FPDN News and Updates

ListenFirst Peoples Disability Network Australia (FPDN) in partnership with Professor Cameron Stewart, Sydney Health Law, University of Sydney, and Professor Jackie Leach Scully, Disability Innovation Institute UNSW, have outlined necessary principles and recommendations regarding the ethical decision-making for First Peoples Living with Disability. These guidelines are specific for individuals presenting to an Intensive Care Unit and how their treatment is prioritised and managed. FPDN CEO, Damian Griffis stated “we have seen scenarios play out overseas

ListenMedia release Internationally recognised Australian experts in the areas of human rights, bioethics and disability, have today released a Statement of Concern to emphasise key human rights principles and standards that need to underpin ethical decision-making in the context of disability and the COVID-19 pandemic. There are much greater risks from the COVID-19 pandemic for people with disability, in particular, for older people with disability, First Peoples with disability, people with intellectual or psychosocial disability,

Listen14 April 2020 Packages containing essential items like non-perishable foods and hygiene supplies will be provided to remote Aboriginal communities impacted by COVID-19 measures as part of a coordinated assistance effort by the NSW Government and NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC). Aboriginal Affairs NSW Head Lil Gordon said the first tranche of packages – approximately 500 boxes – will commence delivery over the next week and would make an immediate impact to remote communities, where

ListenThe following principles and statement to Governments were agreed by the CDPF Executive Committee 30th March 2020 and provided to help ensure disabled people throughout the Commonwealth are not disadvantaged and have their needs met.   Principles Preamble: Human Rights are not dispensable because there is a medical emergency. Indeed, the need to protect and ensure that all disabled people have their full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to

Listen READ THE OPEN LETTER TO NATIONAL CABINET EASY READ OPEN LETTER TO NATIONAL CABINET   Endorsements   Love2 Share Tweet Share      

Listen With disabled First Nations Peoples having a significantly high risk of serious infection from COVID-19, the First Peoples Disability Network (FPDN) is calling for Federal, State and Territory Governments to deliver support to protect mob living with disability. Preventative measures such as social distancing and self-isolation are solutions that many First Nations communities do not have the lifestyle to adhere to. “As we know, a lot of our mobs live in overcrowded situations and

Listen People with disability who receive the Disability Support Pension (DSP) urgently need access to the increased Coronavirus Supplement of $550 per fortnight, consistent with the Jobseeker Payment and other payments recently announced. People with disability who are in receipt of DSP are experiencing and facing additional, unforeseen costs in this time of crisis, which is causing significant levels of distress and anxiety, and only serving to further entrench DSP recipients into poverty. It is

ListenThe First Peoples Disability Network of Australia calls for more government support to protect vulnerable members of First Nations communities in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic. By Emily Nicol Source:  NITV News 23 MAR 2020 – 1:57 PM The First Peoples Disability Network has drawn attention to the “impossible” challenges of self-isolation and social distancing faced by people with disability, in a joint statement released alongside seven other peak disability organisations late last week. The

Listen The health and wellbeing of vulnerable members of our communities is of the highest priority to First Peoples Disability Network Australia (FPDN).  Due to the rapidly changing status of the COVID_19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, and as a preventative measure in keeping our community members and staff safe, FPDN leadership has temporarily closed our Sydney office and relocated all staff offsite. This also extends to include FPDN staff working across all states and territories. In line

Listen First Nations people with disabilities are extremely vulnerable to serious infection from COVID- 19. Federal and State Governments must deliver support to protect First Nations communities especially those with disabilities. Social distancing is almost impossible in most communities where overcrowding in housing presents an increased risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19. Self-isolation presents an additional conflict for First Nations people particularly those relying on the support of disability carers. The essential care provided to

Listen People with disability from across Australia are calling for urgent action to make sure we are included in preparations for the current public health emergency. Eight national peak organisations have come together to outline to all levels of government, the National Disability Insurance Agency, other agencies and the private sector, about the range of concerns that people with disability have. We are disappointed that the recent Disability Reform Council and Cabinet meetings have yet

Listen Source: The Age By Miki Perkins December 2, 2019 “Sickening” incidents of sexual violence, abuse and neglect in group homes have caused deep psychological scars for people with disabilities and their families, a hearing of the disability royal commission has been told. On Monday the royal commission into the abuse of people with disability considered if living in a group home created a greater risk that residents would be subjected to violence, abuse or exploitation.

ListenThe FPDN Annual Report 2018-19 is an interactive document that can be downloaded here. The audited Financial Accounts are available here.

