Transcript:

Hi everyone. You might have noticed that we had a little break from our weekly video update over Easter, but we are back again now and first item on the agenda is that we are hearing reports that the fuel shortages are making it harder for some people with disability to access essential support and services, particularly in regional and remote communities.

We’re working with partners across the disability sector to make sure that the government is aware of these challenges, and we’re calling for an advisory group with broad representation across the sector, similar to what was stood up during the pandemic period, to make sure that people with disability are not left behind in this crisis.

So if this issue is affecting you or your community, we’d be really grateful if you could let us know, because it really helps inform our advocacy. So leave us a comment if you’re watching on social media or email policy@dana.org.au.

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing recently released a report which tells us what they heard through their consultation process in relation to the new Individual Disability Advocacy Program, which of course, we’ve talked about many times on these videos. You can find it on their website. The report reflects many of our recommendations and those of our members and other stakeholders, but it’s still unclear how this feedback will shape the final program design and how key challenges will be addressed.

We look forward to continuing to work with the Department to inform program design, support effective communications, plan for a careful rollout and reduce risks for advocacy organisations and most importantly, for the people with disability who rely on advocacy. We’re sharing more detail on the content of our submissions to the IDAP consultations, so you can check out our website and our social media for those updates as well.

And the government recently announced a $90 million investment in the first phase of the redeveloped ILC program – Information, Linkages and Capacity Building program. The investment supports 62 organisations, and it includes $50 million for individual and family capacity building grants and $40 million for 24 organisations through the information, advice and referral grants. More information is available on the department’s website.

So that’s all for this week. Which is good because it’s starting to rain, and I look forward to speaking to you again next week.