New Year Updates from WWDA

WWDA has hit the ground running in 2018. We were buoyed by the news just before Christmas that our tender for 2.5 years Disability Representative Organisation (DRO) funding from the Department of Social Services was successful. Without this operational funding we could not continue our systemic advocacy work to further the rights of all women and girls with disability in Australia.

In 2018, we look forward to continue working with our DPO Australia and broader sector colleagues on issues of shared interest and significance. A particular focus will be preparing for Australia’s upcoming review under the Convention on the Rights of People with Disability (CRPD) and continuing to strengthen our advocacy and input into the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and the NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Framework.

We have some exciting WWDA projects planned this year, some of which are dependent on successful project funding, but we’ll keep you updated!

We wish all our Members, colleagues and allies a happy and safe 2018.

Policy and Submissions

  • We contributed extensive feedback on the draft NDIS Rules instruments and Code of Conduct for Providers and Workers which will form part of the NDIS Quality and Safeguarding framework and legislation
  • We provided feedback on the draft NDIS Practice Standards
  • We are providing feedback on the initial draft of the UN Women Strategy for Empowerment of Women and Girls with Disabilities 2018-2021 strategy
  • We released our Annual Report for 2016/17, which is available from the WWDA website

Collaboration

  • WWDA is working closely with Medibank on two, multi-year projects designed to improve responses to, and pathways for, women and girls with disability experiencing violence
  • WWDA and our DPO Australia colleagues welcomed Australia’s Ratification of
  • OPCATWWDA attended and contributed to the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department NGO Forum on Human Rights

Have Your Say

A Strong Future for Supported Employment

The Department of Social Services is consulting with stakeholders on the development of the Government’s supported employment policy.

People with disability and their families and carers, Australian Disability Enterprises, employers of people with disability, peak bodies and other interested stakeholders are invited to make a written submission on any or all of the 20 questions raised in the discussion paper: ‘Ensuring a strong future for supported employment’.

The paper focuses on:

  • principles to guide the Government’s future policy direction for supported employment
  • strategies to support employment participation for people with disability
  • strategies to support employers and service providers to provide effective employment opportunities, and
  • strategies to facilitate greater choice and control for NDIS participants.

You can contribute to the discussion by making a written submission.

Have you had faced large out of pocket medical costs?

Consumers Health Forum of Australia are conducting a survey on out of pocket medical costs to inform a submission to a Federal Government inquiry.

Out of pocket costs mean those additional costs for treatment inside or outside of hospital which are not covered by health insurance or Medicare and which you had to fully pay yourself, or where you paid a gap for services attracting a Medicare and/or health insurance rebate.

CHF will use this information to inform their advocacy around this important issue. You can complete the short survey online or you can share your experience by calling CHF on 02 6273 5444 to speak to someone.

Disability News