PWD E-Bulletin

Welcome to PWD’s e-bulletin. The e-bulletin goes out to members and interested others regularly by email. For members who do not have access to email, a printed version of the e-bulletin will be sent by post. To be added to or removed from our mailing list, or to change your email address, please contact PWD.

NSW news

++Supported accommodation update

PWD has been participating in discussions the NSW Government has been holding with the disability sector on the development and provision of supported accommodation for people with disability.

PWD participated in a third Ministerial round-table discussion on supported accommodation in November. These round-table meetings have been frank discussions about the range of problems facing the accommodation service system, including issues around de-institutionalisation, models of service delivery and principles for service development and reform.

A draft Accommodation and Support paper was released prior to the third Ministerial round-table meeting. At this meeting the various strengths and weaknesses of the draft paper were discussed. The third round table meeting agreed that in order for the draft supported accommodation plan to be implemented with success, it would require the commitment of significant additional financial resources.

The meeting discussed the need for greater flexibility, responsiveness and the delivery of more options for people with disability and their families; the need for a range of options that are linked to individual needs; the need for training and development for staff in the disability sector; and the need for the system to support people within their home, wherever that may be.

While the draft Accommodation and Support paper is silent on the issue of people with disability living in large residential institutions and settings, the yet to be developed 10 year disability plan (to be released in 2006) is an opportunity for Government to confirm its commitment to the objects of the Disability Services Act, 1993 (NSW) and that the principles and applications of principles set out in the Act inform all aspects of service delivery.

A copy of the Disability Accommodation and Support Paper is available at www.dadhc.nsw.gov.au

++DADHC Advocacy and information services position paper

The Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care released the long awaited position paper on advocacy and information services on 24 November 2005. Responses are due by 23 December 2005. This paper is available on the DADHC website www.dadhc.nsw.gov.au

PWD will make a submission to the paper which will be available on the PWD website in the new year.

++Review of the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998

The NSW Department of Community Services (DoCS) is undertaking a review of the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998. This Act sets out provisions for the care and protection of children and young people in out-of-home care, including provisions relevant to children and young people with disability in voluntary out-of-home care.

The review will mainly cover those proclaimed sections of the Act that have been problematic in terms of workability, interpretation and implementation. In particular, it will look at the effects of the Act for permanency planning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people.

In addition, unproclaimed sections of the Act will be reviewed to determine if they should be repealed, amended or proclaimed. This has particular relevance for children and young people with disability in voluntary out-of-home care, as the sections that would protect this group of children and young people have not been proclaimed.

PWD participated in the NSW Government working party that recommended the introduction of these sections when the Act was being drafted and has strongly supported proclamation of these sections since its enactment. However, the voluntary care sections have faced major opposition from the Department of Community Services, the Children's Guardian, and the Commissioner for Children and Young People and have never been proclaimed. Those opposing proclamation argue that policy measures, not legislation are a better solution to address the care and protection of children and young with disability in voluntary out-of-home care. PWD has strongly rejected these proposals.

PWD will make a submission to the review and re-state its position that children and young people with disability in voluntary out-of-home care must have the same legislative safeguards as all children and young people in out-of-home care.

A Review Issues Paper and call for submissions is available under the What’s New section of the DoCS website www.community.nsw.gov.au/index_a.htm
Submissions should be made by 28 February 2006.

For further information contact Therese Sands at PWD.

++NSW Ombudsman Report of reviewable deaths in 2004

On December 7 the NSW Ombudsman, Mr Bruce Barbour tabled his report of reviewable deaths in the NSW Parliament. The report identifies many problems and makes recommendations that might prevent or reduce deaths in the future following the analysis of the deaths of children and people with disability in NSW.

The reviewable disability deaths are of people who were living in residential care authorised or funded under the Disability Services Act (1993) or a residential centre including licensed boarding houses at the time of their death.

In 2004, 93 deaths of people with disability were reviewed. 34 were in services run by the Department of Ageing Disability and Home Care (DADHC), 35 were people who were living in services funded by DADHC and 24 were people who were living in licensed boarding houses.

