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CONTENTS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PROGRESS ON PADPSince we wrote in Bulletin Number 5 about difficulties with NSW Health's state wide Advisory Committee review of PAPD there has been a lot of behind-the-scenes activity. Following the latest meeting we are cautiously optimistic that there will be substantial and significant changes in the policies and operation of this crucial aids and equipment programme. Here's the position as we understand it. NSW Health with the support of the Ageing and Disability Department will adopt a new set of eligibility criteria for PADP. The new criteria will operate from 1 January 2001. The income test for families of children with a disability applying to PADP will be abolished. According to NSW Health this change will double the number children eligible to seek support through PADP. Adults who are currently eligible for PADP support (mostly Health Card holders) will remain eligible. Adults whose assessed taxable income is no more than the average taxable lowest income group in NSW (plus an allowance for the extra costs of disability and/or dependants) will be eligible for support with low or high cost items. Adults whose assessed taxable income is above the lowest income group but no more than the average income in NSW (plus allowances) will be eligible for support with high cost items. Adults whose assessed taxable income is above the NSW average will be eligible for support with high cost items subject to available funds and a co-payment of 20% The first $100 of the cost of the first item supplied by PADP in any year will be payable by recipients. Co-payments of more than $100 will be abolished (except in the case of above average earners) People who have received compensation payments in the recent past will not be eligible for support from PADP. In cases of severe hardship, however, the fact of a compensation payment having been made to an applicant some years previously will not make that person ineligible. Work will begin immediately to revise the PADP equipment list. The list will be finalised by 1 April 2001. Work will start soon on a new person-centred system of assessment based on need. The new arrangements will be in place by July 2001. To reflect these and other changes the PADP policy guidance manual for staff has been wholly revised. Disability sector representatives have been centrally involved in determining the content of the new manual. According to NSW Health officials the changes agreed at last week's meeting will be 'signed off' by the department within a month. We will report on this development when it has been confirmed to us. It is genuinely pleasing to be able to report on progress on PADP. We have campaigned long and hard to revise the programme. The changes are a direct consequence of the concerted effort of disability sector representatives working together to achieve a common and agreed goal. Our progress would not have been as swift or as profound, however, had it not been for the professionalism of staff in NSW Health and ADD who were prepared to listen to what was being said. Tim Smyth and Alex Goodwin in particular (past and current Chairpersons of the state wide PADP Advisory Committee) deserve our thanks and appreciation for their work in the difficult task of managing the policy debates over the past two years. And of course, there is still much to be done: The agreements reached on 29 August are not yet finalised. We will monitor progress to ensure that they are. The new policies need to be implemented sensitively and we will keep our ears to the ground to learn from people locally just what the new system is really like. The annual budget still needs to be increased substantially. The revised budget for this financial year is about $15 million. We believe it ought to be closer to $25 million. WELFARE REFORM - WILL THE GOVERNMENT PUT ITS MONEY WHERE PATRICK McCLURE'S MOUTH IS?The much anticipated final report of the Reference Group on Welfare Reform (known as the McClure Report) was published on 16 August. Entitled Participation Support For A More Equitable Society the report poses "three central questions":
PDCN would add a fourth, critically important question : What will the Howard Government do now - cherry pick to suit its ideological prejudices or try to answer the Reference Group's central questions? In broad terms PDCN welcomes the Final Report. In a comparatively short space of time the Reference Group seems to have thought hard about a range of issues to do with social and economic participation. The final report offers a clear set of guiding principles, which we believe most people with physical disability would endorse. The Reference Group's approach and the hundreds of detailed submissions made by organisations across Australia (including PDCN) have moved the debate about Welfare Reform to a much better place than it was less than a year ago. None of us dare forget the views of the Commonwealth Government when it launched a debate about what they called "Welfare Dependency." It was about 'blaming victims'. By contrast, the McClure Committee's (less than wholly satisfactory) Interim