Election 2016: Parties respond to ACDA election platform

The major political parties, the Liberal-National Coalition, the Australian Labor Party and the Australian Greens, have responded to the Australian Cross Disability Alliance election platform – details are set out below.

The ACDA platform has some questions that you may find useful in assessing each party’s position:

13 QUESTIONS ON DISABILITY INCLUSION FOR CANDIDATES AND POLITICAL PARTIES

THE NDIS

  1. What do you and your party see as the top 3 benefits of a fully funded and rolled out NDIS?
  2. How will you and your party fund the NDIS into the future?
  3. What steps do you and your party think need to be taken to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability have equal access to the benefits of the NDIS?
  4. What steps do you and your party think need to be taken to increase the numbers of people with disability from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in the NDIS?

ECONOMIC SECURITY

  1. What steps will you and your party take to increase job opportunities and job retention for people with disability? How will you ensure that the specific needs of female jobseekers with disability are addressed in your strategies?
  2. If you and your party were in power what changes would you introduce to the welfare system to reduce the number of people with disability living in poverty?

JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS

  1. What would you and your party do to address violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability?
  2. If you and your party were elected, what steps would you take to ensure that migrants and refugees with disability can be fairly assessed for visas, and can be supported to live in Australia?

ACCESSIBILITY

  1. Have you asked your constituents what would make their communities more accessible in terms of public transport, public buildings, telecommunications and information? What did they tell you and how are their responses reflected in the policies of your party?
  2. How do you and your party intend to respond to the crisis in accessible and affordable housing?

DISABILITY INCLUSION

  1. What is your vision of a Disability Inclusive Australia?
  2. If elected, what steps would you take to engage with people with disability in order to achieve this vision and realise our human rights?
  3. Have you asked children and young people with disability in your constituency for their views on what an inclusive Australia should look like? What did they tell you and how are their responses reflected in the policies of your party?