At the National Centre for Disability Advocacy (NCDA), we are proud to have recently launched our second annual Systemic Advocacy Insight Report—a national snapshot of the key issues that independent disability advocates are seeing across Australia.
Drawing on conversations with independent disability organisations run by and for people with disability, the report is a call for urgent government action and reform. It sheds a light on harms to people with disability across housing, guardianship, transport and child protection.
Frontline perspectives on systemic advocacy
The report’s insights come directly from those on the frontline. For this year’s report, the NCDA brought together advocates from across the country at its national Systemic Advocacy Forum and facilitated in-depth one-on-one conversations. These insights revealed alarming trends in housing insecurity and the suspected overuse of guardianship orders taking away the rights of people with disability.
While many organisations are primarily funded to deliver individual advocacy, advocates consistently emphasised how important systemic advocacy is to address the root causes of the issues they see. Yet, limited funding and restrictive guidelines often mean they can spend less than 10% of their time on this vital work.
Advocates shared what they’re seeing, what’s working, and what’s standing in the way of people with disability living with rights, safety, and dignity. One clear message came through: systemic advocacy matters — but there are too few opportunities to do it.
As one advocate told the NCDA:
‘We see the same issues over and over again. If we could work on fixing the broken system, we could help more people.’
Others said they’re often doing this work ‘off the side of their desks’ — in their own time, driven by their commitment to help more people.
What happens when systemic advocacy gets done?
Despite limited resources, advocates are still driving important work. The report highlights recent wins, including:
- In Queensland, members of the Queensland Independent Disability Advocacy Network (QIDAN) teamed up to make a joint submission on supported accommodation, calling for tenancy and service provision to be separated to protect the rights of people with disability.
- In the NT, Integrated Disability Action (IDA) was successful in pushing for policy changes related to lift-fee subsidies after a woman missed her chance to speak at a funeral because she had exhausted these subsidies.
- First Peoples Disability Network (FPDN) advocated to the NDIA for permanent return-to-Country options, not just temporary protocols — supporting the right of First Nations people with disability to live on Country.
A practical tool for reform
DANA CEO, El Gibbs, said:
‘This report by the National Centre for Disability Advocacy is a roadmap for policymakers to address these systemic failures and shows how hard independent disability advocacy organisations are working to change the lives of people with disability. It also reinforces the critical need for the Federal Government to address ongoing underfunding of systemic and individual advocacy to drive change across the community.’
This report isn’t just a summary — it’s a practical tool for:
- government departments and agencies
- Disability Representative Organisations
- civil society groups and researchers.
Read the report
Download the Systemic Advocacy Insight Report 2024
This article was originally published by Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA). DANA has been promoting this report widely, sharing its findings with government, policy makers and the media to ensure the voices of advocates are heard at every level of reform.
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