Surge in demand leads disability group to stop taking new clients
By McPherson Media Group
Dec 5, 2023
“Urgent injection of funds into the sector is needed to meet demand.”
Rights, Information and Advocacy Centre chief executive, Sandy Ross
A key disability advocacy and capacity-building organisation in regional Victoria has suspended taking new client registrations due to an “unprecedented” surge in demand for its services.
The not-for-profit Rights Information and Advocacy Centre works to build the capacity and wellbeing of individuals, families, carers and communities through advocacy, access and support services.
It operates across 22 local government areas in central and north-western regional Victoria, including Greater Shepparton, and parts of southern NSW.
RIAC’s announcement of the temporary suspension coincided with the International Day of People with Disability on December 3.
It also followed the September release of the final report from the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.
RIAC chief executive Sandy Ross said the current demand for services had far outstripped the organisation’s capacity, leading to this “difficult but necessary decision”.
Dr Ross said the organisation would still help people who approached it as much as it could.
“While RIAC will not be accepting new clients temporarily, we assure the community that we are not turning people away,” Dr Ross said.
“Our dedicated team will continue to assist existing clients and provide support wherever possible. We will also refer new inquiries to other services capable of meeting their immediate needs.”
Dr Ross said there was an urgent need for more funds to be committed by state and federal governments to help cover gaps in service provision.
He said that included an immediate injection of $43 million for the National Disability Advocacy Program, as proposed by the Disability Advocacy Network Australia’s pre-budget submission and funding campaign launch.
The pre-budget submission also called for:
A $25 million grant round for non-NDAP organisations urgently needing funds, recognising that many essential services are currently at risk of closure without such support
A dedicated $20 million funding boost for independent disability advocates in rural, remote and very remote areas, considering their increased operating costs
A further investment of $5.225 million for sector capacity building, including in areas such as disaster management, First Nations cultural safety and decision-making support
“These funding proposals by DANA are vital for organisations like RIAC to continue and expand our service offerings,” Dr Ross said.
Originally published in Shepparton News.