I want to assure you that Victorians with a disability have a very committed council of Victorians with a lived experience of disability.
The group includes Jen Hargrave, James Griffiths, Gabrielle Hall, Amir Brand-Abdi, Diana Piantedosi, Caitlin Syer, Laura Pettenuzzo, Martin Heng, Amanda Lawrie-Jones, Mija Gwyn, Akii Ngo, Samantha Lily and myself.
We all have experience of disability. All of us are advocates for people with disability. We use what we have learned to advise the Minister for Disability and the Victorian Government.
The previous council led by Dr George Taleporos helped design Inclusive Victoria: state disability plan 2022–26. We will make sure the plan continues to move forward. The recommendations of the Disability Royal Commission and the NDIS Review will also guide us.
Over the past 2 years, we have met with many Victorian Government departments to help them understand how Inclusive Victoria can be put into action.
As Chair, I thank my fellow councillors for sharing their stories and representing the views of the different disability communities they serve.
I am pleased to say we have made good progress on the 175 actions in the plan. However, there is still more to do.
The plan’s focus on co-design means people with disability are having a say when the government makes decisions about services and programs that affect them.
We are seeing progress in health care and mental health programs. We are seeing universal design used in more infrastructure projects. We are seeing more workplaces becoming inclusive.
We will continue to provide our advice and guidance to the Minister for Disability. We want to make sure all people with disability – no matter who they are or where they live – are treated fairly in policy decisions.
We will help government departments finish the work they started. We will also help them deliver the recommendations of the Disability Royal Commission and the NDIS Review.
Next year, we will start planning for the new state disability plan. We know it will be ambitious. We are ready to bring the voices of Victorians with disability to the table.
Chris Varney
Chair
Victorian Disability Advisory Council
Updated