The report identifies key issues in the management of health care in all settings, and recommends improvements in the areas of health screening, need for improved access to specialist services, improvements in acting on referrals, lack of implementations of specialist or allied health recommendations, and a lack of or only partial implementation of health related plans.

Communication was identified as being critical in the identification of illness and pain. People with disability need to have improved communication supports and staff need to be better trained in these supports and monitoring changing health needs.

Constipation was identified as a significant health problem for may people with disability who died in 2004, and contributed to the deaths of three people.

The management of medication needs to be greatly improved in disability services and licensed boarding houses, three deaths reviewed were related to drug toxicity or overdose.

Problems were also identified in the provision of information from disability support services to hospitals and in dealing with the end-of-life for some of people whose death was reviewed.

A number of problems were identified in relation to the boarding house sector. The screening tool used to assess or reassess a person’s suitability for boarding house residency to ensure that only people with low support needs live in licensed boarding houses was found to have not been to have been used to reassess residents who had multiple hospital admissions and were discharged back to their boarding houses in the 12 months before their deaths. The tool was introduced on a pilot basis and DADHC had intended to review this in 2002. The review has not been done. There were also concerns raised about the record keeping, levels of supervision and the absence of first-aid qualified staff.

The NSW Ombudsman has made 23 recommendations in the report, mostly directed at DADHC, some to NSW Health and some to both departments. A number of recommendations they made in 2003 depended on DADHC’s review of its ‘Managing Client Health’ policy and the roll out of the policy to funded services. The review has not been completed and The NSW Ombudsman has asked for a progress report on that policy as well as other policy areas.

Specific recommendations have been made in relation to licensed boarding houses. DADHC has been asked to inform boarding houses of good practice in health care, and to also review and report on record keeping in boarding houses and additionally, on the screening tool for entry into boarding houses.

NSW Health have received recommendations relating to its new policies and guidelines on the hospitalisation of people with disability and end-of-life decision making.

A full copy of the Report of Reviewable Death in 2004 is available from the NSW Ombudsman’s website at: www.ombo.nsw.gov.au

++Program of Appliances for Disabled People: Update

PWD has been actively involved in a campaign to highlight the level of unmet need in the Program of Appliances for Disabled People (PADP). The campaign has been coordinated by the Physical Disability Council of NSW. PADP is administered by the NSW Department of Health. The role of PADP is to assist eligible people in NSW who have a life-long or long-term disability to live and participate within their community by the provision of appropriate equipment, aids and appliances.

As part of the ongoing campaign to highlight the need for additional funding members of PWD participated in a visit to State Parliament on 18 October. On the Tuesday of each sitting week consumers are present in the Parliament and observe question time. Information is available to distribute to MPs and others if required. Those who attended found the day interesting and informative.

If any members of PWD would be interested in participating in this campaign please contact Digby Hughes at PWD.

Review of Program of Appliances for Disabled People

As reported in PWD E-Bulletin 25 a departmental review is of PADP has been announced by the Minister for Health. Pricewaterhouse Coopers have been announced as the successful tenderer to undertake the review.

The review has commenced and consultations are being undertaken with consumers, advocacy organisations, health workers, equipment providers and staff of the NSW Department of Health. PWD will be contributing a detailed submission to the review.

For further information or to contribute to the PWD submission please contact Digby Hughes at PWD.

++Stakeholder Review: Merger of Community Services Commission into the Office of the Ombudsman

Recently, PWD provided a submission to the Parliamentary Committee on the Office of the Ombudsman and Police Integrity Commission’s Stakeholder Review of the merger between the Community Services Commission and the Office of the Ombudsman. The Committee is undertaking this stakeholder review prior to embarking next year upon its formal review of the legislation that bought about the merger.

• Those many functional areas of the NSW Ombudsman’s handling of the community services jurisdiction about which we have no current concerns;
• A perceived loss of leadership and change agentry in the disability services area consequent upon the Community Services Commission’s functions being passed to the NSW Ombudsman; and
• The need for the NSW Ombudsman to be able to investigate complaints and make recommendations to disability service providers on an urgent basis.

