The Palaszczuk Government is committed to working to ensure that all Queenslanders with disability, no matter where they live, have access to the support they deserve.
Minister for Seniors, Disability Services and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Craig Crawford said the Palaszczuk Government has provided non-recurrent funding of $8.1 million to support peak bodies over two years from 2019-20 to 2020-21, as Queensland transitioned to full scheme National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
"A key priority for the Palaszczuk Government is building inclusive communities for all ages, abilities and backgrounds," Mr Crawford said.
"I am therefore pleased to advise that the Queensland Government is supportive of extending the base funding for disability advocacy services by a further two years to support the sector," he said.
"I acknowledge that demand for advocacy services has persisted despite Queensland's transition to the NDIS. The NDIS has in fact been a major driver of advocacy demand.
"Advocacy is a vital support for people, including people with disability. That's why on 25 February this year I met with representatives from the Combined Advocacy Groups of Queensland to discuss disability advocacy needs in Queensland.
"A new National Disability Strategy due to be released later this year, which I'm eager to see, will inform our own revised state disability plan.
"Commonwealth action on the findings and recommendations of the various reviews of the NDIS is in the early stages, meaning the underpinning systemic issues, including disability advocacy, are yet to be addressed and will likely take a significant period of time to fully resolve.
"We will be extending our support through our existing arrangements while we also work with the Federal Government, who is leading a demand and gap analysis of independent disability advocacy and decision-making supports.
"Findings of this work will strongly inform discussions on future arrangements for funding."
I look forward to working with QDN and the Queensland Disability Advocacy Alliance to continue to support the special needs of particularly vulnerable groups of Queenslanders with a disability."
