Nothing about us without us! PO Box 345 Toowong QLD 4066 T 1800 PDA ORG ( ) E PDA Newsletter Spring, 2017

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1 Nothing about us without us! PO Box 345 T 1800 PDA ORG ( ) E manager@pda.org.au PDA Newsletter Spring, 2017 Greetings! Welcome to the Spring 2017 Physical Disability Australia (PDA) Newsletter! Since our last publication, a lot has happened at PDA: We have made 2 submissions to the Productivity Commission s Inquiry into NDIS Costs; We have provided feedback to the Department of Social Services (DSS) on their draft Code of Conduct for NDIS providers and workers We have launched our new website; and We have been working with our partner organisations in the Disability Australia National Peaks Consortium to develop a joint funding application. Details about these and other developments at PDA are in this Newsletter. Make sure you follow us on Facebook (@physicaldisabilityau) and Twitter (@PDA_AU). If you didn t get this Newsletter by or post, the chances are your membership details are not up to date. Please head to the PDA website and complete the personal details form at pda.org.au/membership/ Warm Regards, Simon Burchill PDA Manager #SavePDA PDA Needs Your Help! DSS has not increased the funding it makes available to Disability Representative Organisations like PDA. Last year we barely got enough money to survive, and without a boost to the program, we are unlikely to get any more this year. This means PDA may go out of business. If you value the work we do on your behalf and on behalf of all Australians with physical disability, please visit the campaign page on the PDA website where you will find links to a letter you can send to your MPs and Senators in Canberra and a spreadsheet with all their names and addresses. If you have problems accessing the PDA website please call me on 1800 PDA ORG ( ) and I will post you preaddressed letters for you to sign and forward to your representatives. Every Federal politician needs to know there are PDA members in his or her electorate! PDA s submissions to the Productivity Commission (PC) Inquiry into NDIS Costs PDA made an initial 18 page submission to the PC Inquiry into NDIS Costs (you can find a copy on the PC website: pc.gov.au/ data/ assets/pdf_file/0008/215279/sub0038-ndiscosts.pdf) in which we argued (amongst other things) that: Page 1

2 Participant s be allowed to use their NDIS funding to pay those who previously provided support for free (family members, partners, children, friends, etc.); The planning process be redesigned so they are held as face-to-face meetings where practicable; In-kind agreements which allow the states to meet their obligations by keeping people with disability in institutional care be abolished; and The NDIS be (at least partially) funded by a separate levy. Although we can t claim credit, PDA is pleased to see the PC recommended changes similar to those we argued for in its draft Position Statement. PDA s feedback on the Draft NDIS Code of Conduct In May this year, DSS released a draft NDIS Code of Conduct for public comment. PDA made a 13 page submission (you can find a copy on the DSS Engage website: engage.dss.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/ 2017/07/PDA-Submission-regarding-NDIS- Code-of-Conduct.pdf ) in which we were highly critical of the proposed Code s fuzzy wording, horribly out-of-date scenarios and overreach into the world of mainstream service providers. There is no indication on the Engage website as to when any revised Code will be released nor when it will come into force. Stay tuned! New PDA website! PDA s new website is now live! Built on the WordPress platform, the updated internet presence of PDA is easier to navigate, easier to edit and manage, and more engaging. It is also device-sensing so it looks good on your computer, tablet and/or phone. In coming months we hope to add a blog page that will feature monthly articles from PDA Directors and members around the country. Check it out at Meet your Directors Fran Vicary (Qld) Introduce yourself: My name is Fran and I ve been the Queensland PDA Director for almost 2 years now. I m also the Ipswich Area Manager for the Carers Queensland NDIS Partners in the Community Program. What do you like to do to relax? I listen to Bruce Springsteen recordings, and read serious books with feminist themes. I also like going to the Brisbane Powerhouse to partake in cultural activities and white wine. Page 2

3 What is your favourite book / movie / music recording? The Orchard by Drusilla Modjeska ( It s a book I can read over and over again. Who would you most like to have a conversation with? Bruce Springsteen. He s not just a rock star, he s into social justice and always ensures his concerts are accessible. What is your history in the disability sector? I ve been involved in the disability sector for my entire adult life both professionally and in a voluntary capacity. As a young woman, I took Australia Post to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission to make the Charters Towers Post Office wheelchair accessible. When I moved to Brisbane I joined the management committees of Queenslanders with Disability Network (QDN) and Speaking Up For You (SUFY). Later, I became the CEO of QDN and the Director of the Victorian Independent Living Centre with Yooralla. What do you hope to accomplish with PDA? I would like to help PDA secure its future in these uncertain times. PDA s Needs and Experience Survey? As part of the Disability Australia National Peaks Consortium s efforts to understand where people with disability get their information from and what they would like from their organisations, PDA created a survey covering these issues and more. It was distributed by and post to all active members in July. To boost the response rate, we provided postage-paid envelopes for the return of paper survey forms and for those members able to complete their surveys online, we offered $20 shopping vouchers for the first 3 responses from each state and territory. We received 160 completed paper and electronic survey forms from members around Australia. That s about a 17% response rate. Here are some interesting findings that emerged from the data: If the survey is representative of PDA s total membership then 54% of you are 60 plus years old. Almost 62% of PDA members live in one of Australia s 8 capital cities or their suburbs. This is about the same distribution as for the Australian population as a whole. We are glad that 44% of respondents think PDA is at least somewhat helpful. Some of Page 3

