Issue 142
2 November 2009
Eligible organisations in five regional and metropolitan areas were invited to apply for new funding in April. The 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 they can fully participate in the community.
| State | Area | Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| Western Australia | Broome and Derby-West Kimberley Shires | Ethnic Disability Advocacy Centre |
| Western Australia | Wanneroo, Joondalup and Stirling City Council areas | Sussex Street Community Law Service and UnitingCare West |
| Northern Territory | East Arnhem Shire | Darwin Community Legal Service |
| New South Wales | Botany, Randwick, Waverley, Woollahra, Rockdale, Hurstville, Kogarah and Canterbury | Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of NSW |
| Queensland | Sunshine Coast Regional Council area | People with Disabilities Australia Inc |
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As you may be aware, the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines were altered in December 2008 to state 'the Mandatory Procurement Procedures do not apply to the procurement of property or services from a business that primarily exists to provide the services of persons with a disability.' This means that Australian Disability Enterprises can directly sell goods and services to the Australian Government without being subject to Mandatory Procurement processes where value for money can be demonstrated.
This is a great opportunity for Australian Disability Enterprises. National Disability Services (NDS) have been funded $110,000 (GST inc) to provide a Procurement Coordinator to better connect government buyers with Australian Disability Enterprises. The Procurement Coordinator supports and represents all Australian Disability Enterprises – not just NDS members. More information about the activities of the Procurement Coordinator will be provided over the coming months.
There are some steps you can take to make sure you better understand the requirements of selling to government. Useful websites and tools include:
Selling to the Australian Government – A Guide for Business
As a potential supplier to government, you need to know how procurement is undertaken, who to contact and, importantly, how to find the opportunities and submit a competitive tender. If you are interested in doing business with government, then this guide is your starting point. It answers basic questions on the essentials, such as:
This guide can be found at Department of Finance and Deregulation
The AusTender website
The AusTender website provides centralised publication of government business opportunities, annual procurement plans, multi-use lists and contracts awarded. Australian Disability Enterprises are encouraged to register on the AusTender website. By registering your area of business interest in your AusTender profile, you will receive free automatic notification via email of the latest opportunities as they are published.
Business Entry Point
This website (www.business.gov.au) provides a business gateway to government services and information.
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International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) is not far away and time is running out to register your event!
Event registration on the IDPwD website will be open right up until IDPwD on 3 December 2009. However, your event needs to be registered by the end of November to receive your free promotional products.
Register your event today on the IDPwD website (www.idpwd.com.au)
This year's products include balloons, badges, bandanas, pens and tote bags. A3 posters are also available to help you promote your event locally. There are limited product quantities available so to avoid disappointment, start planning your event and register today.
Event ideas and details to help you plan and hold your event are available on the IDPwD website. There is also a schedule of events so you can find out what events will be taking place in your area and get involved in this exciting day.
Check out all the details at IDPwD website
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It is important to keep your information up-to-date on the Australian Disability Enterprises website.
The success of the website relies on the accuracy of the information provided to consumers.
Keeping your details up-to-date is particularly important for ensuring you receive information on jobs logged through the 'Log a Job' function on the website.
If any of your details change (phone numbers, email addresses, business lines), please ensure the updated information is emailed to australiandisabilityenterprises (australiandisabilityenterprises@fahcsia.gov.au) or provided through the 'Contact Us' form on the website.
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The Australian Disability Enterprise Brochure artwork is now available for your organisation to download. The link provides two versions of the Australian Disability Enterprise Brochure:
Please save these files to your computer for your organisation's use.
Both files are in PDF format. However, the 'High resolution ADE Brochure' is a large file and you may have trouble downloading it. If you are unable to download these two files, please email your contact details to michelle.creed (michelle.creed@fahcsia.gov.au) to receive the files on a CD.
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When a supported employee achieves an employment outcome of a minimum of eight hours per week for 13 accumulated weeks, you must complete the initial Disability Maintenance Instrument (DMI) assessment. It is important to ensure that all initial DMI assessments are completed on FOFMS, as per paragraph 15 of the Additional Procedures and Information contained in the Disability Employment Assistance (DEA) Funding Agreement:
It is also important to note that if the initial DMI Assessment is not completed within 12 months of the intake completion date (plus the period of suspension if any) on FOFMS, payments will cease after you have received the 12th Employment Assistance payment for that particular case.
FOFMS will then automatically exit the case if the DMI Assessment remains overdue.
You can access a training movie from the Australian Disability Enterprises FOFMS Training Resource Centre that provides step-by-step instructions on completing and authorising a DMI Assessment on FOFMS.
If you have any questions about the DMI process, please contact the Case Based Funding Helpdesk on 1800 034 887 or Helpdesk.CBF (Helpdesk.CBF@fahcsia.gov.au).
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Case Based Funding for new employees is only payable from the date they start work.
Under no circumstances should an Intake Assessment be authorised before an employee starts working at your outlet. Once an Intake Assessment is authorised, the case status is changed from 'draft' to 'started' and FOFMS will generate payments.
An Intake payment of $545 is generated on the day the Intake Assessment is authorised. This payment is in recognition of any pre-employment administration such as interviews and paperwork prior to the first day of work.
FaHCSIA has developed a series of short FOFMS training movies which are now available to all Disability Employment Assistance (DEA) FOFMS users. Instructions and information about creating and managing case records can be found in the Australian Disability Enterprises Creating and Managing a Case Record in FOFMS training video on the Australian Disability Enterprises FOFMS Training Resource Centre website.
If you have any questions about Intake Assessments, please contact the Case Based Funding Helpdesk on 1800 034 887 or Helpdesk.CBF (Helpdesk.CBF@fahcsia.gov.au).
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Work Based Personal Assistance (WBPA) fees are available for supported employees with a disability who, due to their physical or neurological disability or medical condition, require:
WBPA does not include general disability workplace support covered by FaHCSIA's Case Based Funding, such as:
These items must not form the basis of a claim by you for a WBPA fee and must not be identified on a WBPA Requirements Form.
FaHCSIA auditors will verify during an audit and compliance visit that WBPA claims are valid and that claim evidence and information is correct. The WBPA payments will be recovered by FAHCSIA if these cannot be verified.
You should refer to Item 22 in the Additional Procedures and Information under the Disability Employment Assistance Funding Agreement for further information on the eligibility and requirements for claiming WBPA.
If you require further information or have any questions on Work Based Personal Assistance, please contact the Case Based Funding Helpdesk on 1800 034 887 or Helpdesk.CBF (Helpdesk.CBF@fahcsia.gov.au).
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Do you have a case study about an Australian Disability Enterprise you would like to share?
Each fortnight, disAbility e-news profiles an Australian Disability Enterprise, providing an opportunity for Australian Disability Enterprises to share information and ideas. E-news is distributed to almost 3,000 readers and is available for anyone to view through the FaHCSIA website. If you would like your Australian Disability Enterprise featured in disAbility e-news, email disabilityenews (disabilityenews@fahcsia.gov.au).
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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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