News
The Albanese government has reaffirmed its commitment to building a more inclusive Australia by releasing an update to Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031.
Australia’s Disability Strategy Review was undertaken in partnership with people with disability, Disability Representative Organisations and the ADS Advisory Council.
Minister for the NDIS and Social Services Amanda Rishworth said the updated Strategy reflects what matters most to the disability community and outlines a roadmap to deliver change.
This updated Strategy introduces an additional policy priority focused on addressing homelessness…and three new Targeted Action Plans, which focus on building more inclusive homes and communities.
Targeted Action Plans are focused over one to 3 years to achieve improved outcomes for people with disability. The new Targeted Action Plans come after a period of community consultation.
The new Targeted Action Plans represent actions based on what the government heard from people with disability including:
- fewer actions to coordinate governments’ efforts across the entire disability service system
- a strong focus on national actions reflecting the shared accountability and governance arrangements to support all Australians with disability.
Over the next three years, the Strategy will focus on three key areas of:
- Changing Community Attitudes.
- Inclusive Homes and Communities; and
- Safety, Rights and Justice.
The Commonwealth, States and Territories and local governments have agreed to these action plans and to work together to deliver.
“Sometimes people may not even realise that their actions are making it harder for people with disability to be included,” Minister Rishworth said.
This could be something as simple as writing something down for someone instead of only speaking. Or adjusting lighting in a public space.
If people have a better understanding about the barriers people with disability face, they can take the steps to remove these barriers.
The Minister went on to explain the Community Attitudes Targeted Action Plan will focus on improving community understanding so people can take action to improve the inclusion and participation of people with disability in Australian society.
For more on this topic, try Attitudes - About Disability podcast. You can listen to each episode or read full transcripts. Start with episode 1.