Minister Prentice said the funds would help ensure a broader reach and greater range of voices from the sector are heard.

“The Turnbull Government is supporting people with disability under the National Disability Strategy; the National Disability Insurance Scheme and through programs that support the expansion of the disability sector workforce. Our Disability Employment Strategy is also opening up employment opportunities for all Australians with a disability,” Assistant Minister Prentice said.

“This funding will help ensure the best interests of people with disability remain at the forefront of Government policy formulation.”

The successful organisations to be offered a share of the $5.3 million funding are:

  • Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA) – representing children and young people (0-25 yrs) with disability;
  • First Peoples Disability Network Australia (FPDN) – representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability;
  • National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA) – representing people with disability from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD), as well as non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB);
  • People with Disability Australia (PWDA) – a national organisation focused on disability rights and advocacy;
  • Women with Disabilities Australia (WWDA) – representing women and girls with disability;
  • A consortium led by the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO);
  • National Disability Services (NDS) – representing more than 1,100 non-government service providers which provide support to people with disability; and
  • Mental Health Australia (MHA) – representing the Australian mental health sector.