Our Roles

We are the Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA)

DANA is the national representative body for independent disability advocacy organisations across Australia.

As a member-based organisation, we support a network of 80 community-based advocacy groups that work alongside people with disability to protect and promote their rights. Our role is to build the capacity of the disability advocacy sector, ensuring it remains strong, effective, and sustainable.

We are committed to working with our members, and strengthening our sector through capacity building, information, training, and calls for increased funding.

Through initiatives like the National Centre for Disability Advocacy (NCDA), together with our role as the Secretariat for Disability Representative Organisations, we are committed to growing the impact of disability advocacy across Australia.

What do we do?

Support a network of members

Our members are independent Australian community-based organisations that advocate for and with people with disability. Our members work in areas like:

Self-advocacy
Family advocacy
Citizen advocacy
Legal advocacy
Systemic advocacy

National Secretariat

In our role as a Disability Representative Organisation (DRO), DANA provides the National Coordination Function for the DRO and DRCO programs.

The Australian Government funds DANA to coordinate services between seven to seventeen Disability Representative Organisations (DROs) that engage in systemic advocacy for people with disability, as well as 27 Disability Representative and Carer Organisations (DRCOs) who the NDIA funds.

National Centre for Disability Advocacy (NCDA)

Established in 2022, the NCDA aims to improve access to and the quality of disability advocacy services for independent disability advocacy organisations that are funded by the Department of Social Services (DSS) ‘National Disability Advocacy Program’ (NDAP).

The NCDA forms part of Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031 by introducing good practice service delivery models.

Our Vision

DANA’s vision is of a nation that includes and values people with disabilities and respects human rights for all.

Our Purpose

DANA’s purpose is to strengthen, support and provide a collective voice for independent disability advocacy organisations across Australia that advocates for and with people with disability.

We achieve this by

promoting the role and value of independent disability advocacy
providing a collective voice for our members
providing communication and information sharing between disability advocacy organisations
providing support and development for members, staff and volunteers of disability advocacy organisations
building the evidence base to demonstrate the value of disability advocacy
promoting the human rights, needs, value and diversity of people with disabilities

Strategic Plan

As part of our Strategic Plan 2023-2025, DANA identified four key focus areas for our work.

Our Key Focus Areas

Lead and Influence
Communicate and Connect
Promote and Strengthen
Sustainable professional organisation

Annual Reports

Explore our annual reports to see how DANA’s work delivers meaningful outcomes for our members and the broader disability community.

As DANA’s role continues to expand, so does our impact. Each year, we strengthen our efforts to represent and support the advocacy sector, ensuring independent disability advocates have the resources, networks, and policy guidance to support the rights of people with disability.

Read the DANA Annual Reports

Constitution

DANA’s Constitution specifies the rules of governance, including those for the DANA board, the election of directors, and membership and associate membership.

It was last amended on 26 November 2024.