Listen"We have always been ‘come as you are’. The disability system in Australia is upside down in many ways" Read the story in the Guardian click here FPDN CEO Damian Griffis for IndigenousX

ListenEulogy given at the funeral service of Aunty Leila Gayle Rankine By Damian Griffis On behalf of the First Peoples Disability Network Family we offer our deepest condolences to Karruck, Karen and Becky and to Jade and John and Keir and all the family. This is another devastating blow for all of us in the FPDN family. Aunt was our matriarch and we grieve her deeply. Aunt, a proud Ngarrindjeri and Kaurna women, was present

ListenHere are some of the key concerns about Australia’s implementation of the CRPD that were highlighted by the Committee on the Convention on the Rights of People with Disability, Geneva, September 2019: That Australia must make progress to remove its interpretative declaration on Articles, 12. 17 and 18 – this is essential to ensure justice for people with disability in Australia. That Australia must address the current limitations in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, to ensure

Listen Opinion: By El Gibbs Today is the first public sitting of the disability royal commission, or to give it its full name, the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability. This isn’t just another royal commission. It is the culmination of many years of work by disabled people to get recognition of the scale of violence against us. Disabled Peoples Organisations Australia put together some of the known data and

Listen Click play to listen to the interview or read the full transcript below. An Australian delegation has travelled to Geneva, to highlight concerns about lack of support services for people with a disability in this country. The group is addressing the United Nations committee reviewing Australia’s progress on the rights of people with disabilities. They’ll also present the findings of a new report, with the high incarceration rates of Indigenous Australians among the key

ListenIn September, seven representatives will present a report to the U.N Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Next month a delegation of people with disability will head to Geneva to speak to the U.N about what Australia is doing and how much more it needs to do to improve the lives and experiences of people with disability in this country. The seven representatives will present a report to the U.N Committee on the

Listen We asked people with disability about their rights in an online survey to help us prepare the Civil Society Shadow Report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Here’s what we found out. Key statistics A majority of survey respondents are unable to access the support they need (61%) 44% of respondents do not have access to the healthcare they need A majority of survey respondents believe that healthcare workers do not understand

Listen Calls for disability royal commission to look into Indigenous prisoners View more: ABC RN Breakfast

ListenAn incident involving an Indigenous boy with a disability who was allegedly stripped naked and held in an adult watch house in Queensland is symptomatic of a broader problem, say disability advocates. Documents obtained by the ABC claim the boy – who has a neurodevelopmental disability and foetal alcohol spectrum disorder – was pinned down and stripped by officers after he expressed suicidal thoughts. He was allegedly left naked in the Brisbane watch house for days

ListenNuunaRon, a small group of artist living with disability on the Sunshine Coast using their traditional art to tell their stories of strength and resilience, have the opportunity to take their art to the world stage and share their stories at the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) this September . Click play below to view the 9 News Story on the NuunaRon Art Group preparing for their exhibition at

ListenAustralia signed up to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities(CRPD) in 2008. This means Australia has made a commitment to protect and promote the rights of people with disability.  The main way that Australian Governments are doing this, is through the National Disability Strategy. Every four years, the Australian government has to report to the United Nations (UN) and be reviewed on what it has achieved.  A committee of independent

ListenWe are calling for Prime Minister the Hon. Scott Morrison MP, Attorney General the Hon. Christian Porter, MP, and Minister for Families and Social Services the Hon. Paul Fletcher, MP, to reconsider the appointment of the Hon. John Ryan AM and Ms Barbara Bennett PSM as Commissioners. We ask that Mr Ryan and Ms Bennett step down from the recently announced Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, and for strong provisions to

Listen Statistics show that the prevalence of disability within Indigenous communities is more than twice that of other Australians. And while the government spent much of the past week lauding the prospect of a return to budget surplus, advocacy groups have questioned an underspend within the disability and community service sectors. Co-Chair of ‘Change the Record’, Damian Griffis believes lower than expected expenditure on the NDIS of more than $3 billion is indicative of systemic

Listen Today Indigenous people celebrate $4.5 m going to support Aboriginal Medical Services in the Kimberley, Pilbara and Goldfields in Northwestern W.A. Aboriginal people themselves are involved in the running of these programs in a new Connected paradigm. So why can’t we roll this model out for the rest of Australia? Source: The Wire Broadcast: Tuesday 9 April 2019  

ListenMedia Release 5 April 2019 Disabled People’s Organisations Australia (DPO Australia) welcomes Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s announcement on the formation of our Royal Commission and its Letters Patent into violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation against people with disability today, following the Government’s commitment of $527 million in the Federal Budget. “People with disability have called for this Royal Commission for many years, due to the appalling rates of violence against us, and we look forward

