Family and Community Development Committee, Parliament of Victoria
December 2013
INQUIRY INTO SOCIAL INCLUSION
AND VICTORIANS WITH A DISABILITY
SUBMISSION GUIDE
1.Who can make submissions?
All interested parties can make submissions to the Inquiry. The Family and Community Development Committee is seeking submissions from both individuals and organisations in relation to its Terms of Reference for the Inquiry.
The Committee welcomes submissions from people with a disability, their families and carers, and other organisations and individuals with an interest in issues relating to social inclusion and disability.
This Guide is intended to assist organisations and individuals who want to make a written submission and those who the Committee requests to appear at a public hearing.
The questions in this Guide provide an indication of the issues the Committee will be considering as part of this Inquiry, but they are not intended to be exhaustive and it is not necessary to answer all the questions in comments or submissions.
The Committee is seeking a broad range of views regarding the social inclusion of Victorians with a disability to ensure its Inquiry is well informed and forward-looking in its proposed solutions.
2.Terms of reference
The Family and Community Development Committee has been asked by the Legislative Council to inquire into social inclusion and Victorians with a disability. The Committee is asked to:
a)define ‘social inclusion’ for Victorians with a disability
b)identify the nature and scale of relative inclusion (exclusion) and participation of Victorians with a disability in the economic, social and civil dimensions of society
c)understand the impact of Victorian government services and initiatives aimed at improving inclusion and participation
d)identify examples of good practice on inclusion and participation driven by local government and the community sector
e)assess how the Disability Act 2006 has impacted on the social inclusion of people with a disability with respect to Victorian government services
f)recommend ways to increase social inclusion, including the roles of and collaboration between local, state and federal governments, the community sector, individuals with a disability and their carers.
3.Definitions and terminology
The Committee acknowledges that there are terms and definitions relating to the Terms of Reference that require further clarification.
Disability
A person with a disability requires significant ongoing and/or long-term episodic support. For these people, their disability is attributable to an intellectual, psychiatric, sensory, physical or neurological impairment or an acquired brain injury (ABI)—or some combination of these. Their impairment or brain injury is generally permanent and results in substantially reduced capacity in their self-care and personal management, their mobility and/or their communication.
Like individuals in the broader population, Victorians with a disability are highly diverse people with varying backgrounds, experiences, needs and expectations. The Committee also recognises that people with a disability vary in their capacity to participate in the community and that different approaches are needed to enable the social inclusion of different individuals.
QUESTION:
3.1What needs to happen to ensure that people’s individual disability and experience are accounted for in efforts to increase their social inclusion?
Social inclusion
A socially inclusive society is generally defined as one where all people feel valued, their differences are respected, and their basic needs are met so they can live in dignity. Social exclusion is the process of being shut out from the social, economic, political and cultural systems which contribute to the integration of a person into the community.
In this Inquiry, the Committee aims to identify ways to increase the social inclusion of people with a disability. In doing this, it seeks to understand what meaningful ‘social inclusion’ should look like for people with a disability, and how it differs from ‘participation’.
QUESTIONS:
3.2How should ‘social inclusion’ for Victorians with a disability be defined?
3.3What is the difference between the concepts of ‘social inclusion’ and ‘participation’ in the context of people with a disability?
3.4What does social inclusion for Victorians with a disability look like now?
4.Victorians with a disability and social inclusion
People with a disability contribute to the Victorian community in a multitude of ways through their economic, social and civic participation. Yet the Committee recognises that Victorians with a disability are not always given opportunities that fully promote their inclusion in the community.
Promoting the participation and inclusion of people with disability in social and community life is a guiding principle within the United Nations Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. It is also a key area of policy action within the Council of Australian Governments' (COAG) National disability strategy 2012-2020.
Victorians with a disability represent around 18 per cent of Victoria’s population. Of Victoria’s population of 5.4 million people in 2009, an estimated one million were people with a disability, and 338,200 were people with a profound or severe disability (6 per cent).[i]
Victorians with a disability are likely to leave school earlier than their peers without a disability and are more likely to be unemployed. In 2009, an estimated 48 per cent of Victorians aged 15 to 64 with a disability were employed, compared with 78 per cent of people without a disability.[ii]Furthermore, in 2009 the average income of Victorians with a disability was substantially lower than the income of people without a disability ($305 gross per week, compared with $593 gross per week).[iii]
A 2012 survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) indicated that that while most Australians with a disability had participated in at least one activity away from their home in the last 12 months, rates of participation in some of these activities were lower among those with a profound or severe core activity limitation.[iv]
Participation in social, community and civic activities also decreased with age. More than half of people aged 65 years and over with a profound or severe core activity limitation had not participated in any of the social or cultural activities described in the survey (compared with one third of all people with a disability in that age group).[v]
QUESTIONS:
4.1What are the barriers to meaningful social inclusion for Victorians with a disability?
