Welcome to our October Newsletter
Message from our CEO – Brendan Cullinan
Honour and Privilege
For over four years, it has been my privilege to be the CEO of People With disabilities WA (PWdWA). The opportunity to play a leadership role and work with the PWdWA Board, staff, our members and partners has been a huge honour.
There are a number of significant challenges ahead for PWdWA as the sector grapples with reforms and what it will mean for not only people with disabilities, their families, and carers but also the entire advocacy network. PWdWA is in a solid position to lead and play a crucial role in building a stronger advocacy sector and ensuring the rights of people with disability are upheld.
In my last message, I wish to acknowledge and thank the Board for their guidance, our members for your support, and my dedicated and committed staff who go above and beyond every day to ensure people with disabilities are empowered in an inclusive society.
PWdWA in Action
PWdWA Annual General Meeting
PWdWA’s AGM will be held on Wednesday, 30 October 2024, in the City West Lotteries House Conference Room. Registration will open at 5:00 p.m., and the meeting will start at 5:30 p.m. The meeting is expected to finish at 7:00 p.m., and light refreshments will be served afterwards.
This year, the Hon. Kyle McGinn, the Parliamentary Secretary for the Hon. Don Punch, Minister for Disabilities, will deliver our opening address.
You can register by scanning the QR code, calling Vanessa at 08 6243 6948, or using the https://events.humanitix.com/2024-pwdwa-annual-general-meeting
PWdWA in Focus
Western Australian Medical Students Society Access Panel
PWdWA’s Communications Officer, Vanessa, joined Suresh and Kathryn on the Western Australian Medical Students Society (WAMSS) Working with Disabilities in Medicine Panel. The panel aimed to discuss with future doctors Disability Awareness in Medicine.
Exploring access and inclusion, the panel discussed, among other things, why the use of the social model of language was important, unconscious bias and why it was so important for medical practitioners to complete government paperwork, e.g., NDIS and Disability Support Pension correctly.
Current Issues
NDIS Support Lists
The Australian government has released the transitional lists of what can and cannot be funded by the National Disability Insurance Scheme. PWdWA, along with the national disability advocacy sector, expressed deep concerns about the timing of the release. These lists were released less than two days before they took effect, with no assurance that participants would be directly informed about how their plans would be impacted.
The transitional lists include a 12-month transition period during which participants won’t be automatically penalised for purchasing non-approved items costing less than $1,500. Participants can also request support that is not included on the lists through a substitution process.
The final rules on what can and cannot be funded by the NDIS have yet to be determined. PWdWA acknowledges that some concerns regarding the use of NDIS funds have been addressed in the published lists. Still, significant issues around participant choice, control, and access to reasonable and necessary support remain.
PWdWA will work with the national disability advocacy sector to urge the government to ensure that the principles of ‘reasonable and necessary’ and ‘participant choice and control’, along with a commitment to genuine co-design, are central to the development of the final rules.
You can find the support list on the NDIS website.
Have your say on Foundational Supports
Many people with disability are not on the NDIS and may need more help than what is offered through mainstream or community services, like early childhood education, schools and community mental health.
Commonwealth, state, and territory governments are working together to design and deliver additional supports that would be available in the community outside the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
You can have your say on this in a few different ways. Register for an upcoming consultation, complete an online questionnaire, or contribute to the Foundational Supports Ideas Wall.
PWdWA is planning a formal submission to engage our members in consultation. We will announce further information on how to participate shortly.
Upcoming
Carers WA Conference
17 October – PWdWA will host an exhibition table at this one-day conference, celebrating National Carers Week with this year’s theme of “Empowering the unpaid carer: Navigating identity, belonging & change.
JTCESC Disability Expo
18 October 10 am – 3 pm – PWdWA will host a table at the Mandurah MARC Rec Centre, 303 Pinjarra Road, Mandurah. There will be Community Groups, Service Providers, Therapy Services, and Local Groups.
Source Kids Expo
26 & 27 October – PWdWA will host a booth at the upcoming Kids Expo, to be held at the Perth Exhibition and Conference Centre
PWdWA Outreach
Town |
Hosted at |
Dates |
| Merredin | Merredin Community Resource Centre | 15 October |
| Moora | Amity Health Moora | 7 October |
| Narrogin | Amity Health Narrogin | 5 November |
| Northam | Jobs and Skills, 1 Hutt Street, Northam | 24 October |
| Pinjarra | Murray House Community Centre | 10 October |
| Fremantle | St Pats Community Centre | 9 & 23 October |
| Toodyay | Community Resource Centre | 23 October |
| Waroona | Waroona Community Resource Centre. | 3 & 17 October |
| York | York Community Resource Centre | 22 October |