• Table of Contents
• Disability Investment Group
• Executive Summary
• National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) – A Possible Model
• Principal Recommendation
• Summary of Other Recommendations
• Section I
• Part 1: Experience of Disability in Australia
• Part 2: Need for Change
• Section II
• Part 3: Establishing a New National Disability Insurance Scheme
• Part 4: Ensuring Income Support is Adequate
• Part 5: Improving savings and taxation incentives for privately - funded services
• Section III
• Part 6: Providing More Housing for People with Disability
• Part 7: Offering Better Employment Opportunities
• Part 8: Building Research and Best Practice
• Appendices
• Appendix A
• Appendix B
• Appendix C
• Appendix D
• Appendix E
• Appendix F
• Appendix G
• Appendix H
• Appendix I
• Appendix J

The Way Forward – A New Disability Policy Framework For Australia

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• Next: (Appendix A: Disability Investment Group Terms of Reference and Membership)

Part 8: Building Research and Best Practice

Key DIG findings

In trying to understand the current situation for people with disability in Australia, the DIG found a disturbing lack of useful data and low investment in research on disability issues.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found an overall lack of comprehensive data in non-government disability databases. (For more information, see Appendix G)

While disability data appears to be slowly improving, what is currently available and planned is still inadequate for robust policy analysis and development.

One of the advantages of moving to a NDIS would be the development of a comprehensive longitudinal database. A key plank of insurance-type schemes like this is the collection and analysis of data to help manage scheme liabilities.

During its work, the DIG found pockets of valuable research on disability issues being conducted across the country. Overall, however, disability research in Australia appears scarce, limited in scope, not always identified as disability-related, uncoordinated and poorly disseminated.

Governments in Australia spend over $25 billion on disability each year. Yet there is virtually no investment in disability-related research. The previous Commonwealth State Territory Disability Agreement spent less than $400,000 a year on research from 2002 to 2008. Under the new National Disability Agreement, Disability Ministers have agreed to contribute a total of $10 million over 5 years from the Agreement for research in this area.

This is a considerable improvement but more investment is needed in research directly related to the lives of people with disability. The research can then be translated into evidence-based policy and best practice. This new research effort should cover the broadest practical range and encompass policy-relevant social research, practice research, engineering and technology, and medical research.

There is potential for strong partnerships with non-profit disability service providers, the corporate sector through its corporate community investments, between researchers and industry, and with the philanthropic sector to ensure the commercial application of innovative ideas.

The DIG recommends the establishment of a National Disability Research Institute as a centre of excellence for disability research in Australia and proposes a charter for the institute. (For more information, see Appendix J)

Funding for the centre could come from a NDIS if that model is adopted. In the meantime, the centre could be set up with a contribution from the Commonwealth and State and Territory Governments as part of the National Disability Agreement.

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• Next: (Appendix A: Disability Investment Group Terms of Reference and Membership)

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