About the committee
The committee provides an opportunity for parents and carers of children with disability to give feedback to the Victorian Government on:
- policies, programs and services and
- ways to improve outcomes for children with disability
Chaired by the Parliamentary Secretary for Disability, the committee will discuss topics such as:
- education
- child and family services
- disability supports
- healthcare
- community inclusion such as sport and recreation
Committee members
The following people make up the committee.
- Anna Reeve is motivated to create a more informed and inclusive society, where people understand disability and the needs of families with disability to help achieve positive change. Anna is the mum of a teenage son with cerebral palsy and ADHD. She lives with her family in Melbourne.
- Bryn Newell is motivated to build a society where children with disability and their families have access to the resources and supports they need to thrive. Bryn is the dad of two autistic pre-school aged children, and his partner is autistic.
- Chi Vu is keen to share her experience as a parent from a culturally diverse background to raise awareness of the gaps in current support services. Chi is mum to her primary school aged autistic son who attends his local specialist school.
- Daniel Roberts is a committed to preventing isolation for families of children with complex or less common disabilities. Daniel has a toddler with a genetic disability and an acquired brain injury. He also has a sibling with cerebral palsy.
- Elizabeth Dawud is passionate about children feeling they belong in their schools, local communities and society. She is motivated to improve access to quality therapy, and inclusion in mainstream education. Elizabeth is the mum of an autistic son and daughter.
- Ferdi Hepworth spends a lot of time navigating complex systems and would love for her experiences and challenges to shape solutions that help others. She is the mum and primary carer of her daughter who has intellectual and physical disabilities.
- Georgia Bamblett is a proud Aboriginal woman and strong advocate. She believes there needs to be greater awareness of disability in the Aboriginal community. As a parent of an autistic child, Georgia wants to improve knowledge, supports, service accessibility and advocacy throughout all stages of the journey, for children with disability.
- Jessica Symes is a mum of four and lives in regional Victoria. She brings her experience as both a parent of a child with disability, and as a primary school teacher. Jessica’s eldest daughter has a physical disability and Jessica wants to build disability awareness and make societal change to improve the wellbeing of children with disability, their families and siblings.
- Kim Parslow is interested in ways to overcome barriers that prevent carers from accessing health care which lead to poorer health outcomes and carer burnout. She brings her experience as a foster carer and now primary carer for her primary school aged, adopted son with Down syndrome and cerebral palsy.
- Michelle Max wants to support families to access the right services and therapies, and deal with carer burnout. She is both a parent and kinship carer of children with disability who are NDIS participants. As a parent and teacher, Michelle has a dual perspective on the challenges of advocating for children with disability.
- Rebekah Devlin is a proud Wadawurrung woman and mum of two autistic primary school aged children who are NDIS participants. Rebekah and her family live in regional Victoria. She brings the experience of how navigating an autism diagnosis was different for her son and daughter. She is passionate about creating a more inclusive future for all children.
- Rose Campbell lives in regional Victoria and has a Deaf son with ADHD. Her son is currently in kindergarten. She uses this experience to advocate for better understanding of the unique needs of children with disability in education and the broader community. As a teacher, Rose understands that many families struggle to navigate the education system and find appropriate supports for their children.
Meetings
The committee held its first meeting on 25 November 2024.
The committee will meet at least twice a year until 2027.
More information
Applications to appoint members are now closed.
The committee is an initiative of the Premier and Victorian Government to hear more from families of children with disability. Family engagement is supported by the Association for Children with Disability (ACD). The Parliamentary Secretary for Disability will chair the committee.
To find out more about ACD visit the Association for Children with Disability committee webpage.
Updated