ListenPeople with disability welcome the Federal Government’s commitment to fully funding our Royal Commission, as revealed in the 2019-20 Budget. “We very much welcome the $527m allocated to our Royal Commission into the epidemic of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation against people with disability, in tonight’s Budget,” said Matthew Bowden, Co-CEO of People with Disability Australia (PWDA), and member of Disabled People’s Organisations Australia (DPO Australia). “We know that for people with disability to finally

ListenThe FPDN Annual Report 2017-18 is an interactive document that can be downloaded here. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers please note: FPDN’s Annual Report 2017_18 contains images and names of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons who have passed and may cause sadness or distress. The audited Financial Accounts are available here.

ListenPeople with disability, and our organisations, today welcome the Federal Government’s release of the Terms of Reference for our Royal Commission into the epidemic of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation  of people with disability. “We are pleased that the Government is commencing a consultation with people with disability on the Terms of Reference and has published detail on how the Royal Commission will be established and function,” said Carolyn Frohmader, Executive Director of Women With Disabilities Australia,

ListenAboriginal woman Jane Rosengrave was just six-years-old when she began suffering abuse while in an institution Jane Rosengrave is a survivor. Her uplifting spirit is in contrast to a life marked by abuse and neglect that began when she was just six years old. “It has not been easy speaking about my past and I had a lot of flashbacks and panic attacks at first,” she told NITV. Jane is a Yorta Yorta woman from

ListenPeople with disability, and our organisations, today welcome the vote in the Australian Parliament about a Royal Commission into the epidemic of violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect against people with disability. The next step is to make the Royal Commission real. “We welcome today’s vote on a Royal Commission into the violence, abuse and neglect that is a devastating reality in many of our lives,” said Therese Sands, Co-CEO of People with Disability Australia, a

ListenPrime Minster Scott Morrison handed down the 11th Closing the Gap report this morning in Canberra. Despite repeated advocacy from FPDN and reassurances from the Commonwealth Government, disability continues to be forgotten as a specific area of focus under Closing the Gap. For a policy that aspires to be evidence based, Closing the Gap has avoided engaging with any of the evidence that shows the acute disadvantage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability.

Listen[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1rg2WJ48RI[/embedyt] FPDN CEO Damian Griffis along with Ruth Barson, Nyadol Nyuon & Hugh de Kretser weigh in on the status and progress of Human Rights today on The Wheeler Centre Panel ‘Only Human: 70 Years of the Universal Declaration of Human rights’ presented in partnership with Human Rights Law Centre. Learn more about ‘Only Human: 70 Years of the Universal Declaration of Human rights’ here

ListenNuunaRon Art group for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists living with Disability launched their Exhibition on the Sunshine Coast yesterday in celebration of International Day of People with Disability. FPDN’s National Training and Resource Development Manager Uncle Paul Calcott officially opened the Exhibition “The NuunaRon Art group addresses issues such as social isolation and provides a safe place for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members living with disability to come together and build

ListenAunty Bonita Mabo was a true leader and a generous, much loved Elder. Aunty Bonita was known for her determination, commitment and generosity of spirit. She achieved so much and worked tirelessly throughout her life. Aunty Bonita and her late husband, Uncle Eddie Mabo paved the way for generations of leaders, advocates and activists. This is a better place because of them. The FPDN ELDA Council, FPDN Board and staff  wish to acknowledge Aunty Bonita

ListenFPDN is a member of the Change the Record coalition. Change the Record released the following statement regarding the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and its recommendations. Change the Record has questioned the report released by the Minister for Indigenous Affairs Nigel Scullion yesterday, which claims that the majority of recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) have been implemented. “In 2015, Clayton Utz and Amnesty International found that the

ListenFPDN’s Research and Policy Director Scott Avery writes for The Conversation. Read the article here

ListenAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience disability at almost twice the rate of other Australians, and it’s especially hard for them to access services from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The scheme is meant to “mean peace of mind for every Australian – for anyone who has, or might acquire, a disability”, but at the moment it’s falling short of these aims. Scott Avery, FPDN Research and Policy Director, speaks to Tess at

ListenNext week FPDN CEO Damian Griffis, Deputy CEO June Riemer and National Project Manager Paul Calcott will travel to Utopia and Tenant Creek, NT with the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Disability Discrimination Commissioner Alastair McEwin and Ashurst’s Pro Bono Manager Garth Tinsley. The Disability Discrimination Commissioner is hosting community consultations and invites all community living with disability, their families and friends along with service providers to meet with us so we can hear what is