Volume 6
6.1 A national plan to promote accessible information and communications
Recommendation 6.1 said governments should make a national plan to promote accessible information and communications.
Governments are now working to develop this plan.
The plan will support Australia’s Disability Strategy and is called an “Associated Plan”.
We have put together a Technical Advisory Group to help with the plan.
It includes people with expertise in accessible information and communications practices and have lived experience of disability or are experts in disability issues.
The Australian Government and state and territory governments want to keep people with disabilities at the centre of this work, and an engagement plan is being created.
This recommendation is in progress.
6.2: Increase the number of Auslan interpreters
Recommendation 6.2 said there should be more Auslan interpreters.
All Governments recognise the important role of Auslan interpreters in helping deaf or hard of hearing people access information.
Deaf interpreters and translators play an important role in assisting people from diverse backgrounds or those with sensory, cognitive, educational, or language barriers.
To support these efforts, all governments are supporting a coordinated effort to strengthen the Auslan and deaf interpreter workforce through the Associated Plan.
This recommendation is in progress.
Access to appropriately skilled and qualified interpreters
Recommendation 6.3 said the Australian Government, NAATI and NDIA should make a plan to train all interpreters.
The National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters will keep working on training materials to increase disability awareness for interpreters.
The training package will be finalised in 2025.
The National Disability Insurance Agency is making a new online learning program about ‘making communications accessible.
The program provides information on different communication needs and how to book interpreters.
They will update their New Starter Training to include booking interpreters.
This recommendation is in progress.
6.21 Additional funding for advocacy programs
Recommendation 6.21 said governments should provide additional funding for disability advocacy programs.
As part of its initial response to the Disability Royal Commission the Australian Government is:
- Establishing a new disability advocacy program.
The new program will bring together different advocacy services into one system.
This will make it easier for people with a disability to get help when they need it.
People with a disability and their supporters are being consulted.
- Extending funding for existing advocacy programs to continue services to 30 June 2026.
This gives people with a disability continued access to support until the new program begins.
- Providing more funding to the NDIS Appeals program to help people with a disability through appeals and dispute resolution.
In February 2025 Disability Ministers agreed to make changes to the Disability Advocacy Work Plan. This was in response to the Disability Royal Commission.
State governments are also taking action:
- The NSW Government has extended funding for the NSW Disability Advocacy Futures Program.
The NSW government is improving advocacy providers’ capacity to support students with disability who attend a NSW public school.
They are funding support for people with disability to navigate local services.
They are supporting advocacy groups run by, or on behalf of, people with disability.
- The ACT government is funding local disability advocacy organisations to deliver systemic advocacy, individual advocacy and self-advocacy type programs in the ACT.
- The Queensland Government continues to fund organisations to deliver advocacy services to people with disability.
They are also working with other governments to improve access to advocacy services, including culturally appropriate advocacy services.
- The NT Government is committed to funding organisations to deliver advocacy services.
They are working to identify met and unmet demand, to help them make decisions about future funding for advocacy services.
- The Victorian Government continues to fund advocacy organisations.
It also funds the Disability Advocacy Resource Unit and the Self Advocacy Resource Unit.
The Disability Advocacy Resource Unit provides support and resources to funded organisations.
The Self Advocacy Resource Unit supports self advocacy groups that help people to advocate on their own behalf and develop self advocacy skills.
The Victorian Government is working on improving data collection and reporting on its advocacy program.
This will improve reporting on met and unmet demand for disability advocacy.
This work is also happening at a national level.
- The Tasmanian Government is committed to funding ongoing disability advocacy to support Tasmanians with disability.
They are working with advocacy providers to better understand trends and systemic issues, including unmet demand and the experiences of culturally diverse Tasmanians with disability.
- The Western Australian Government funds a range of organisations to provide individual and systemic disability advocacy and is currently reviewing the disability advocacy program to ensure it continues to meet the needs of people with disability across WA.
This recommendation is in progress.
6.22 Improved data collection and reporting on met and unmet demand for disability advocacy
Recommendation 6.22 said governments should improve data collection and reporting on met and unmet demand for disability advocacy.
All Governments are working together to improve the national consistency and service delivery for disability organisations under the Disability Advocacy Work Plan 2023-2025.
Through this, we are collecting evidence to help make advocacy services better across Australia.
- The Victorian Government is working to improve data collection and reporting on met and unmet demand for advocacy.
- The NSW government has extended funding for the NSW Disability Advocacy Futures Program.
This includes funding for advocacy providers to better support students with disability in NSW public schools.
NSW is also working to improve data on service demand and usage.
- The ACT government is working with local advocacy services to improve how they collect data on individual advocacy.
- The Queensland Government continues to fund organisations to deliver advocacy services to people with disability.
They are also working with other governments to improve access to advocacy services, including culturally appropriate advocacy services.
- The NT Government is committed to funding organisations to deliver advocacy services.
They are working to identify met and unmet demand, to help them make decisions about future funding for advocacy services.
- The Tasmanian Government is committed to funding ongoing disability advocacy to support Tasmanians with disability.
They are working with advocacy providers to better understand trends and systemic issues, including unmet demand and the experiences of culturally diverse Tasmanians with disability.
- The Western Australian Government is working with key stakeholders to improve data collection and reporting on disability advocacy demand, which will improve monitoring of the advocacy program and support decisions about future disability advocacy funding.
This recommendation is in progress.
6.23 Culturally safe disability advocacy
Recommendation 6.23 of the DRC said we should increase culturally appropriate and accessible advocacy services.
All Governments are continuing work under the Disability Advocacy Work Plan 2023-2025.
We are gathering information to improve how disability advocacy services are delivered around Australia.
The information will inform future work to deliver culturally safe and consistent disability advocacy services.
States governments are also taking action:
- The Victorian Government is working with a First Nations led disability advocacy provider
- The NSW Government has extended funding for the NSW Disability Advocacy Futures Program.
This includes funding for advocacy providers to better support students with disability in NSW public schools.
They fund 19 advocacy organisations that includes targeted support for multicultural, First Nations and LGBTIQ+ communities.
- The Queensland Government continues to fund organisations to deliver advocacy services to people with disability.
They are also working with other governments to improve access to advocacy services,
including culturally appropriate advocacy services.
They are also working with other governments to improve access to advocacy services, to deliver community-led culturally safe and inclusive services for First Nations people with disability in the ACT.
They are also funding a community-led peer support program by and for LGBTIQ+ people with disability.
- The Western Australian Government is committed to funding disability advocacy to support people with disability, including culturally diverse Western Australians with disability.
They have undertaken a review regarding culturally safe disability advocacy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and will build on this work as part of a broader review of the State’s advocacy program.
- The Tasmanian Government is committed to funding ongoing disability advocacy to support Tasmanians with disability.
They are working with advocacy providers to better understand trends and systemic issues, including unmet demand and the experiences of culturally diverse Tasmanians with disability.
- The NT Government is committed to improving access to advocacy services, including culturally appropriate advocacy, and improve the coordination and sustainability of funded advocacy services.
This recommendation is in progress.