News
People with disability around Australia have shared horrifying stories of abuse and neglect in relation to housing, guardianship, transport and child protection detailed in a new report, prompting several disability advocacy representatives to call for urgent reform from the Albanese government.
The Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA), has released its annual Systemic Advocacy Insight Report through the DANA run National Centre for Disability Advocacy, compiling insights from in depth consultation with independent disability advocacy organisations nationwide. The report revealed unsettling trends in housing insecurity and the suspected overuse of guardianship orders.
CEO of Disability Advocacy Network Australia, El Gibbs, says the report sheds a light on harms to people with disability.
People with disability are being stripped of their rights under guardianship systems, while housing instability pushes us further to the margins
El Gibbs
Situations highlighted in the report included the housing eviction of a person with disability while receiving care in hospital, while another disabled individual missed a funeral she was due to speak at after waiting 4 hours for a wheelchair accessible taxi.
Perhaps more alarmingly, applications from service providers for guardianship orders for people with disability, which take control over making decisions away from people with disability, have seen a sharp increase since the NDIS began in 2015.
The report stated the top locations where guardianship applications for people with disability are most prevalent were Queensland and Western Australia.
A significant factor of these failings is the chronic underfunding of systemic advocacy which limits the sector’s ability to drive change, according to the report.
DANA CEO, El Gibbs, says the findings will help the Government rectify systemic failings.
“This report…is a roadmap for policymakers and … reinforces the critical need for the Federal Government to address ongoing underfunding of systemic and individual advocacy to drive change across the community.”