4 the other answers give us some good ideas about how we can be more helpful. Well over half of you want more frequent PDA Newsletters and 40% of you would like the PDA website to be regularly updated. There was also 32% support for more Facebook and Twitter posts. As can be seen from this chart, members want PDA to provide them with more information about disability related aids and equipment, Centrelink payments and pensions, and the NDIS. A complete analysis of the survey will appear on the PDA website soon! Associate Directors To help the organisation prepare for the time when current Directors are looking to retire from the Board, PDA is looking to recruit 8 Associate Directors one from each State and Territory. What s involved in being an Associate Director? Really, we are just looking for people to assist with: Recommending PDA membership to people with physical disability your jurisdiction; Spreading the word by sharing PDA posts on your Facebook and Twitter pages and encouraging other members to do the same; Working with your State / Territory Director to identify local issues for PDA to act on; and Attending PDA Board of Directors meetings (by teleconference) to cover any absences. If you are interested in becoming a PDA Associate Director, please contact Simon Burchill (manager@pda.org.au) and he will give you more information. Proposed Standards for Motorised Wheelchairs and Mobility Scooters Due to the hard work of PDA s delegate to the Standards Australia technical subcommittee dealing with disability aids and equipment, the proposed Technical Specification for motorised wheelchairs and mobility scooters is being revised into a more equipment-user friendly document. Of greatest significance to our members is that the proposed weight limit for power wheelchairs has been abandoned. PDA is now lobbying for the suggested lowspeed switch (that would limit the device s speed to less than 5kph) to be dropped from the document. Stay tuned for further updates! Page 4

5 Ltd PO Box 345 T 1800 PDA ORG ( ) E manager@pda.org.au NOTICE TO MEMBERS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Thursday 16 th November :00 6:00 pm Australian Eastern Daylight-Saving Time (PDA) will hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) by national teleconference. All members are invited to attend the AGM by dialling into Hot Air Conferencing on and entering the code # when prompted. If you are planning to dial into the AGM, please notify the PDA Manager, Simon Burchill by close of business (5:00pm AEDT) Friday 10 November so that an accurate attendance list can be made and so that we can forward meeting related documents to you. PDA s contact details are listed in the header of this letter. At this year s AGM, we are hoping to appoint a Director for Tasmania. In addition to this, the Directorships of Liz Reid (NT) and Mary Reid (VIC) are reaching the end of their first 3 year terms. We are also hoping to recruit Associate Directors for each jurisdiction 1. Full members wishing to nominate for any of these roles need to complete and return the Nomination Form (next page) by close of business on Friday 3 November Similarly, if you wish to appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf you need to complete and return the Appointment of Proxy Form (below) by the same date. We look forward to hearing from you at the meeting. Proxy Appointment Form Ltd AGM I, of (address) being an individual member of the Ltd (PDA) appoint: *Ms Liz Reid, President; or *(other PDA member) of (address) as my proxy to vote for me on my behalf at the Annual General Meeting to be held on Thursday 16 November 2017 and at any adjournment thereof. My proxy is authorised to vote *in favour of/*against the following matters: 1. Election of new and/or renominating PDA Directors; and 2. Any other motions and or resolutions put to the quorum. Signed: Date / / (Member) Note: If the member wishes his or her proxy vote to be cast in favour of or against the election of any nominee for appointment to the PDA Board of Directors, or any other motions and/or resolutions put to the quorum, it is the appointing member s responsibility to communicate these to his or her proxy. Otherwise, the proxy may vote as he/she thinks fit. 1 Information about what is involved in being an Assistant Director is included in the attached Spring 2017 Newsletter Page 5

6 Ltd PO Box 345 T 1800 PDA ORG ( ) E manager@pda.org.au Nomination form for Directors / Associate Directors I, of, (Full name of Nominee) (Nominee s address) Telephone: , Signature of Nominee: Date: / /, Wish to nominate for the role of Director / Associate Director of Physical (Delete or circle as appropriate) Disability Australia Ltd (PDA) for the 3 year term: December 2017 to November This nomination is proposed and seconded by the following PDA members: 2 Proposer : of (Full name of Proposer) (Proposer s address) Telephone: Signature of Proposer: Date: / / Seconder: of (Full name of Seconder) (Seconder s address) Telephone: Signature of Seconder: Date: / / All nominations must be received by the PDA Manager by close of business Friday 3 November 2016 Mail: PO Box 345, manager@pda.org.au 2 If you don t know any other PDA members, please return the form anyway and we will assist you in finding proposers and seconders. Page 6

7 News and Events Research participants needed Do you live in Victoria? Do you have an invisible disability? Do you use public libraries? If you answer yes to these questions, Rebecca Muir, a researcher from Charles Sturt University would like talk to you about your experiences accessing and using public libraries. If you would like to know more you can contact Rebecca on or rmuir@csu.edu.au. International Day of People with Disability (IDPWD) Are you helping to organise or planning to attend an IDPWD event on Sunday 3 December this year? If so, you may want to visit the Department of Social Services helpful site ( Here you will find resources to help you register and promote your event and find out about what s on in your area. Can I use my taxi subsidy card/vouchers to access ride-sharing services? At the moment the answer is no. However, Transport for NSW (TfNSW) is conducting a review of the state s Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme (TTSS) and they are inviting written submissions from subsidy users and other interested parties. PDA will be advocating for the subsidy scheme to be extended and we encourage you to have your say too. Find out more at the TfNSW website: ( Please update your membership details! Name: Address: Town/Suburb: State: Postcode: Phone: I am a person with a physical disability I am a supporter (without a physical disability) Return forms to: PO Box 345 Or complete the online form at membership Page 7