4.2In what ways do Victorians with a disability participate in the economic, social and civil dimensions of society?
4.3What do you see as the emerging issues for Victorians with a disability over the next 20 years and how might these influence their social inclusion?
4.4How effective have awareness campaigns been in improving social inclusion for people with a disability in Victoria?
4.5How can social inclusion and the participation of people in the community be effectively measured?
4.6What tools can be used to determine if there have been improvements or changes in the levels of social inclusion for people with a disability over time?
5.Disability Act 2006 (Vic)
The introduction of the Disability Act 2006(Vic) was intended as a new legislative scheme for people with a disability that aimed to reaffirm and strengthen their rights and responsibilities. It was based on the recognition that achieving this objective requires support across the government sector and within the community.
The Disability Act included a specific focus on advancing the inclusion and participation of Victorians with a disability in the community and enabling them to achieve their individual aspirations. It also sought to maximise their choice and independence.
The legislation required Victoria to establish a state disability plan. It also stipulated that all public services in Victoria have a disability action plan. This included government departments, local government authorities (LGAs), statutory authorities and statutory corporations.
The Victorian Disability Advisory Council was established under the Act. The Council has a community liaison and awareness building role and provides advice to the Minister for Community Services on issues that affect people with a disability across all government services. It also monitors the implementation of strategies for promoting inclusion and participation in the community of persons with a disability and for removing barriers to inclusion and participation.
Reforming the disability service system was a key objective of the Disability Act. It aimed to change the way people access disability services by allowing for asimpler and more consistent system for all people with a disability.This involved moving away from a service-centredapproach towards one where supports are provided on the basis of individualneeds. It implied that provision should be built around person-centredplanning approaches.
The Disability Act also created Victoria’s first Disability Services Commissioner, whose role is to work with people with a disability and disability service providers to resolve complaints.
QUESTIONS:
5.1To what extent have the inclusion and participation of Victorians with a disability been advanced following the introduction of the Disability Act 2006 (Vic)?
5.2What impact has the Disability Act 2006 (Vic) had on the social inclusion of people with a disability with respect to Victorian government services?
6.Victorian services for people with a disability
The Victorian Government funds a broad range of services and initiatives for people with a disability that have the potential to increase their social inclusion in the community. Local governments also provide servicesand programs aimed at improving social inclusion and participation of people with a disability.
The Inquiry is seeking to understand how these services and initiatives increasethe social inclusion of people with a disability.
There is a range of support options and accessibility initiatives that aim to increase social inclusion in the community. In the provision of support to people with a disability, there is a strong focus on individualised and self-directed support, often through Individual Support Packages designed to meet the specific needs of each person receiving support.
Broadly, services and initiatives include but are not limited to:
- help living at home (through home and community outreach support)
- a range of supports to be independent in the community
- support for children with a disability in Victorian schools
- assistance for young people to seek employment
- supported accommodation for people with high support needs
- aids and equipment supports
- support for carers and families
- public transport accessibility initiatives.
While funded by the Victorian Government, a large percentage of services are provided by community service organisations.
Local government also has a key role in advancing the social inclusion of people with a disability. LGAs are required to have a disability action plan. They are also involved in the Victorian Government’s community building program. This program aims to build inclusive communities for people with a disability through community partnerships facilitated by RuralAccess, MetroAccess and deafaccess officers based in local communities. The role of these workers is to support communities to develop new ways of including people with a disability in local community life.
QUESTIONS:
6.1How effective are services and initiatives designed to enhance the social inclusion of Victorians with a disability?
6.2What other sectors and sections of the community should have a greater role in improving the social inclusion of Victorians with a disability?
6.3Are there examples of good practice in advancing social inclusion and participation driven by local government and the community sector?
7.Role of governments and collaboration
In 2010, through COAG, Australian state and territory governments endorsed the National disability strategy 2010-2020. The strategy built on existing initiatives across states and territories to provide a national agenda with a focus on enabling people with a disability to participate as equal citizens in society. The Australian Local Government Association also assisted in the development of the strategy.
In 2013, the Australian Government introduced a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The introduction of the insurance scheme was in recognition of shortcomings and inequities in the current disability service system. The scheme is designed to provide lifelong support for eligible people who have a severe and profound disability and will lead to significant changes to the provision of supports for people with a disability.
