Ideally, we want to live in a dignified and simplified society where we have the confidence and self esteem to speak our mind and have the opportunities that everyone has.
The sentiments expressed in this submission—the right to be treated with dignity and to have the same opportunities as other members of the Australian community—should not be too much to ask.
But many Australians with disabilities, along with their families, friends and carers, are still experiencing systemic disadvantage. The national ideal of a ‘fair go’ is still only imperfectly extended to people with disabilities. We want our National Disability Strategy to tackle that disadvantage.
Hundreds of voices from across Australia contributed to consultations for the strategy. The people who participated are, just like all other Australian citizens, individuals with their own needs, abilities, ambitions and priorities. They are united only by the experience of living with disability.
Yet a consistent message from their contributions is the desire to have the same opportunities as everyone else for a fulfilling and productive life. Many said they face a constant struggle to obtain what the rest of the community would consider to be an ordinary life. They do not want special treatment—they just want the barriers removed so they can get on with living.
The task that falls to us is to make the political, social and economic changes necessary to enable this to happen. We have been told we need to tackle issues and barriers around disability services, we need to ensure an adequate standard of living for all our citizens, and we need a society in which all people are included and are supported as citizens and leaders in the community.
This work has begun in the 19 months we have been in government. We are investing over $5 billion in funding over five years for specialist disability services through the National Disability Agreement, representing a significant growth in funding compared to previous agreements. The 2009-10 Budget delivers substantial reform of the pension system, which will improve adequacy, security and flexibility for people receiving Age Pension, Disability Support Pension and Carer Payment and related payments.
We were one of the first countries to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as part of the Australian Government’s broader long-term commitment to improving the lives of people with disabilities, their families, friends and carers.
In partnership with state and territory governments, the Australian Government is developing a National Disability Strategy, which will be informed by the views in this report.
We want the National Disability Strategy to map out what we need to do to start fixing problems. This will not be easy and it will take time. We have therefore asked for the strategy to be delivered to government by mid-2010. We are particularly interested in the solutions and creative ideas summarised in this report and the ideas that have come from people who live with disability.
We welcome this report and would like to thank the many people who attended public forums and focus groups and took the time and effort to write submissions, despite their busy lives.
The Hon Jenny Macklin MP
Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
The Hon Bill Shorten MP
Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children’s Services, Parliamentary Secretary for Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction