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Current Issues
Disability Support and Services in Australia
E-Brief: Online Only issued March 2001; updated 16 October 2002
Greg McIntosh, Analysis
and Policy
Janet Phillips, Information/E-links
Social Policy Group
For most people with a disability, support and assistance comes mainly
from family and friends. However, governments provide a range of services
both directly and indirectly to help those with disabilities and the private
and community sectors also provide significant resources in this regard.
As well as disability specific services and support, the government, private
and community sectors also provide a range of mainstream services (for
example, health services) that people with a disability have access to.
Because there is a mix of mainstream and disability-specific programs
and services it is difficult to get an accurate picture of the extent
of funding and support to the disability population.
The major aim of this electronic brief is to overview disability support
and services in Australia and to briefly describe the role of the Commonwealth
in this regard. The role of the States and the voluntary/community sectors
is briefly mentioned and additional information on these areas can be
obtained by following the various links that are contained either in the
main part of this brief or in the section headed Links. There are a number
of links to overseas web sites.
It is difficult to easily define what is meant by a 'disability', but
in general terms it can be considered as a condition that in some way
hampers or hinders a person in terms of their ability to carry out day
to day activities. The extent to which a condition hinders a person will
vary from individual to individual and the general range of disabilities
varies from conditions that are mild (for example, the need to wear reading
glasses) to severe (for example, some forms of brain injury). In recent
times various definitions or classifications of disability have been agreed
to.
In the Productivity Commission's Report on Government
Services 2002 disability is given the following definition:
The first international classification relating to disability was provided
by the International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and
Handicaps, initially published in 1980 by the World Health Organisation
(WHO). The 1980 classification was a framework for disability described
in three dimensions: impairment, disability and handicap. The Australian
Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers in
1981, 1988 and 1993 was based on this classification. A revised classification—
the International
Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)—was
adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2001, after several years
of international revision.
Disability is conceptualised as being a multidimensional experience
for the person involved. There may be effects on organs or body parts
and there may be effects on a person's participation in areas of life.
Correspondingly, three dimensions of disability are recognised in ICF:
body structure and function (and impairment thereof), activity (and
activity restrictions) and participation (and participation restrictions).
The classification also recognises the role of physical and social environmental
factors in affecting disability outcomes.
The ABS 1998 Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers defined disability
as any person with a limitation, restriction or impairment which has
lasted, or is likely to last, for at least six months and restricts
everyday activities.
Self care, mobility and communication are defined as core activities.
The ABS defines levels of core activity restriction as follows:
- mild — where a person has no difficulty with self care,
mobility or communication,
but uses aids or equipment;
- moderate — where a person does not need assistance,
but has difficulty with self
care, mobility or communication;
- severe — where a person sometimes needs assistance with
self care, mobility or
communication; and
- profound — where a person is unable to perform self
care, mobility and/or
communication tasks, or always needs assistance.
Sources: ABS (1999) and WHO (1999), (2001).
Every five years the Australian Bureau of Statistics carries out an extensive
survey (ABS Survey
of Disability, Ageing and Carers) that gives detailed statistics on
the prevalence of disabilities in the Australian community. The last (1998)
Survey found that, of the total population aged between 5 and 64 years,
19 per cent (some 3.6 million people) had some form of disability. The
Survey also found that an additional 3.1 million people had some sort
of impairment but it was not bad enough to restrict them in their daily
activities. Of the total of those who had some form of disability (i.e.
the 3.6 million group) approximately 3.2 million people experienced some
sort of restriction with respect to daily activities, employment or schooling.
Two excellent sources of information and data on disability support and
services in Australia are:
Early Involvement
The Commonwealth first became directly involved with providing support
for people with disabilities via the introduction of the Invalid Pension
in 1908. The current version of this benefit is the Disability
Support Pension and, to a lesser extent, the Sickness
Allowance. During the 1940s the number of people with disabilities
increased rapidly essentially due to injuries suffered during the Second
World War. In response to this, the Commonwealth established the Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service
(CRS) and at the same time there was an expansion of the number of
sheltered workshops and accommodation services run by volunteer organisations.
Through the 1960s and 1970s the Commonwealth increasingly provided funding
to help these organisations provide accommodation, employment and other
support services.
1980s
Increasing awareness of the difficulties faced by people with disabilities
was enhanced by the International Year of Disabled Persons in 1981. One
of the main aims of the International Year was to lower the barriers that
had tended to prevent disabled people achieving equality with able bodied
people.
Following the International Year of Disabled Persons there were a range
of initiatives/trends that had implications for the provision of support
and services for people with disabilities. The most important of these
initiatives/trends were:
- a general move away from institutional type services towards a more
community orientated type of service provision
- the Disability
Services Act 1986 which provided for a comprehensive
framework for the funding and provision of support services for people
with disabilities
For full details of disability policy and developments from the early
1980s to the mid 1990s see the Parliamentary Library publication by Mary
Lindsay, Commonwealth
Disability Policy 1983–1995.
1990s
- the 1991 Disability Reform Package which reformed Commonwealth income
support payments for people with disabilities with a view to encouraging
their integration into the workforce to the maximum extent possible
- the 1991 Commonwealth-State Disability Agreement (CSDA) which aimed
to clarify the roles and responsibilities of the respective governments.
In essence, the Commonwealth was given responsibility for employment
services and the States and Territories were given responsibility for
accommodation and other support services. A major aim of the CSDA was
to reduce the amount of duplication and administrative complexity that
existed in the funding and service arrangements for disabled people
- the Disability
Discrimination Act 1992 which is primarily aimed at
eliminating discrimination against people with disabilities as well
ensuring equality before the law and promoting acceptance within the
community of the fundamental rights of people with disabilities
- the 1994 Commonwealth
Disability Strategy which is a ten year framework designed to ensure
that people with disabilities have equal opportunity to access all Commonwealth
programs, facilities and services
2002: Negotiations for a New CSDA
- the new Commonwealth State Territory Disability Agreement (CSTDA)
has yet to be signed and the old CSDA, which was due to expire on 30
June 2002, has been extended for four months i.e. until the end of October
this year. The 'sticking point' on the new Agreement is the level of
funding - the Commonwealth arguing that the States should provide more
and the States saying the Commonwealth should provide more.
Data from the Report
on Government Services 2002 on CSDA expenditure by Commonwealth
and States/Territories for the main CSDA categories (accommodation,
employment etc.) in recent years shows that in terms of the total expenditure
on disability services there has been a steady rise in funding in real
terms over recent years.
The data shows that the total expenditure on services has risen from
$2 206 990 in 1998–99, to $2 357 173 in 1999–2000
and to $2 481 480 in 2000–01. This equates to percentage increases
in total real expenditure on services by the Commonwealth
and the States/Territories of 6.8 per cent in 1999–2000 (over the
previous year) and 5.3 per cent in 2000–01.
The Family and Community Services Portfolio
Budget Statement 2002–03 and a media
release by the Minister, Senator Vanstone (28 June 2002) provide
some data on just what the Commonwealth is offering to provide under
the auspices of the new CSTDA.
The Portfolio Budget Statement (p. 179) indicates that additional
funding is being offered by the Commonwealth to the States and Territories
of the order of $547.5 million over the five years of the new CSTDA
(2002–03 to 2006–07). It states that 'provision for funding
of $2.1 billion over five years from 2002–03 to renew the Commonwealth
State Territory Disability Agreement had already been included in the
budget estimates'.
The additional funding of $547.5 million would take the total Commonwealth
commitment to $2.7 billion over the life of the new CSTDA. According
to the Statement an additional $105.2 million will be provided
in 2002–03; an additional $107.2 million in 2003–04; an additional
$109.4 million in 2004–05 and an additional $111.6 million is to
be provided in 2005–06. No figure for 2006–07 is given.
Additionally, the Statement makes clear that the 'increase
in funding depends upon the States and Territories making the same percentage
increase themselves as the Commonwealth has made to all Commonwealth
State Territory Agreement services, including employment services'.
In her media release of 28 June this year Minister Vanstone
offered an additional $125 million over the life of the new CSTDA to
help meet the unmet need for accommodation for the disabled. This $125
million is over and above the extra funding outlined in the Portfolio
Budget Statement. As is clear in the media release the
Commonwealth is also expecting the States and Territories to match this
additional funding. Senator Vanstone says that if the Commonwealth offer
is matched an additional $625 million ($125 million from the Commonwealth
and $500 million from the States and Territories) will be available
in the area of accommodation over the life of the new CSTDA.
Summary
The main forms of support provided by the Commonwealth for people with
disabilities include:
- funding to organisations to provide employment services as well as
the direct provision of employment and training programs
- the provision of funding to the States and Territories for accommodation
support, respite, independent living and recreation services
- funding to the States for administering aids and appliances schemes
- funding of organisations to provide advocacy, information and print
disability services
- funding to sponsor industry projects
- funding for research and development projects
- the provision of pharmaceutical and other medical benefits.
Overview of Current Commonwealth Funding
for Disability Support and Services 
Income Support
The Commonwealth currently outlays in excess of $6 billion per annum
to provide income support for people with disabilities and the people
who care for them. The main types of income support provided by the Commonwealth
for people with disabilities and their carers are given in the following
table.
Source: Department of Family and Community Services,
Annual Report, 2000–01.
Main Support Services
The main Commonwealth commitment for support services comes via the CSDA - the
2000–01 Federal Budget allocated $426 million to the CSDA. As well,
a further $279 million was provided for employment assistance and other
services.
In addition, the Commonwealth Rehabilitation
Service outlaid $101 million in 2000–01 to assist in excess of
29 000 people with an injury or disability receive work related rehabilitation
programs.
The Commonwealth also provides approximately $7 million per annum to
provide various incentives to employers to employ people with disabilities.
There is general acceptance in government circles and the wider community
that there is a significant problem of unmet need with respect to the
provision of support and assistance for people with disabilities. The
1998 ABS
Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers found some 24 000 people
with a profound or severe disability who received no assistance at all.
Further, more than 41 000 primary carers were found to be also receiving
no support or assistance. For background and further details on the unmet
need issue see the Parliamentary Library publication by Jackie Ohlin,
Unmet
need in disability services: shortfall or systemic failure, Current
Issues Brief no. 6, 1999–2000.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has recently completed
a major study into the unmet need issue (Unmet
Need for Disability Services) and it found that, despite some additional
funding being added via the CSDA (for example, the Commonwealth and the
States allocated approximately $500 million over the 2000–02 period
for unmet need) there were, in 2001, over 12 000 people still in
need of accommodation and respite services and over 5000 people needing
employment support.
The main Commonwealth legislation covering the rights of people with
a disability is the Disability
Discrimination Act 1992 and the main Commonwealth body that is
charged with protecting the rights of disabled people and advocating on
their behalf is the Human Rights and
Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC). For more background on HREOC
and disability rights and advocacy see the HREOC disability
rights page. Another source of information on legislation, rights
and advocacy can be found at the Disability Information and Resource Centre.
The following sites provide further information on disability. Links
to overseas disability sites are also listed.
Commonwealth Government
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Summary
of Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (4430.0), 1998
Disability,
Ageing and Carers Theme Page
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Australia's Welfare 2001, Chapter
7: Disability Services
Disability
Support Services 2000
Unmet
Need for Disability Services
Australian Sports Commission, Disability
Education Program
CRS Australia (formerly
the Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service)
Centrelink Disability
page and Carers
page
Department of Family and Community Services
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Disability
Rights Home Page
National Disability
Advisory Council
Productivity Commission, Report on Government Services 2002, Chapter
13: Services for People with a Disability
State Government
NSW: Department of Ageing,
Disability and Home Care
Vic.: Department of Human Services Disability Services
Division
Qld: Disability Services Queensland
WA: Disability Services Commission
SA: Department of Human Services Disability
Services
Tas.: Department of Health and Human Services Disability Services
NT: Department of Health and Human Services Aged,
Disability and Community Care
ACT: ACT Community Care
Interest groups / welfare organisations
ACROD National Industry
Association for Disability Services
Australian Communication Exchange
Australian Council of Social Service
(ACOSS)
Australian Federation of Disability
Organisationswill become the new peak consumer umbrella body
Carers Australia
Disability Information and Communication
Exchange
Disability Information and Resource
Centre
National Information Communication
Awareness Network (NICAN)
Physical Disability
Council of Australia
International
Rehabilitation International
The UN and Persons with
Disabilities
World Association of Persons with Disabilities
World Institute on Disability
Canada: Information
for Persons with Disabilities
NZ: Disabled Persons
Assembly
UK: Government portal site: Disability
US: American Disability Association
US: National Institute
on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
US: National Organization on Disability
For copyright reasons some linked items are only available to
Members of Parliament.
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