Issue 129
4 May 2009
From left:
Glenn Hodgkin (Ozanam),
Cameron McKay (Ozanam),
Hon Bill Shorten MP, Ken Ryan (QANTAS)
On April 24 the Hon Bill Shorten MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children’s Services, launched the new Australian Disability Enterprises website at a CEO networking breakfast at the Melbourne Museum.
The launch provided a great opportunity for commercial businesses to find out more about Australian Disability Enterprises and the excellent products and services they provide. Mr Shorten expressed his support and encouragement for commercial businesses to use the 610 Australian Disability Enterprises and to take advantage of the new website. Mr Shorten also emphasised that Australian Disability Enterprises provide real employment for people with disability and can help enhance the corporate social responsibility of commercial businesses. Mr Shorten’s full speech is available on his website.
The new website has been designed to meet the Australian Government web publishing standards, including those that relate to access for people with disability. The site meets an AAA level of compliance to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, confirmed in a review by Vision Australia on 23 April 2009.
The new website is a key marketing tool that all Enterprises can utilise to promote the products and services they provide. If you would like to update your Enterprise’s details, please contact your FaHCSIA contract manager, or use the ‘contact us’ form on the website.
Update your details and start promoting the new Australian Disability Enterprises website today! www.australiandisabilityenterprises.com.au
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Bendigo Access Employment’s, PepperGreen Farm, an Australian Disability Enterprise in Victoria, has successfully included the Australian Disability Enterprises logo at their worksite.
Co-branding your enterprise with the Australian Disability Enterprises logo is a great business opportunity. Has your enterprise already co-branded with the new logo? Would you like to show other Australian Disability Enterprises your co-branding success? Just email an example of your co-branding with the new Australian Disability Enterprise logo to disability.enews@fahcsia.gov.au to feature in an upcoming issue of disAbility e-news.
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This year, advocacy agencies funded through the National Disability Advocacy Program (NDAP) were invited to apply for new funding in 15 metropolitan and regional areas. This funding will further improve access for people with disability to individual advocacy support, assisting them to overcome barriers such as abuse, neglect and discrimination so that they can fully participate in the community.
The Australian Government is providing further funding of up to $500,000 in five additional areas to further expand individual advocacy support for people with disability.
The five areas are:
The areas to be funded have been selected based on disability population and level of disability advocacy support funded by Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments. Eligible organisations are encouraged to apply for funding to develop individual advocacy in the identified areas of need.
The selection process opened 18 April 2009 and applications close 2.00pm (AEST) Thursday 28 May 2009. Documentation and details on how to apply are available on the FaHCSIA website.
Details have been finalised for 12 of 15 areas to receive NDAP funding.
| State | Region | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Port Macquarie-Hastings, Kempsey and Nambucca Shires | Disability Advocacy NSW Incorporated |
| NSW | Goulburn Mulwaree Council area and Wingecarribee Shire | People with Disability Australia |
| NSW | Great Lakes and Port Stephens Shires and Lake Macquarie City areas | Disability Advocacy NSW Incorporated |
| NSW | Queanbeyan City Council area | People with Disability Australia |
| NSW | Sutherland Shire | People with Disability Australia |
| VIC/NSW | Mildura Rural City Council area, Wentworth and Balranald Shires | Regional Information and Advocacy Council |
| VIC | Moorabool, Hepburn and Golden Plains Shires | Grampians Disability Advocacy Association |
| VIC | Kingston, Greater Dandenong and Casey City Council areas | Action for Community Living |
| SA | City of Mount Gambier | MALSSA |
| QLD | Bundaberg Regional Council area | People with Disability Australia |
| QLD | Fraser Coast Regional Council area | People with Disability Australia |
| QLD | Logan City Council area | People with Disability Australia |
| WA | Broome and Derby-West Kimberley Shires | No successful applicant |
| WA | Wanneroo, Joondalup and Stirling City Council areas | No successful applicant |
| NT | East Arnhem Shire | No successful applicant |
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The Australian Government has announced a new Jobs Fund which will provide $500 million to support jobs and improve facilities in local communities.
Most projects will commence from 1 July 2009. All non profit organisations are encouraged to submit proposals for the first round of the Jobs Funds by the application due date of 22 May 2009. Guidelines for application can be downloaded from the DEEWR website. The closing time and date for applications is 4.30pm (AEST) Friday 22nd May 2009.
Priority consideration will be given to projects in regions and communities with higher unemployment, or facing large numbers of jobs losses due to the global recession. $11 million of the Get Communities Working stream is available for temporary financial assistance to non profit organisations whose donor base is under pressure as a result of the economic downturn.
The Jobs Fund includes two streams that provide grants of up to $2 million for non profit organisations:
Projects will encourage local government, community organisations, employers and employment service providers to work together to give people employment or training opportunities in their local area. They will also ensure charitable institutions, unable to secure philanthropic support during the economic downturn, are supported to meet growing need for assistance within the community.