For further information about our submission please contact Matthew Keeley at PWD.

For more detailed information about the stakeholder review, the primary contact at the Committee is Helen Minnican, Committee Manager or phone (02) 9230 2062.

++Licensed Residential Centres (Boarding Houses)

PWD continues to advocate for the rights of residents of Licensed Residential Centres (boarding houses). There are over 1,000 residents of boarding houses throughout NSW. Boarding house residents are typically among the most deprived and socially isolated members of our community. Many boarding house residents lack access to basic human and civil and political rights. PWD works to enhance residents’ access to services and to ensure residents’ rights are met.

PWD is currently working on a pilot project with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) to enhance the participation of boarding house residents in the electoral process. The majority of residents are not on the electoral roll and currently do not participate in voting or other electoral processes. In some boarding houses the enrolment rate is less than 2%. The pilot project is targeting nine boarding houses in the Sydney, Grayndler and Watson electorates.

The aims of the project include the development of electoral material in accessible formats, education of electoral officials of the needs of boarding house residents and education and participation of boarding house residents in the electoral process. PWD will be working with the AEC, the Department of Ageing disability and Home Care (DADHC), Active Linking Initiative (ALI) and the Boarding House team. We will be ensuring that residents are not disadvantaged if they enrol to vote.

Other states and territory news

++Victorian Government Accessible Housing Taskforce

The Victorian Minister for Planning, the Honourable Rob Hulls, MP has established an Accessible Housing Taskforce. The Taskforce will bring together representatives from industry and the community sector to provide advice on a preferred approach for establishing accessible and adaptable housing policies and regulation in Victoria.

The Taskforce will review available research on the need for accessible and adaptable housing in Victoria, as well as consider costs and benefits of regulating for accessible housing.

The Taskforce is expected to finalise its report by early 2006.
For further details please contact Digby Hughes at PWD.

++Victorian Electoral Commission focuses on disability

The Victorian Electoral Commission has released a draft Disability Action Plan to improve access to the Victorian electoral system for people with a disability. The draft builds on consultation prior to the 2002 State election and comments and suggestions following the 2002 State election, as well as a survey sent to a small group of peak disability bodies in 2005.

A copy of the Action Plan can be found at www.vec.vic.gov.au/files/draftdisabilityplan.doc

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National news

++Welfare to work legislation passed

The legislation to give effect to significant changes to social security system and employment assistance programs has been passed by the Australian Parliament. PWD is extremely disappointed that the Government chose to ignore widespread advice of the potential negative impact that the changes will have on the lives of people with disability.

• new applicants for the Disability Support Pension (DSP) will receive Newstart Allowance or Austudy – both with significantly lower rates of payment – if they are deemed ‘able to work’ more than 15 hours per week;
• people with disability (and single parents) in receipt of Newstart Allowance will undergo ‘activity requirements’;
• a new compliance regime;
• minor recognition of the cost of disability through an increase in the Mobility Allowance (for some);
• minor improvements to the provision of employment assistance programs for people currently receiving the DSP.

The two pieces of legislation were tabled in the Parliament in early November and referred to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs. Unfortunately, the Standing Committee was given a very short time frame to receive submissions and conduct hearings on the Bill. PWD protested this time frame and the lack of consultation with people with disability.

• income support payments and assistance with cost of disability will be inadequate and will push people with disability further into poverty;
• the loss of eligibility for the Pensioner Education Supplement and Rent Assistance, Pensioner Concession Cards and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Assistance will also seriously disadvantage people with disability in education and in competing in the labour market now and in the future;
• income support payments must be structured to adequately reflect the real cost of looking for work and living with disability. This may involve implementation of a tiered income support system;
• activity requirements are not necessary to encourage, support and assist people with disability into the workforce – more supports and removal of social and infrastructure barriers are necessary;
• the proposed compliance regime will marginalise a significant group of people from the support and assistance they require in job seeking and will punish people who, because of the nature of their impairment, may be unable to engage with a complex compliance regime;
• the need for increased funding to Open Employment Services and Job Network Services as well as enhanced (or new) quality assurance and complaint mechanisms.

