Sexual expression is a fundamental part of being human, with most of us able to choose our sexual partners and, to varying degrees, meet our intimacy needs and desires. While not all people with disabilities…
The McKeon review of health and medical research funding is now in the government’s hands with the review panel stepping up its focus on the return on investment.
Paul Miller/AAP
The McKeon review of health and medical research has reduced its short term funding bid in the face of current federal budget pressures. The draft review, released in October last year, suggested an additional…
How will the NDIS support life-long planning for Australians with disability as they grow older?
Image from shutterstock.com
Last week’s protest by several quadriplegic Queenslanders against age discrimination prompts us to examine how the National Disability Insurance Scheme should balance needs-based eligibility and entitlement…
Obesity, over-diagnosis, the NDIS, vaccinations and open access for genetic information were just some of the issues covered in 2012.
Kylie May; shutterstock.com; Morberg; Pranjal Mahn
It promised to be a full year of reforms: pokies legislation, front-of-pack food labels and a dental system that doesn’t cost those in need an arm and a leg. But while we did see cigarette companies forced…
The states have agreed to an initial agreement for the NDIS, but details of the first phase remain patchy.
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has established an inter-governmental agreement that will form the framework for the initial phase of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). But as…
Prime Minister Julia Gillard and state premiers during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Friday, Dec. 7, 2012 after the Council of Australian Governments meeting.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) today announced it had signed an intergovernmental agreement for the first stage of a National Disability Insurance Scheme. According to a communique released…
Warnings of a drop in Australia’s real GDP per capita - a measure of living standards - still provide a stark contrast to Greece, where the real GDP per capita is likely to be 25% lower in 2013 than in 2008.
AAP
Last week, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in a preliminary version of its 2012 Economic Outlook lowered its growth forecasts for Australia from 3.7% to 3.0% in 2013. This…
Liberal states yesterday refused to contribute funds to host NDIS launch sites.
AAP
A lot of smoke and very little illumination came out of yesterday’s Council of Australian Governments (COAG) discussions about how the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will be funded. All sides…
Young people in nursing homes aren’t free to eat, socialise and go out when they like.
morberg
Research published this week confirms what disability advocates have long known: that young people shouldn’t be forced to live in nursing homes. Our joint Summer Foundation and Monash University study…
Many people with disabilities feel isolated in community residential settings.
Flickr/T.R.G.
Early on in my career I was part of the process of closing down large-scale institutions for people with disabilities. My first experience of institutions was as a student. I visited Swanbourne Hospital…
The government supports an NDIS, but funding must be extended to schools.
AAP/Paul Miller
On being asked the question, “what do you think of disability support in Australia?”, I would have to quote Gandhi’s fabled response when he was asked what he thought of Western civilisation: “I think…
More than 600 young Australians with disabilities currently live in nursing homes.
Michelle Newland was 19 years old when she had a severe asthma attack that left her with hypoxic brain injury. After eight weeks, the hospital staff told Michelle’s parents that she was not suitable for…
The increased provisions for welfare spending are partially symbolic, but also lay the foundations for a more progressive tax and welfare system.
AAP
The Treasurer Wayne Swan has described the 2012 Budget yesterday as “a Labor budget to its bootstraps”, and commentators have variously seen it as “a big taxing, big spending budget, including a big increase…
At the end of the four years, only 5% of Australians with a disability will be covered.
Flickr/afri
Last night’s budget contained an important step towards realising a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), with $1bn allocated over the next four years. Of these funds, $342.5 million will pay for…
Caring for a disabled child currenlty requires battle after battle for basic equipment and services.
bellisg
The government has announced its commitment to the introduction of a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), with money to be set aside in next week’s federal budget for a 2013 start-up in four locations…
NDIS Rally in Adelaide, Monday 30th April. Despite the praise of the NDIS, the scheme falls short in some areas.
AAP
On paper, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) proposed by the Productivity Commission looks like a great idea. Through Commonwealth funding, it would provide specialist accommodation, transport…
“Every Australian Counts” has organised rallies in capitals cities across the country.
phonakins/flickr
Grassroots disability services campaign group, Every Australian Counts is holding rallies in capital cities all over the country today, calling for the creation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme…
Family members shouldn’t be pressured to take on the caring responsibilities of relatives.
Increasingly, governments rely on family carers to provide aged and disability care services. For many, family care is a demonstration of love and duty, but often there is little choice. The word carer…
The government supports a better disability support policy while making it harder for people to get the disability support pension.
Honza Soukup
A report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) finds the number of Australians using disability support services is increasing. But it’s uncertain how the government will…
Associate Professor, Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living Research Centre and Occupational Therapy Department, School of Primary and Allied Healthcare, Monash University
Professor of Social Inclusion - UTS Business School - Centres for Business and Social innovation, and Business Intelligence and Data Analytics, University of Technology Sydney