Current inquiries and reports
Disability Care and Support
Public inquiry
The Australian Government has asked the Productivity Commission to undertake a public inquiry into a long-term disability care and support scheme.
Amongst other things, this inquiry will examine:
- how a scheme should be designed and funded to better meet the long-term needs of people with disability, their families and carers
- how to determine the people most in need of support, the services that should be available to them, and service delivery arrangements
- the costs, benefits, feasibility and funding options of alternative schemes
- how the scheme will interact with the health, aged care, informal care, income support and injury insurance systems
- its impacts on the workforce
- how any scheme should be introduced and governed
- what protections and safeguards should be part of the scheme.
How can you be involved in the public inquiry?
The Commission welcomes the views of all people and organisations on how a scheme could be designed. You can send us your views in a submission - short or long. Submissions setting out your ideas are one of the main ways of helping us design a practical scheme that provides real support to people. We will also speak to a cross-section of organisations informally and hold public hearings.
We are also looking at other possible ways of involving people in the inquiry and in making our processes accessible and user-friendly. We will send out another circular on this in the next month.
The Commission will put any updates about the inquiry on the web at www.pc.gov.au/projects/inquiry/disability-support
We want your ideas
To help people prepare submissions, we will soon release an Issues Paper to provide background information and outline the main areas where we are seeking people's views.
You will also be able to respond to our draft report
Before preparing its final report, the Commission will release a draft report next year setting out what we are thinking of recommending to the Government. People can then provide their views on the draft report through further submissions and/or attendance at the Commission's public hearings.
Key dates
Release of Issues paper May 2010
Initial public hearings June/July 2010
Initial submissions due August 2010
Release of Draft Report February 2011
Public hearings for Draft Report April 2011
Second round of submissions due April 2011
Final report 31 July 2011
National Disability Strategy
From the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs website:
A National Disability Strategy was one of the key recommendations of the 2007 Senate Inquiry into the Commonwealth, State and Territory Disability Agreement (CSTDA). It was also a 2007 election commitment of the Rudd Labor Government.
The Strategy aims to address the barriers that are faced by Australians with disability and promote social inclusion. The Strategy will be developed in close consultation with the Australian community, disability and carer peak bodies, employers, and industry experts.
The development of the National Disability Strategy includes the establishment of the 28-member National People with Disabilities and Carer Council (NPWDACC), chaired by Dr Rhonda Galbally AO. The Council provides expert advice to Government on the development and implementation of the Strategy and includes people with disability and their families, carers, industry and union representatives and academics.
On 5 August the National People with Disabilities and Carer Council presented the findings of the National Disability Strategy (NDS) public consultations to the Australian Government.
The consultation report Shut Out: The Experience of People with Disabilities and their Families in Australia prepared by the Council was informed by more than 750 submissions, and public consultations involving more than 2,500 people held nationally between October and December 2008.
As part of an ongoing commitment to the rights of people with disability, State and Territory Ministers will work in partnership with the Australian Government on the development of a National Disability Strategy.
