Monday 15th April 2016
The Australian Cross Disability Alliance (ACDA) welcomes the announcement of the new Assistant Minister for Disability Services, Mrs Jane Prentice MP.
The Alliance is pleased to see this renewed focus on disability from the Turnbull Government, with the first Minister with the Disability portfolio since 2013.
The ACDA was the successful tenderer last year for the Australian Government’s preferred model of representation of people with disability in Australia, with each member body being led by people with disability.
“The Alliance today has written to congratulate the new Assistant Minister, and we look forward to meeting with her to discuss a range of disability issues,” said Rayna Lamb, President of Women With Disabilities Australia.
“One in five Australians have disability and the Australian Government has a range of responsibilities in the disability area including the overarching National Disability Strategy, income support, employment, discrimination law and important initiatives in education,” said Craig Wallace, President of People with Disability Australia.
“While we await detail on how responsibilities for different disability reform areas fall out under the new arrangements, I hope that we can also work with the new Minister to progress the National Disability Strategy, overdue reforms to employment services and work to remove violence, abuse and discrimination,” said Gayle Rankine, Chairperson of the First Peoples Disability Network.
“The Alliance will work closely with Assistant Minister Prentice to bring the voices of our members, people with disability, to the Government,” said Suresh Rajan of the National Ethnic Disability Alliance.
Media Contact
Sara Irvine
0402 982 002
The ACDA was founded by, and is made up of four highly respected and successful member organisations namely, the First Peoples Disability Network Australia (FPDNA) representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability, the National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA) representing people with disability from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, People with Disability Australia (PWDA) a national cross disability organisation and Women with Disabilities Australia (WWDA), the national organisation representing women and girls with disability.