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Disability Discrimination
Understand what disability discrimination is, what protections there are for people with disability and what the process is for making a complaint about discrimination based on a persons disability. You can read the fact sheet at the link below: PDF fact sheet Word...
Briefing paper for NDIS Review panel
On the 2nd March 2023, representatives from Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion (QAI), Villamanta Disability Rights Legal Service, Darwin Community Legal Service and Rights Information and Advocacy Centre (RIAC) met with the NDIS Review panel. They provided a...
Strengthening Community Safety Bill 2023
On 21 February 2023, the Strengthening Community Safety Bill 2023 was introduced into the Queensland Parliament. The Bill was referred to the Economics and Governance Committee for detailed consideration and report by 10 March 2023. The proposed legislative changes...
QAI Conversations – February 2023
Date - Wednesday 15 February 2023Time - 9:00am - 11:00amLocation - QAI Offices, Level 2 South Central Commercial, 43 Peel Street, South Brisbane (Meanjin) Event Details QAI is committed to ensuring its systems advocacy is grounded in the perspectives of people with...
A new Act to replace the Disability Services Act 1986 (Cth)
QAI welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the Commonwealth government’s plan to replace the Disability Services Act 1986 (the Act). QAI agrees that a lot has changed in the disability sector over the last three decades, rendering the Act outdated. QAI...
Stop Youth Crime – Get Smarter, Not Tougher
In December 2022, the Queensland Government announced a ten-point plan to "make tough laws even tougher" in response to a perceived increase in violent youth crime. In response, QAI has signed an Open Letter with our allies, urging the Queensland Parliament to...
Disaster events and disability discrimination
This fact sheet covers details about how disability discrimination and the law works when dealing with a natural disaster. You can read the fact sheet at the link below: Fact sheet PDF (10 MB)
Natural disasters, disability and the law
With the help of law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, we have put together this resource to help people with disability understand their legal rights during and after natural disasters. You can view the pdf booklet via the link below, or contact our office if you would...
Monitoring of Places of Detention (OPCAT) Bill 2022
The purpose of this Bill is to facilitate visits by the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (the Subcommittee) to places of detention in Queensland. QAI welcomes this Bill following the Subcommittee’s failed visit to Australia in October 2022 when it...
Implementing OPCAT in Queensland
The Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) is a unique opportunity to strengthen oversight for all sites of detention in Queensland, particularly disability-specific and...
QAI’s final recommendations to the Disability Royal Commission
During the course of the Disability Royal Commission, QAI has provided extensive evidence of the ongoing mistreatment of people with disability in Australian society. QAI has made ten written submissions, given evidence at three public hearings, and our Disability...
OPCAT Forum
Image description: Photo of presenters at the OPCAT forum, the people in it (from left to right) are from government bodies, Scott McDougall (QHRC), Iain Anderson (Commonwealth Ombudsman), John Chesterman (OPA), Sophia Rinaldis from AHRC, and from civil society...
Qld children denied equal access to education
Friday 25 November 2022 While the majority of Queensland school children are coming to the end of another school year, a significant number of students have been denied access to this most basic of human rights. Earlier this year, Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion...
Capability and Culture of the NDIA
QAI made a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in response to its inquiry into the Capability and Culture of the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). Despite several inquiries into the operation of the...
Yarning Circle
When: Monday 14 November, 11am - 1pmWhere: West End Croquet Club, 91 Cordelia St, Meanjin (South Brisbane) or online via Teams Event Details Byron Albury and Debbi Jones invite all First Nations people with disability to a Yarning Circle next Monday to discuss the...
Children’s Rights and the Right to Education
The Diplomacy Training Program, in partnership with Youth Law Australia and Australian Lawyers for Human Rights, are delivering a series of Child Rights webinars. The webinars cover various aspects of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in discussion...
Places of Detention in Queensland
As a result of our work supporting clients in closed environments, QAI holds grave concerns regarding some of the physical and psychological conditions that people deprived of their liberty can endure when detained in certain Queensland-government funded institutions....
Guardianship, Substituted and Supported Decision-Making
QAI welcomes the Disability Royal Commission’s enhanced focus on guardianship, substituted and supported decision-making. While the intent behind guardianship legislation is to protect people with impaired decision-making capacity who are unable to make their own...
Analysis of NDIS appeals report
QAI was commissioned by the Department of Seniors, Disability Services and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships (DSDSATSIP) to undertake an analysis of National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plan reviews to identify trends and potential lessons for...
Andy successfully transitioned to new school
Andy's story Andy* is a young indigenous student in year eight who had been permanently excluded from his school in North Queensland following an incident of verbal and physical escalation. Andy and his mother felt the incident occurred as a result of a disruption in...
Support Coordinators and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal
A recent decision of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT), ‘Al Saed and National Disability Insurance Agency’ demonstrates that a NDIS participant may use a support coordinator as either a support person or as an advocate at the AAT. However, caution is still...
Information gathering for access and planning in the NDIS
QAI made a submission to the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) in response to their survey on information gathering for access and planning. The submission responds to key questions in the survey that directly pertain to the experiences of participants...
Spirit of Queensland Accessibility Engagement Project
The Spirit of Queensland is a regional rail service providing five return services a week between Brisbane and Cairns. They are seeking participants with a lived experience of disability, carers for people with lived experience of disability and/or advocates from the...
Disability aware OPCAT monitoring: a COVID imperative
Australian online side event to the 15th CoSP to the CRPD Event Details Date - 17/16/2022Time - 8:00 am - 9:00 am (AEST)Location - Online People with disability are over-represented in all sites of detention and are at greater risk of experiencing torture and...
Draft Guidelines on Deinstitutionalisation
At the 15th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), QAI learned about the CRPD Committee’s Draft Guidelines on Deinstitutionalisation, including in emergencies. These guidelines are very welcome...
Criminal Procedure Review – Magistrates Court
QAI made a short submission to the Criminal Procedure Review - Magistrates Court. Read our submission via the links below. Submission - PDF Submission - Word
Response to DRC Chair Statement on Inclusive Education
While the Australian Civil Society Delegation is in New York attending the 15th Conference of States Parties (COSP) to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the opening statement from Public Hearing 24 on inclusive education has been...
QAI Intervention Statement to the United Nations
QAI made an intervention to the 15th Conference of States Parties (CoSP) General Debate, highlighting our concerns regarding risks to people with disability in closed environments and the inherent inability of closed environments to keep people safe from Covid-19...
New Reconciliation Action Plan
On Wednesday 1 June, during Reconciliation Action Week for 2022, QAI marked the occassion with the release of our new Reconciliation Action Plan for 2022 to 2026, featuring the artwork by Uncle Paul Calcott which we commissioned last year. We look forward to working...
The framework for a decriminalised sex work industry in Queensland
QAI welcomes the move to decriminalise sex work in Queensland. QAI has consistently raised concern about provisions within Queensland’s Criminal Code that infringe the human rights of people with disability and which arbitrarily limit their right to sexual...