PWD was invited to appear as a witness before the Senate Committee hearings. In our evidence to the hearing we emphasised the need for an improved income support system, the need to address the cost of disability and the social and environmental barriers that prevent labour market participation.

The report of the Senate Committee is available at: http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/clac_ctte/welfare_to_work/report/index.htm

The Parliamentary Library has analysed the Welfare to Work Bill and this is available at: http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/bd/2005-06/06bd070.pdf [PDF only]

++UN convention consultation report released

The report of the 2005 national consultation on the Chair’s Text of the United Nations convention on the human rights of people with disability has been released. The consultation was undertaken as a partnership between the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO), the National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLC) and PWD.

The consultation and report were commissioned and funded by the Attorney-General, the Honourable Phillip Ruddock, MP. We acknowledge the financial assistance to conduct the consultation with sincere appreciation. The report will assist the Australian Government to prepare a briefing to its delegation to attend the seventh session of the United Nations Ad Hoc Committee responsible for the development of the text proposal for the convention. The report will also assist non-government organisations to prepare their participation at the Ad Hoc Committee. The seventh session of the Ad Hoc Committee developing the draft convention will be held in New York for three weeks from 16 January.

The report is available from the PWD website at www.pwd.org.au/disabilityconvention
or by contacting any of the PWD numbers below.

++Women’s Report Card Project: Third Phase Update

PWD is actively involved in the third phase of the Women’s Report Card Project, which is now underway (please refer to PWD E-Bulletin Issue 27, October 2005 for more information on this phase).

This third phase has involved the development of a non-government Shadow Report, an alternative to the Australian Government report on its progress in achieving women’s rights as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

The non-government Shadow Report is now available from the website of the Women’s Rights Action Network Australia (WRANA), which is coordinating the Women’s Report Card Project - http://home.vicnet.net.au/~wrana

The Report is inclusive of the issues and concerns of diverse groups of women in Australia. The key issues identified for women with disability include:

• Discrimination against women with disability in prisons
• Over-representation of women with disability in the criminal justice system
• Lack of, or limits to public participation
• Lack of access to health services
• Lack of gender and disability disaggregated data
• Negative impact of changes to Industrial Relations
• Negative impact of welfare reform
• Lack of housing and public building access
• Lack of access to legal services
• Lack of domestic violence services, including housing
• Sterilisation of women and girls with disability

Over 100 non-government women’s and social justice organisations have endorsed the Shadow Report, including:

• PWD
• Women with Disabilities Australia
• Women with Disabilities ACT
• NSW Network of Women with Disabilities
• Australian Federation of Disability Organisations
• National Ethnic Disability Alliance
• Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association
• Intellectual Disability Rights Service

The third phase of the Women’s Report Card Project has also involved the selection by WRANA of 3 women to form a non-government delegation that will take the issues contained in the Shadow Report to the UN CEDAW Committee review of the Australian Government. This review will take place in New York from 23-30 January, 2006.

Therese Sands, Senior Advocate for PWD has been successful in her application for a position on this delegation. The inclusion of a woman with disability on the delegation will significantly increase the opportunity for the issues and concerns of women with disability to be raised with the UN CEDAW Committee. The other members of the delegation are Caroline Lambert and Stephanie Cauchi. PWD would like to thank WRANA for providing funding to enable Therese, and other members of the delegation to participate in the UN CEDAW review process.

For more information contact Therese Sands at PWD.

++Application for exemption from the Transport Standards

PWD has lodged a submission with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) in response to the application by ‘Airnorth’ for a temporary exemption from the operation of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (Transport Standards), regarding:

• lack of access to aircraft seats for people requiring wheelchair access, where this is prevented by limited aisle width;
• lack of access to aircraft or seats for passengers requiring lifting, where this cannot be performed in compliance with the requirements of applicable occupational health and safety laws due to space constraints of the particular aircraft;
• requirements for notice of disability access requirements, where these requirements are reasonable in the circumstances.

