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Honourable Jane Prentice, MP

Federal Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services Hon. Jane Prentice Visited MDAA head office Sydney
(Exclusive report to Sada e Watan by: Sara Imanian and Iman Rehman)

On Thursday 27 July 2017, The Honourable Jane Prentice MP paid a visit to Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association (MDAA). Jane Prentice is Assistant Minister for Social Sciences and Disability Services.

The Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of NSW (MDAA) is the peak body for all people in NSW with disability and their families and carers, with a particular focus on those from a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD)/ non-English Speaking (NES) background. MDAA provides a range of advocacy services and projects for all people in NSW, and service providers in NSW.

MDAA also provides services relating to NDIS; NDIS Appeals Supports, this set up is to ensure that all people with disability, and other people affected by reviewable decisions of the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), have access to support when seeking review of specific decisions relating to their plan. NDIS Pre-planning is where consumers are supported to attain the life they want through their own individual planning as a strategy to get ready for NDIS. Supported Coordination is a capacity building support to implement all supports in a participant’s plan, including informal, mainstream, community and funded supports.

S. Zafar Hussain, Minister Jane Prentice and Nafisa Zafar

Minister Prentice was greeted by MDAA executive Director, members of Governance Committee, workers and volunteers. She praised the NDIS for being based on the individual plans for people with disability instead of a tailor-made package for all which will not suit them. Then she emphasised on face to face meetings between NDIS applicants and NDIS planners. She spoke about the importance of MDAA’s NDIS preplanning and appeals projects for those who are not happy with their plans. Minister Prentice noted that some NDIS providers have been de-registered due to their weak service to NDIS participants.

Then MDAA workers and volunteers with disability shared their lived experiences of disability and how advocacy has helped them. They raised their concerns about cuts of disability advocacy funds in NSW after June 2018. MP indicated that she was on the belief that National Disability Scheme Insurance (NDIS) needs to be strengthen by advocacy and emphasised that states should not be withdrawing from the services they should be providing. She said she is actively lobbying with other senior offices of the working group (SOWG) on social services and disability about advocacy funds.

 

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