Our Campaign
Without a significant increase in funding for the disability advocacy sector, independent organisations cannot do the vital work they do. That’s why independent advocacy organisations around Australia are launching a new campaign to tell the Federal Government why an investment of at least $91 million into advocacy is crucial to strengthen and sustain our future.
You can read the Pre-budget Submission here.
Join the Speak Up! campaign and send an email to government here.
The problem
Advocacy waiting lists are huge
Statistics show that every second person with disability can’t access advocacy supports when they need them. Some disability advocacy services don’t have the staff to respond to a referral within four weeks, and there are times when about half of all providers close their books completely. This leaves people with disability in crisis, with housing, health and disability supports at risk.
Organisations and advocates are at breaking point
Advocacy organisations don’t receive enough funding to meet demand – putting many organisations and workers at breaking point. Organisations must prioritise urgent and critical cases which means they can’t step in to help less severe cases before they reach a crisis point.
Many organisations are at risk of closure
Many smaller disability advocacy organisations, doing crucial work in local communities, aren’t eligible for grants under the National Disability Advocacy Program (NDAP). Closure of these services would be devastating for the communities they support.
Rural and remote areas lack the support they need
Most advocacy organisations operating in remote areas face severe limits about how much they can spend on travel, accommodation and the vehicles necessary to meet with people and solve problems. They don’t get the same loading for remote services as NDIS providers and other services.
Disability advocacy organisations urgently need:
$43 million for NDAP providers to meet demand until mid-2025
$25 million for non-NDAP providers in need of urgent support
$20 million for rural and remote providers
$5.225 million for capacity building in the sector, including for First Nations cultural safety, resourcing, pilot progress and increased awareness of Supported Decision Making.
When disability advocacy organisations are funded:
Everyone can get help when they need it
When people with disability have someone independent to turn to when they experience a crisis or need help to remedy disadvantage or discrimination, their lives get better.
More advocacy benefits all other systems
Funding advocacy is a crucial part of making sure every other system, including public and private services, work for people with disability. Having an advocate to turn to has several systemic benefits:
Helps prevent NDIS exploitation by supporting people with disability to advocate for their rights and address unfair treatment.
Supporting people with disability to build capacity to better use their NDIS funding.
Keeping mainstream service accountable and accessible for people with disability, and reducing the times those supports need to be duplicated.
Supports Australia’s Disability Strategy and to implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Working with people with disability to build their own capacity to self-advocate, building trusted relationships over time.
Additionally, reports have estimated that for every $1 spent in advocacy, governments get back $3.5 in benefits across other areas such as health, housing, and justice.
Advocates can proactively reach out to people not getting support
With additional funding advocacy organisations can do more outreach and prevention work. This work can help find and support people who may not be able to access advocacy supports themselves, such as those in group homes or boarding accommodation. This would also help support the ongoing work of other bodies, such as the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
Facilitating culturally safe advocacy
DANA has worked with the First People’s Disability Network (FPDN) to develop proposals for building up a First Nations workforce to provide culturally safe supports across different locations and communities, including a new pilot hub proposal for Far North Queensland. A program for developing specific training and awareness around incorporating supported decision making has been made with Inclusion Australia and will help ensure substitute decision making isn’t the default approach.