To assist it to prepare for the NDIS, in 2013 the Victorian Government revised the state disability plan and released the Victorian state disability plan 2013-2016. The plan describes how the National disability strategywill be put into practice in Victoria. It also commits to developing a contemporary approach through disability system reform that aims to give meaningful choice and control to people with a disability.
The Committee recognises that these new initiatives at the state and national level will lead to transition in the role of governments. These changes will potentially have consequences for the social inclusion of people with a disability.
The Committee’s Terms of Reference ask it to consider the roles of local, state and federal governments, the community sector, Victorians with a disability and carers of Victorians with a disability. The Committee has also been asked to inquire into ways to increase social inclusion through collaboration across governments, the community sector and these individuals.
QUESTIONS:
7.1What needs to happen in the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme to improve the social inclusion of Victorians with a disability into the future?
7.2What should be the role of governments and the community sector in increasing social inclusion for Victorians with a disability?
7.3In what way could collaboration between government departments, organisations, services and the community sector be improved to enhance social inclusion for people with a disability?
8.LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
The Committee’s Terms of Reference with respect to this Inquiry are broad. While the above is a guide to some issues the Committee would be interested in hearing about, individuals and groups are encouraged to contribute views and ideas about how social inclusion and participation of people with a disability can be improved in Victorians now and into the future.
QUESTIONS:
8.1What needs to happen to improve the social inclusion of Victorians with a disability into the future?
9.Submissions
The Committee welcomes written submissions addressing one, multiple or all Terms of Reference of the Inquiry.
Submissions close on 28 February 2014.
Guidance regarding submissions can be found at:
Submissions can be provided in either hard copy or electronically.
Hard copy submissions should be sent to:
The Executive Officer
Family and Community Development Committee
Parliament House
Spring Street
EAST MELBOURNE VIC 3002
Electronic submissions can be sent via the eSubmission form on the Committee website or by email to .
The Committee draws your attention that all submissions are public documents unless confidentiality is requested.
Please contact the Committee if confidentiality is sought, as this has bearing on how evidence can be used in the report to Parliament. The Committee also has the option to consider requests to with withhold a submitter’s name at their request.
10.Making a written submission
Who can make a submission?
Any person or organisation can make a submission to a Committee. Individuals, community groups, private organisations, representatives of government departments and agencies and anyone else interested in an inquiry currently before the Committee are encouraged to make a submission.
Terms of Reference
Before preparing your submission, it is important that you read the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference, as your submission must be relevant to the Committee’s Inquiry. If you do not have a copy of the Terms of Reference, please contact the Committee’s office.
Preparing a submission
Your submission may address all or part of the Terms of Reference. You do not have to comment on every aspect of the Terms of Reference, nor are you confined to just one aspect.
The Terms of Reference are intended to cover a wide range of issues relating to disability and social inclusion.
Your submission can contain factual information, opinion or both. You may want to draw the attention of the Committee to something relevant to the Inquiry. You may choose to emphasise solutions to the matter or issue before the committee. This is entirely your choice.
Your submission will be welcomed by the Committee provided it is relevant, not frivolous or offensive in nature, and addresses the terms of reference.
Submission format
There is no specific method for organising or presenting a submission. Your contribution can take the form of a letter, a short summary paper or a longer research document. You can include relevant data in appendices or incorporate them in the body of the text. It is important that the structure, argument and conclusions of your submission are clear.
Hard copy or electronic submissions
You can send your submission in hard copy, or electronically. If you send it in hard copy, a typed document on A4 paper is preferred. If this is not possible, a handwritten submission is acceptable.
Electronic submission
You can provide your submission electronically, by email, on CD/DVD or by eSubmission (see the Committee website). If you have any questions about the suitability of your file format/size, please contact the Committee office.
Verification of your details
Please sign the submission. Sign on behalf of yourself, or on behalf of the organisation you are representing. If you are representing an organisation, please indicate your position in the organisation. If relevant, specify at what level the submission has been authorised: branch, executive, president, sub-committee, executive committee, national body, etc. If you are sending your submission electronically, please provide your name, and relevant contact details (such as address or phone number).
Supplementary material
You may wish to support your submission with other forms of material, such as a video, photographs or objects. Please contact the staff of the Committee if you plan to do this, so that appropriate arrangements can be made. This may involve material in your possession being loaned or donated to the Committee. Any material borrowed by the Committee will be returned on completion of the Inquiry.
Tone of submissions