Good morning. It’s so great to be with you all today.
I begin this morning by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we meet, the Wadawurrung peoples, and pay my respects to elders past and present.
I extend this acknowledgement to all First Nations people joining us here today.
It is great to be here at this Having a Say Conference so that we can launch the updated Australia’s Disability Strategy.
The Strategy is Australia’s plan to make life better for people with disability.
It talks about what we can do together to make Australia inclusive – so everyone can live good lives, take part in the community as equals, and be treated with respect.
I am so happy to be here with Victoria’s Minister for Disability, Minister Lizzie Blandthorn, along with Jane Spring, the Chair of the Strategy’s Advisory Council.
We are here together to show our shared commitment to improve outcomes for people with disability.
I would like to thank VALiD’s Chair, Arthur Rogers, and the CEO, Fionn Skiotis, for inviting us to be here this morning.
In fact, I would like to thank the whole VALiD team for the fantastic work they do every day, and have been doing since 1989.
Having a say, learning from each other, and supporting each other is really important, and I want you to know that your voices are being heard and are feeding into the decisions that governments make.
The message of ‘nothing about us without us’ has been heard loud and clear.
It is your voices, your thoughts, feelings and experiences, that guide our policies and the changes we want to make with you.
Because we all know that you are only able to participate fully in your communities when you get to have a say about what you need, what you want, and are treated with respect.
And what an amazing group of leaders, thinkers and communicators we have here with us today.
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Australia’s Disability Strategy sets out our vision for an inclusive Australia.
It is a commitment by all levels of government to take actions to improve the lives of people with disability in Australia.
An Australia where the 5.5 million people with disability have the support they need to live the life they want and participate as equal members in the community.
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Following the Disability Royal Commission’s report, all governments agreed to review Australia’s Disability Strategy.
Hearing from the disability community was so important when we started looking at what was working and what we could make better about the Strategy.
The updated Strategy is something I am very proud to share with you today.
We listened to the disability community, held public consultation and partnered with states and territories, the Strategy’s Advisory Council and Disability Representative Organisations, to understand what was most important.
The updates to the Strategy reflect what we have heard since the original launch of the Strategy 3 years ago, including through the Royal Commission.
We heard from you that having accessible housing and reducing homelessness was a really important issue for people with disability – and that’s why the updated Strategy now has a priority focus area on this.
And there are three new Targeted Action Plans that are focused on improving the lives of people with disability across 3 very important areas.
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These new Targeted Action Plans include actions that are based on what the disability community has told us is the most important work we need to focus on.
Over the next three years, we will focus on the key areas of:
- Changing Community Attitudes
- Inclusive Homes and Communities; and
- Safety, Rights and Justice.
The Commonwealth, States and Territories and local governments have agreed to these action plans and to work together to deliver.
We know that people with disability can face barriers because other people don’t understand what it means to live with disability.
And that’s why increasing understanding of disability and changing community attitudes is so important.
Sometimes people may not even realise that their actions are making it harder for people with disability to be included. This could be something as simple as writing something down for someone instead of only speaking. Or adjusting lighting in a public space.
If people have a better understanding about the barriers people with disability face, they can take the steps to remove these barriers.
So, the Community Attitudes Targeted Action Plan will focus on improving community understanding so people can take action to improve the inclusion and participation of people with disability in Australian society.
We’ve already taken important steps towards this goal under the current Strategy.
One example is our investment of $19.6 million (over the next 4 years) for an inclusion and accessibility fund. This will help professionals, like doctors, to improve the way they communicate and better include people with disability in the things that are important to them.
We are all safer when the information we need to make decisions is easy to find and we are included, feel welcome, and can easily seek support and connections.
Through the inclusive Homes and Communities Targeted Action Plan we will also keep working to make housing stock and our broader community more accessible for everyone.
For example, governments have been working together to build over 41 Changing Places, including here in Victoria – like the Aqua Centre in Sale and at the Yarraville Gardens.
These new accessible facilities make it easier for people with complex needs to move around their community and to travel further from their home.
We have also committed to improving the accessibility of public transport – because people with disability should be able to easily get around in their communities.
Every Australian deserves access to safe, affordable and accessible housing, no matter their circumstances. This new Targeted Action Plan will also focus on housing accessibility for people with disability.
States and territories will increase the supply of accessible housing for people with disability.
And the Commonwealth will be looking at ways to make it easier for people renting to find properties that will meet their access needs.
These actions will build on the 2024 National Agreement on Social Housing and Homelessness – that helps people who are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness, and supports social housing and homelessness services.
Finally, the new Safety, Rights and Justice Targeted Action Plan sets out key actions to reduce and prevent people with disability from experiencing harm.
It outlines improved supports for those at risk of harm, and lays out pathways for action if things do go wrong. This includes introducing things like standard processes for identifying and supporting people with disability in prisons and making sure people know about supports that are available if they have experienced violence.
With advice from people with disability, and your representative organisations, all levels of government will work together to implement these action plans.
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In the updated Strategy we also have a renewed focus on data and evidence.
Because we want to make sure that the actions that we are taking are making a tangible difference to the lives of people with disability.
Our Data Improvement Plan will help show the progress we are making, but also to identify where we need to do more.
The updated Strategy also reflects what you have told us and what we have heard, as well as describing the work that we have done together over the past three years across the country.
We have provided information to make the Strategy clearer and developed videos to help explain what the Strategy is all about.
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Over the past three years, our Albanese Labor Government has been working hard to help people with disability across Australia to thrive.
And as Minister I have been working very hard to bring Australia’s Disability Strategy from words on a page, to life.
I have completely redesigned employment services for people with disability to drive a strong focus on quality and put the goals and aspirations of people with disability at the centre.
We are investing in more peer support across Australia – so that people can connect with others like them to give advice and so they don’t feel alone.
For the first time, airports and airlines will have to properly help people with disability – making it easier for people with disability to travel by planes.
Clear information is now available about how to support people with disability when there are emergencies – like fires or floods.
And we have made people with disability a key focus in the creative arts through a dedicated plan to support inclusion of people with disability, which includes things like music, films and live shows.
These are just some of the things our Government has been doing to bring the Strategy to life.
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I am very optimistic about the updated Australia’s Disability Strategy and the changes that we will make together to achieve the Strategy’s goals to benefit all Australians with disability, and their families.
I encourage every person here today to share your thoughts, experiences and ideas with one another. Have your say, because it matters.
Our Government has heard what you want from the Strategy, and we will continue to work with you to ensure our work reflects your lived experiences.
Thank you again for the time with you today. And my thanks to the speakers who have shared their time so we could come to talk about how we will use the updated Australia’s Disability Strategy to help everyone to live better lives.