Action for More Independence & Dignity in Accommodation

1st Floor, Ross House, 247 Flinders Lane, Melbourne Vic 3000
Phone: 9650 2722 	Fax: 9654 8575
  Email: amida@amida.org.au Website: www.amida.org.au
Inc No: A001608SV  	ABN: 32 993 870 380


Advocacy, Self Advocacy, Rights, Accessibility, & Community Living for People with a Disability






28 Mar 19
Alessandra Guadagnuolo 
A/Director, NDIS Strategic Reform Branch
Department of Premier and Cabinet
Via email - Alessandra.guadagnuolo@dpc.vic.gov.au

To Alessandra,
AMIDA wishes to provide a Response to Disability Act Review Disability Amendment (NDIS transition bill) 2019.
AMIDA is an independent advocacy organisation which advocates for good housing for people with disability. We provide advocacy to individuals, with priority given to people with an intellectual disability, and advocate for change in systems which prevent people from achieving good housing.
AMIDA strongly supports the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with a Disability and works to assert these rights and community inclusion for people with a disability.
Insufficient time has been allowed for advocacy groups to digest the changes and the intersection of previous changes of the Disability Services Safeguards Act and the Residential Tenancies Act.  However it is not too late for the government to make a commitment to fund accessible information regarding changes to all three Acts.  People with disabilities and their advocates have a right to understand and act on their rights.  This should be the responsibility of government as part of the implementation of changes.  This implementation process must adequately fund face to face education, include a plain English version, video, support to self-advocacy groups, training for advocacy agencies and training for people with disabilities and their families potentially affected by these changes.
We note however there is a second stream of legislative changes affecting people with a disability in the state of Victoria, we recommend this time, the process allow enough time for people with a disability, their families, their advocates and disability services to understand the changes in order to have input.

Kind regards,


Bronwyn Trickett 
Advocate 
AMIDA Action for More Independence and Dignity in Accommodation 
1st Floor Ross House 
247 Flinders Lane 
Melbourne 3000 
www.amida.org.au 
Email: bronwyn@amida.org.au 
Ph: 9650 2722 





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