Powerd NewsWrap 27th August 2025

Vision Australia ID 0:00

Welcome to a Vision Australia radio podcast. Love our podcasts. Why not listen to us live? Tune in anywhere, anytime, ask your smart device to play Vision Australia radio or visit va radio.org

Pam Green 0:22

on the Vision Australia and reading radio networks. This is the powered news wrap.

Sam Rickard 0:27

G'day. I'm Sam Ricard. It's the 27th of August. Twice the end of the month, we're presenting articles from the powered dot media website. Joining me, of course, is Emma Myers. G'day, Emma, it's been a, well, slow news week,

Emma Myers 0:42

you might say, I mean, I wouldn't say that.

Sam Rickard 0:46

I go to Melbourne, and all of a sudden, all hell breaks loose.

Emma Myers 0:50

I know you ever thought of all of our problems? Sam, that's exact, yes.

Sam Rickard 0:55

So we aren't covering housing at the moment, but I suspect we will be talking about that for a few weeks to come.

Emma Myers 1:05

Yeah, yeah, definitely, that is on my to do list. So we should have something up soon. All

Sam Rickard 1:12

right, so the first article is, well, there's a new way of measuring well being,

Emma Myers 1:18

yes, so this is called the disability well being index, and it's pretty much measuring outcomes based on what's important to people with a disability in terms of their personal well being, right?

Sam Rickard 1:37

So it what will it be used in aid of Will this be a tool for the NDIA or for service providers, or all of the above, all

Emma Myers 1:46

of the above, Sam, it'll actually be aiding in service providers, providing the level of care and understanding that we expect, pretty much. It

Sam Rickard 1:59

did strike me that they were going for something that was a lot more individual as well. So not a one size fits all, which seems to be quite often you find with some of the older style charities I

Emma Myers 2:10

know, and that's that's a big step forward in what we've been campaigning for. So yeah, it was actually quite interesting, and I'm quite excited to see where this leads.

Sam Rickard 2:25

And I'm quite excited to hear the news. We welcome back. Pam Green, who is the Adelaide station manager for radio. RPh, over to you. Pam,

Pam Green 2:35

Thanks, Sam, those living with disability could soon have a better way of monitoring quality of life as Monash University's newly launched disability well being index, DWI gets set to improve services and guide disability policy across the country. The Disability well being index is a measure of outcomes based on what is important to people with disability in terms of their personal well being, according to Monash University's Center for Health Economics, according to the disability well being index website, the DWI was developed across four years through consultation with more than 3500 Australians with disability and the wider disability sector. Project Lead Professor gang Chen explains that the index could be used to help measure the impact of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The NDIS and other service providers measuring wellbeing through the DWI will help the NDIA providers and other agencies in the community to help improve services for people with disability. He says, looking at the index results over time and across services for diverse groups of people with disability can inform better planning decisions and assist in prioritizing resources. According to the disability WellBeing Index website, the DWI aims to investigate 10 areas of life, including health, safety, relationships, personal care, meaningful activities, finances, learning and support. Monash Center for Health Economics researcher Professor Dennis Petrie claims this is the first time a WellBeing Index has been built from the ground up by and for people with disability. It captures what really matters to the participants, not just what systems think should matter. This will enable smarter, more compassionate investments in Disability Services and Supports. Professor pee says, according to the researcher, the disability WellBeing Index is calculated by responses to a short questionnaire. Health Economics professor. Anthony Harris believes the measuring tool should be utilized to allow service providers and participants to make better choices. Ultimately, if adopted as a routine measure of performance by providers, we hope that it will lead to better support for people with a disability and improved value for money as investment shifts to services that contribute more to well being. Professor Harris says people with disability living in New South Wales could soon receive more Support Assistance following the New South Wales government's $1 million grant announcement as part of the disability advocacy Futures Program. The dafp, the disability advocacy Futures Program, is a grant initiative which aims to support organizations and services assisting people with disability to actively engage in their communities. According to the New South Wales Government, 13 not for profit organizations have been chosen to receive a share of $1 million to build capacity and support to people with disability, including those not covered by the NDIS, as stated on the New South Wales Department of Communities and Justice the DcJ website, according to the judicial commission of New South Wales, there is an estimated 1.3 4 million people with disability living in the state, with one in 20 requiring some level of assistance. The grants are said to empower those with disability to participate more confidently in everyday life, with projects receiving between $20,000 and $100,000 to help build stronger networks and learning opportunities in New South Wales, according to the DcJ website, New South Wales Minister for Disability Inclusion, Kate Washington believes The State Government is building a more inclusive and equitable future by ensuring people with disability have the tools to participate fully in their community. We're proud to be backing these incredible organizations that support people with disability every day, helping them to be heard, to be safe and to thrive. The minister said, we've already seen the difference this program can make. Now, with another round of grants, we're strengthening the foundations of advocacy in New South Wales and ensuring more people get the support they deserve when and where they need it. Previously, initiatives which have increased funding include training to support victims of domestic violence for women with disability, equipping them with the tools to recognize abuse, and the development of resources to empower autistic First Nations children and their families throughout their education journey. According to the DcJ website, the people with and without disability will be breathing a sigh of relief after a review by Elizabeth Broderick and CO into the workplace culture of the NDIS quality and safeguards Commission, the NDIS commission uncovered an array of bullying allegations. The NDIS commissioned the independent culture review, which was conducted between September 2024 and June 2025 to better understand how employees were experiencing workplace culture. Elizabeth Brodrick and CO conducted an online survey of 566 employees, interviews and group sessions and invited written submissions with two in 10. Employees surveyed revealing they had experienced bullying in the past 12 months. According to the review, 566 individuals were approached to participate in interviews, group sessions and written submissions with two in 10 revealing they had experienced bullying in the past 12 months. According to the review, a number of staff described bullying behaviors that involved public humiliation, verbal abuse or intimidation. The report reads these included managers reprimanding junior staff in front of others, inappropriate or aggressive language from senior leaders and ongoing fear or anxiety in the workplace. Findings from the Elizabeth Brodrick and CO review also revealed the psychological impact of the abuse extended beyond work, affecting their well being, relationships and personal life, although 70% of staff with disability considered the agency to be inclusive, others still reported exclusionary practices relating to their disability. These included inaccessible systems, a lack of formal processes for adjustments and workplaces which did not. Consistently meet the needs of people with disability. Several staff described experiences of physical inaccessibility, slow or denied adjustments and a lack of awareness across leadership. The NDIS report says NDIS Commissioner Louise Glanville and Associate Commissioner Natalie Wade both acknowledged the need for workplace improvements. The experiences of our staff with a disability were disappointing, given the commission has an important role to play in safeguarding the rights of people with disability. They say we are deeply sorry for these harmful experiences, and we are committed to building an organization that is safe, inclusive and respectful for all employees, community and public sector union deputy national president Beth Vincent peach believes the findings reflect the notion that the NDIS commission is in urgent need of a complete overhaul the NDIS Commissioner now has the Broderick review, the ComCare report and multiple sets of staff census results to inform their next steps and turn this regulator around. Ms Vincent peach says the NDIS commission claims it has accepted all recommendation received as part of the investigation, and we'll be implementing them in due course. Now back to Emma and Sam.