The Jobs Fund is part of the Government’s Jobs and Training Compact for communities most affected by the global economic recession. The initiative aims to support retrenched workers, young people and local communities to get back to work or learn the skills required for future jobs.
Queries about the Jobs Fund can be emailed to Jobs.Fund@deewr.gov.au
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Last year the Census was known as the Disability Program Information Collection (DPIC) but, in 2009, it will revert back to being known as the Disability Services Census.
To reduce the administrative burden on Australian Disability Enterprises, FaHCSIA will again source most of the required information from FOFMS. To make sure that we have the most current information, services must update their service and consumer data in FOFMS before 17 June 2009. Data for the Census will be extracted when FOFMS reopens on 30 June 2009.
FaHCSIA will also take data about supported employment customers’ main income source from the Centrelink database.
Some manual input will still be required from services; all FaHCSIA funded supported employment (also known as Australian Disability Enterprises), advocacy, print disability, and disability information and captioning services will have to complete a PDF form to give service outlet level information. Supported employment services will also be required to complete an assessment form for each consumer. Service providers can log into FOFMS to access these forms from 1 July 2009. Completed forms must be submitted by 24 July 2009 at the latest.
Services should note that the PDF Service Outlet Form and information regarding the assessment form for consumer information will be sent to their general email addresses as recorded on FOFMS. If services have changed their general email address, they should contact their Service/Contract Manager to request FOFMS be updated with the correct address.
Should you require further information about the Census, you can contact the Disability Services Census Helpdesk on 1800 550 244 or via email at disability.census@fahcsia.gov.au
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It is important to note that Intake Assessments, Initial DMI Assessments and DMI Reassessments are not finalised for the purposes of funding until they are ‘Authorised’ on FOFMS.
Whilst the status of an Assessment may say ‘Completed’, indicating that the final step has been concluded, the Assessment must be ‘Authorised’ by an appropriate person before the information contained in the Assessment becomes effective on FOFMS. Authorising an Assessment is vital to ensuring that the Assessment has been completed correctly and that the information is accurate, and thus is a very important and final step to the Assessment process.
FOFMS does not recognise any Assessments that do not have an ‘Authorised’ status as being finalised, even if all of the Assessment questions have been answered.
If you have any questions about the process of Intake Assessments, Initial DMI Assessments and DMI Reassessments on FOFMS please contact the CBF Helpdesk on 1800 034 887 or Helpdesk.CBF@fahcsia.gov.au
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You are required to enter details about a supported employee’s weekly wages and hours into FOFMS when a supported employee obtains an employment outcome. Updates should be made when a change in the supported employee’s wages or standard hours of work occurs. For example, after a new wage assessment is completed or there is an increase or reduction to the supported employee’s weekly hours.
If your supported employee’s hours vary from week to week because of seasonal or other fluctuations then an average should be applied, based on a quarter year.
If a supported employee has a casual work arrangement then an average can also be applied, based on either a fortnightly/monthly period, for example:
You should make a note on the client’s file indicating which of these averaging processes you have used to determine the Weekly Wage and Hours data contained in FOFMS.
You must enter the weekly wages and hours before a DMI Assessment can be completed on FOFMS.
A step-by-step guide to updating these fields is available from the Case Based Funding Helpdesk. The Helpdesk can be contacted on 1800 034 887 or at Helpdesk.CBF@fahcsia.gov.au
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Lasercraft is an Australian Disability Enterprise that has manufactured trophies and business gifts for a multitude of major Australian Corporations, as well as government departments and agencies, for over 21 years. Recently, Lasercraft has capitalised on the opportunities arising from the changes to the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines (CPGs), and has approached their Commonwealth Government contacts with a targeted direct mail campaign.
Lasercraft recently sent their Commonwealth Government clients and contacts a personalised letter that highlighted how the changes to the CPGs make it easy to do business with their Enterprise. Focusing on the key messages of innovation, quality and timeliness, the letter provided recipients with enough information about the revised CPGs to enable them to immediately see how easily they can now purchase from Lasercraft, without deviating from the procurement guidelines that all Commonwealth Government departments and agencies are bound to follow.
The revised CPGs, which came into effect on 1 December 2008, make it easy for Commonwealth Government departments and agencies to undertake simple procurement processes from Australian Disability Enterprises, where they represent value for money. This revision provides all Australian Disability Enterprises with a real opportunity to market their goods and services to this audience now, as Lasercraft has done.
All Australian Disability Enterprises are encouraged to use the new brand and website to further market their Enterprise. For more ideas on how you can market your Enterprise check out the DIY Marketing Kit available on FOFMS, in particular, Step Three-Act, and find the promotion/marketing activity that best suits your Enterprise!
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Email disAbility e-news if you'd like more information on a particular issue or program in disAbility e-news or to let us know what you think of the newsletter.
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Your contributions to disAbility e-news are welcome. Do you want to let others know about your successes? Or how you engage with local businesses to create employment opportunities for people with disabilities? Email your story idea to disAbility e-news.
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