Report made clear (but only by omission) that the notion of combating "welfare dependency" ought to have no place in modern thinking about reforming welfare. When the final report was published, the shift in the terms of the debate was clear. Two examples: The title of the report - "Participation Support For A More Equitable Society" sends a clear message to every reader about what Welfare Reform should be about. (This is a small detail ... but an important one). In the report's introduction the document states that "Central to our vision is a belief that the nation's social support system must be judged by its capacity to help people participate economically and socially, as well as by the adequacy of its income support arrangements." (page 3) This is a million ideological miles from the Government's starting point. That alone makes the report welcome. As an organisation of people with disability, however, PDCN welcomes the report because of what it says, not just what it doesn't say. More than 70% of all people with disability receive income support. Over half of people with disability of working age are unemployed. We believe that most of our members would agree with the McClure Committee's goal that: "... [we] must ensure that people are actively engaged socially and economically, including in the labour force, to reduce the risk of long term social and economic disadvantage..." The Interim Report published by the Reference Group earlier this year was a woolly document, lacking clear focus. It had almost nothing to say about the lives of people with disability. The Reference Group has listened to people with disability and their organisations. Our interests have been incorporated into the report of the McClure Committee, though we would have preferred comments about the rights of people with disability to be stronger and more explicit. We welcome the principles and recommendations of the McClure Report because they recognise:
So what is to be done? The Reference Group's final report is a welcome, clear statement of principles, strategic directions and creative recommendations but that is all it is - a statement of principles. The important question is what will the Howard Government do next? We don't know. We are certain, however, about what the Government must not do. No cherry picking. The Government must not choose the bits which involve cutting expenditures while ignoring the bits that involve investments and increases in expenditures; No clever use of cut and paste to re-work the ideas of the McClure Committee report into the first draft of a Coalition Manifesto for the next election. No retreat to 'blaming the victims'. We need:
A fair go! TRANSPORT STANDARD REVIEW - STALLING TACTIC OR REAL QUESTIONS?Much to the surprise (and anger) of many of us the Commonwealth Department of Transport and Regional Services, has announced the need to review the Draft Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport. This has been confirmed by the Standing Committee on Transport (SCOT), which stated that because "the Draft Standards have been defacto guidelines for the past four years, review of the technical aspects of the Standards is considered timely". Six "technical aspects" in particular have been identified: Access Paths - can a standard developed for buildings apply to vehicles? Passing Points - does such a concept have the same meaning in a vehicle? Boarding Devices - do the required ramps need to be as wide or heavy? Hearing Augmentation Lighting Signs The terms of reference and duration of the review were made known before information about the specific nature of the technical aspects was explained. It is not surprising that many people were outraged at what seemed to be yet another 2-year delay. At PDCN we were as incensed as anyone by what appeared to be a stalling tactic by Government, caving in to the big-money interests of private transport operators. We've been told that the review may not be as bad as it first appeared. The plan is, we are asked to believe, to move forward with the standard, seeking parliamentary approval before the end of the year. At the same time the review will commence. One will not get in the way of the other. We're still not certain that this isn't another stalling tactic, but politicians around the country need to understand that people with disability are watching this situation very carefully. In some parts of the country demonstrations and protest actions have already been called. PDCN has decided that it would not be appropriate to stage an action at this time. But we need to see Government action. The Cabinet can complete its "stage two" consideration of the draft transport standard immediately and seek parliamentary endorsement of a final document that meets our legitimate needs. All that can be achieved well before the end of 2000. It just takes political will. We are deeply suspicious of government when it comes to transport standards, and will be prepared to take the appropriate action if our worst suspicions are realised. We'll be watching what the Government does. If it does nothing soon ... we will! IDDP - December 2000 - An Invitation to "ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY"Put