Sam Rickard 11:26

Thank you, Pam, for those of you who are listening to us via podcast now we have a bonus article in the middle, which concerned, well, a new grant that's available for those of you lucky enough to live in New South Wales, maybe you can tell us a little

Emma Myers 11:41

bit about that one. Yeah, so people with disability in New South Wales will be given a $1 million grant as part with the disability advocacy Futures Program

Sam Rickard 11:54

beauty. I can do with a new boat, I'll move to New South Wales. I don't think it's going to be going for things that are part of that frivolous. I mean, what are we looking

Emma Myers 12:02

at here? So we're looking at 13 not for profit organizations will receive part of this grant to improve building capacity and supporting people with disability, including those not covered by the NDIS.

Sam Rickard 12:20

That is important. I think this is something we have to look at a lot further down the track as well. Because if the federal government doesn't want the NDIS to cover everybody, then yes, there needs to be a bit more proactive behavior from state governments. So anyway, monowards and upwards. This is the last one which, well, it's a bit of a mixed bag in some ways, because they did a review into bullying, and this was in, well, you did the article. Maybe you can describe this a bit better. Who did the review? Into whom?

Emma Myers 12:58

So it was an independent review run by Elizabeth Broadrick and CO, which is a independent law firm, and they conducted a review into workplace culture of the NDIS quality and safeguards commission. There have been various reports of bullying at all levels,

Sam Rickard 13:25

and what they found was not necessarily good,

Emma Myers 13:29

no, no. So for a workplace that works to elevate people with disability in all areas of life, not everyone is experiencing the inclusion in their workplace, and this was people with and without disability. So the report found that there was inaccessible systems, a lack of formal processes for adjustments and workplaces which did not consistently meet the needs of people with a disability.

Sam Rickard 14:08

And I'm sure there was a plethora of excuses as to why these weren't happening as well. So that's tends to as someone who has worked in able bodied environments myself, I can quite empathize with that, with all of that, have you ever encountered what they're describing here, whether it's good intention or not?

Emma Myers 14:27

I have actually, so I was essentially going to be given a job as a motel receptionist, and the interview that I had arrived for was just a formality, but when I arrived at the actual building, there's no wheelchair access whatsoever, and I didn't even get out of the taxi, and the taxi driver felt so bad for me, they didn't even charge me. For the ride.

Sam Rickard 15:01

Wow. So, so, yes, I mean, and it can not necessarily somebody saying I hate disability or I don't understand disability. It can be just most innocent. Yeah,

Emma Myers 15:10

it was. It was more a case of, I mean, they placed the blame on building standards, because the building was built in 1989 just before the cut off for where they can make adjustments for accessibility, which I've spoken about this before, is horrendous, when you think about it. I've been to Dublin. I've been to Trinity College, which was built in the 1500s or even prior to that, and they still managed to get me up to the library, which was two floors up via a service lift that they had installed in this really old building. And yet people still hide behind building codes that say that they can't make adjustments to buildings which are 20 and 30 years old.

Sam Rickard 16:11

So I'm going to grab the lid of this can of worms and try and ram it shut again for because we have run out of time. But so that is a wrap for this wrap, Emma, what have we got to look forward to next week? Or, Dare I ask?

Emma Myers 16:27

I mean, look forward to as a matter of Indian sand we are going to unpack the announcement that NDIS Minister Mark Butler revealed at the Press Club about a new program for children with or did them in developmental delays.

Sam Rickard 16:49

I await that with well, cautious, bated breath until next week. Bye, for now,

Pam Green 16:55

bye. You can find these articles and more by going to Powerd. That's spelt P, O, W, E, R, D, dot media, along with the podcast of this show, the Powerd news wrap was brought to you by disability media Australia. This show was produced by Sam Rickard in the Adelaide studios of Vision Australia radio.