Airnorth operates a fleet of small aircraft, and has previously been granted a temporary exemption by HREOC in substantially similar terms.

PWD has argued that any future temporary exemption must be conditional on the following:

• it should be limited to covering only currently-owned aircraft, rather then extend to aircraft to be purchased by Airnorth in the future (i.e. after the date of Airnorth’s application);
• Airnorth should be required, as a condition of the granting of any exemption, to consult with other airlines and aircraft manufacturers that are providing access for people with disability to small aircraft, and to report periodically to the Commission on the findings from such consultations;
• Airnorth should be required, as a condition of the granting of any exemption, to consult with national representative bodies of people with disability regarding its systems for identifying and responding to disability-related needs, and to report periodically to the Commission on the findings from such consultations.

PWD also recommended that HREOC and representatives of the Australian aviation industry should liaise with aircraft manufacturers to persuade them to design for access for people with disability.

++PWD forum on Disability Standards for Education

PWD recently co-convened a forum of the Discrimination Lawyers Group (DLG) which addressed the topic: ‘Advising Complainants in Disability Discrimination Act Education Standards Matters’. The Disability Standards for Education attempts to make explicit the obligations of education and training service providers and the rights of people with disability in education and training under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (the DDA).

The purpose of the forum was to provide information on and discuss the Education Standards as they will affect students with disability. Presentations were made by PWD Senior Legal Officer, Matthew Keeley and highly regarded discrimination law expert, Ms Chris Ronalds SC.

Ms Ronalds provided the audience with some clear insight into areas of constitutional, administrative law, and interpretive difficulty that may arise. For example, the types of issues that will likely present legal problems for students and education facilities and that will likely end up being determined on appeal.

The audience also heard what can be done under the Standards and ADA in the Federal Court and the Administrative Decisions Tribunal respectively to act on matters urgently by way of interim injunction/order. This is a legal remedy in the education area that has rarely been discussed or used, but with the need to preserve the status quo where the issue is a student's right to continue to attend an educational facility, or to continue to obtain some other benefit associated with education, it is a remedy that is particularly important for lawyers to understand.

++New Human Rights and Disability Discrimination Commissioner appointed

PWD is delighted to report that the Attorney-General, the Hon. Phillip Ruddock has appointed Mr Graeme Innes, AM as the new Human Rights Commissioner and acting Disability Discrimination Commissioner. PWD heartily congratulates Mr Innes on his appointment and looks forward to working closely with him. Mr Innes is a life member of PWD and has extensive experience in disability and human rights.

More information on Mr Innes’ appointment is available from the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission website at www.humanrights.gov.au/media_releases/2005/75_05.htm

++Disability rights work acknowledged

The Human Rights Medal and Awards are conducted by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) annually and are presented at a ceremony to mark Human Rights Day. Disability was at the forefront of these awards recently.

PWD extends hearty congratulations to Mr Kevin Cocks, the winner of the prestigious 2005 Human Rights Medal. Mr Cocks is the Director of Queensland Advocacy Incorporated and has worked tirelessly for the human rights of people with disability.

We also extend congratulations to Associate Professor Christopher Newell, Dr Gerard Goggin and Ms Cath Dwyer. Associate Professor Newell and Dr Goggin were winners in the Arts Non-Fiction Award category for their important book Disability in Australia: Exposing a Social Apartheid. Ms Dwyer was the winner of the Radio Award for her radio program about a young man with disability who lives in an aged care facility.

More information on the Human Rights Awards is available from the HREOC website at www.humanrights.gov.au/hr_awards/

++Australian Network for Universal Housing Design

PWD continues to support the work of the Australian Network for Universal Housing Design (ANUHD). ANUHD is a group of people and organisations that support and call for universal design for housing. Much of our work has recently been focussed on a research project on housing accessibility. The project has been finalised and the report will be presented to the Victorian Building Commission (VBC) and the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) for consideration. We are awaiting the release of this report and will be determining action following its release.