this date in your diary. To mark the United Nations International Day of Disabled People there will be a "picnic in the park to celebrate diversity." It takes place on Sunday 3 December between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. (entertainment begins at 2 p.m.) The venue is Enmore Park, Enmore Road, Marrickville. BYO food and drink. There will be musicians, a choir, disability community awards, clowns, face painting, a sausage sizzle and much, much more. "ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY" is being organised by NSW Council for Intellectual Disability, Physical Disability Council NSW, Multicultural Disability Association and People With Disabilities NSW with the support of Marrickville Council. Absolutely Everybody Welcome. Be there or be square! WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE TAXI SURVEY - A REMINDERCan we remind everyone that the NSW Department of Transport has launched a survey of users of wheelchair accessible taxis in an attempt to compile statistically valid information about the experiences and views of people with disability. The disability sector representatives on the Wheelchair Accessible Taxi committee established by the Department of Transport were told that responses will be 100%, cast-iron guaranteed, without a shadow of a doubt confidential. They have been told that no taxi operator will ever be allowed to know what any individual respondent said about his or her experiences. Given the guarantees that have been offered, if you have been asked to participate, we urge you to do so. We need hard data to back up the anecdotal evidence of how poor wheelchair accessible taxi services truly are. The survey, we believe, is an essential part of gathering that data. ACCESS EXPO 2000 - Sunday, 22 October to Tuesday, 24 OctoberACCESS EXPO 2000 is a comprehensive exhibition of products and services associated with the disability and aged care sectors. Visitors will have an opportunity to view and discuss equipment and services. There will be a range of displays including independent living aids, mobility aids, rehabilitation equipment, vehicle modifications, continence equipment. PDCN will have a stall at the Expo (Number 113). Come along and say hello. Venue: Australian Technology Park Convention Centre, Garden Street, Eveleigh. (Sidway reference Map 297 F9). Shuttle bus service from Central Station (Chalmers Street). GLOBAL RIGHTS CAMPAIGNDisability Awareness in Action, the UK-based disability and human rights network, has launched the Global Rights Campaign, a grass-roots campaign to convince the United Nations of the need for a Convention on the Rights of Disabled People. The central aim of the Global Rights Campaign is for individual disabled people to provide testimony about the way in which their human rights are abused, which Disability Awareness in Action (DAA) will present to the UN on December 3rd, International Day of Disabled Persons. More information about DAA and the
Global Rights Campaign is available on FUNDING, FREEDOM AND CITIZENSHIP CONFERENCEAn interesting conference, which
drafted a Declaration on self-determination and
individualised funding which is well worth a look at: INDEPENDENT LIVING NEWSLETTERThe Institute of Independent Livings describes itself as serving self-help organisations of people with disability who work for equal opportunities, self-determination and self-respect. It offers training materials, technical assistance and information on personal assistance, advocacy, access, legislation and peer support. Coming out of Sweden, writing in English, the site offers an exhaustive library, newsletters on various issues, discussion forums. The link to their home page is
DISABILITY STUDIES: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE - WEBCASTThe National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) is hosting a major international conference entitled "Disability Studies: A Global Perspective" on October 17-18, 2000. This conference will serve as a major stepping-stone for the advancement of Disability Studies in university curricula world-wide. This conference will be a live Webcast event. The Webcast will be accessible and
interactive. The broadcast will be archived for six months
following the conference on The address for the Webcast is
HREOC UPDATES AND HOME PAGEIf you want HREOC to email you when there are significant updates to the disability rights section of the Commission´s site, there is an electronic mailing list you can subscribe to. Send a message to join-drupdate@list.humanrights.gov.au, with no subject required. HREOC's Disability Rights page,
with links to what new, upcoming events, recent updates,
current consultations, contacts and links, disability
projects and activities, information on rights and
responsibilities, legislation, and HREOC personnel, and
finding disability resources is available can be found on
Dougie Herd, PDCN Executive
Officer Tel: (02) 9552 1606; 1 800 688 831
PDC NSW Inc is funded by the NSW Government's Ageing and Disability Department. Views expressed by PDC NSW Inc are not necessarily endorsed by the NSW Government.
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