For further details please contact Digby Hughes at PWD.

++Built environment national speakers series

The National Speakers Series promotes age-friendly built environments. Launched by the Australian Government Minister for Ageing, the Hon. Julie Bishop, MP recently, the series is a dialogue between professionals involved in the design of Australia’s built environments. It brings together people in organisations and government bodies – including architects, planners, urban designers, builders, policy makers, and academics.

The National Speakers Series is being delivered through seminars and workshops. The theme of the series is A Community for All Ages – Building the Future. The vision presented by the series is that of a built environment that can help maintain and improve the health and well-being of people of all ages and abilities.

The series responds to the fact that some older Australians are forced to live residential aged care because their housing is not appropriate. Other older Australians have to enter residential aged care because they live in social isolation, in poorly-designed communities. The National Speakers Series underscores the fact that the vast majority of older Australians want to be able to choose to stay in their homes and their communities.

The series enables debate about how the built environment: shapes our mobility, independence and autonomy; impacts on the quality of life in old age and helps or impedes our quest for a healthy lifestyle - at all ages.

Debate in the series highlights the fact that the design of houses and the home environment, recreational public spaces, neighbourhood facilities, public transport and urban planning all need to be appropriate to needs of older Australians.

PWD attended the National Speakers Series event in Sydney and was pleased to hear the Minister for Ageing commend many of the features of universal housing design, including no-step entry, an accessible bathroom and walls and ceilings are reinforced where assistive devices may be attached.

The series will travel to major capital cities and some larger regional centres over the next year. Further information about the NSS and upcoming seminars is available on the website http://www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/Content/agefriendlybuiltenvironment-1-lp

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International news

++Ad Hoc Committee on convention on human rights of people with disability to meet

The seventh session of the Ad Hoc Committee given the responsibility by the United Nations General Assembly to develop a draft convention on the human rights of people with disability will meet from 16 January to 3 February, 2006 in New York. The Ad Hoc Committee will debate and decide on articles to be contained in the convention, based on the most recent draft, known as the Chair’s Text.

In October, 2005, the Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Committee, Ambassador Don McKay produced an amalgamation of the proposals and debates that have taken place in the Ad Hoc Committee in 2005 on the draft convention. This became known as the Chair’s Text of the convention. PWD, in conjunction with the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO) and the National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLC) conducted a national consultation on the Chair’s Text (please refer to report in this PWD E-bulletin).

PWD will be attending the meeting as an accredited non-government organisation.

For more information contact Alanna Clohesy at PWD.

++Regional Workshop on Comprehensive National Plan of Action on Disability

PWD was invited and funded to participate in an important regional workshop by the United Nations Economic and Social Council for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) recently. PWD was represented by our President, Ms Heidi Forrest. The workshop, ‘Towards the Mid-point Review of the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action towards an Inclusive, Barrier-free and Rights-based Society for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific (BMF)’ was held in Bangkok on 19-21 October 2005. The BMF provides a policy framework for action to further the goals of an inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based society for people with disability in Asia and the Pacific.

The workshop provided a forum for an intensive exchange of knowledge and experience on the progress as well as obstacles in implementing the goals and commitments of BMF and on concepts and issues related to action planning, implementation management and participatory monitoring and evaluation from the disability perspective. The workshop heard that 23 Governments submitted replies to the UN ESCAP questionnaire on progress in implementing BMF. A majority of responding Governments reported that a national plan of action to implement BMF had been adopted or was under formulation.

Further information on the workshop is available on the WorldEnable website at www.worldenable.net/bmf2005 or from Heidi Forrest at PWD.

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The inside story

++Happy festive season

The Board and staff of People with Disability Australia offer our warmest wishes for a happy festive season and a successful 2006. We thank our members and supporters for your important contributions in making sure that people with disability have their human rights met.

The PWD office will close on Friday 23 December 2005 and re-open on Tuesday 3 January 2006.

++PWD Annual General Meeting and Annual Report

The re-convened Annual General Meeting of PWD was held on 3 December 2005. Coincidentally, this was International Day of People with Disability. The members accepted the Annual Report and the Report of the Returning Officer on the election of new Directors to the PWD Board (further details below).

The 2005 Occasional Address was provided by Mr Michael Raper. Mr Raper is President of the National Welfare Rights Network. He provided a very passionate and thought-provoking address on the recent changes to the social security system as it affects people with disability.

The 2004-2005 Annual Report of PWD is available on our website at www.pwd.org.au/publications.html or in printed and alternate formats from Allyson Campbell at PWD.

++PWD Board election

At the 2005 Annual General Meeting of the Association held on 26 November and re-convened on 3 December 2005 the result of the ballot for 5 positions of Director on PWD's Board was declared.

New PWD Directors are Ebru Sumaktas, Sheila King, Tom Ferguson, Craig Wallace and Kristy Trajcevski. They join Directors Heidi Forrest (President), Faye Druett, Jan Daisley, Peter Cassar, Robert Farley and Fiona Given.

We congratulate successful candidates, and thanks to all members who offered themselves for election. A contested election is a sign of a robust organisation. We look forward to those members who were unsuccessful in this ballot contributing to our work in other ways.

++Individual Advocacy Rural Outreach

PWD continues to undertake extensive rural outreach as part of our individual advocacy program. In late October, PWD staff visited existing individual advocacy clients and members of PWD, met with disability support services and agencies and took referrals from people with disability seeking individual advocacy support. The outreach began in Dubbo and they then moved onto Coonamble, Walgett, Brewarrina, Narrabri and Moree.

Individual Advocacy Network

PWD also attended the 3rd Individual Advocacy Network meeting hosted by Newell Advocacy, held in Narrabri. The network is made up of organisations from around NSW who provide individual or direct advocacy support to people with disability. PWD provided support to Newell Advocacy in arranging the participation of some of the guest speakers. Topics included, cultural competence in working with Aboriginal people with disability, making discrimination complaints through the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, systemic advocacy using the NSW Ombudsman and support for people with intellectual disability using the Intellectual Disability Rights Service’s Criminal Justice Support Network.

The next Individual Advocacy Network meeting will be held in Sydney in March 2006 and will be hosted by PWD.

Congratulations Newell Advocacy

On Friday 28 October, Newell Advocacy held a party with many of their members celebrating 20 years of service. PWD attended the celebration. PWD congratulates everyone involved in Newell Advocacy on this important milestone and for the dedicated work in ensuring people with disability have their rights met.

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Events and conferences

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++About PWD

People with Disability Australia Incorporated (PWD) is a national disability rights and advocacy organisation. Its primary membership is people with disability and organisations primarily made up of people with disability. PWD also has a large associate membership of other individuals and organisations committed to the disability rights movement. PWD was founded in 1981, the International Year of Disabled People, to provide people with disability with a voice of our own. We have a cross-disability focus; we represent the interests of people with all kinds of disability. PWD is a non-profit, non-government organisation.

For information about membership of PWD, contact Allyson Campbell at PWD.
or on one of numbers below.

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++Privacy statement

We are committed to protecting your privacy. In doing so, we commit ourselves to conforming to the Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Bill 2000, which came into effect in December 2001 and the National Privacy Principles issued by the Australian Privacy Commissioner.

This newsletter is distributed by email. You have provided us with an email address. This email address will be used only for the purpose for which you have provided it and you will not be added to any other mailing lists unless you specifically request that this be done.

Your email address will not be disclosed without your consent. You can have your email address removed from the mailing list for this newsletter by sending an email to Allyson Campbell at PWD.

This newsletter contains links to websites. We cannot be held responsible for the privacy practices (or lack thereof) or the content of such websites.

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People with Disability Australia Incorporated
PO Box 666 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012
Phone 02 9370 3100, toll-free 1800 422 015
TTY 02 9318 2138, toll-free 1800 422 016

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