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Mental Health Solicitor
About us QAI’s mission is to promote, protect and defend, through advocacy, the fundamental needs and rights and lives of the most vulnerable people with disability in Queensland. QAI is a specialist community legal service and disability advocacy organisation...
QAI is going (virtually) to the United Nations!
23 November 2020For immediate release QAI is going (virtually) to the United Nations! QAI is excited to announce its involvement in the upcoming 13th Session of the Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with...
Increasing Guardianship Applications in the NDIS
QAI is concerned by the increase in guardianship and administration applications that has correlated with the rollout of the NDIS in Queensland. These applications are often submitted by NDIS service providers in relation to the people they support. Applications are...
4ZZZ Speaks to Emma Phillips on the DRC and Employment
Queensland Advocacy's Emma Phillips recently spoke with 4ZZZ about the DRC hearing on employment and why equal employment for people with disability is so important. You can listen to the interview here.
Stand with Us! Call to Rally
17 March 2021 Dear QAI members and supporters, We write to you today asking you to Stand with us! as we fight to secure ongoing funding for disability advocacy services in Queensland. QAI joins a partnership of independent disability advocacy organisations to form...
QAI Joins Calls for the State Government to Stand with us!
9 March 2021 For immediate release Queenslanders with disability could be left out – call on state government to Stand with us! QAI joins our allies in disability advocacy in calling on the state government to continue funding for essential advocacy services, with...
Announcing our new CEO
3 March 2021 For immediate release Announcing our new CEO Queensland Advocacy Incorporated (QAI) is very pleased to announce the appointment of our new CEO, Matilda Alexander. Matilda is an award-winning human rights lawyer with a solid background in successfully...
Stop Independent Assessments
24 February 2020 For immediate release #StopIndependentAssessments QAI is seriously concerned about the proposed introduction of mandatory Independent Assessments into the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Under proposed changes, people with disability will...
Independent Assessments
QAI is seriously concerned about the proposed introduction of mandatory Independent Assessments into the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Under proposed changes, people with disability will be forced to undergo a generic, one-off assessment with a...
NDIS Access and Planning Policies
QAI is seriously concerned about the proposed introduction of mandatory Independent Assessments into the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Under proposed changes, people with disability will be forced to undergo a generic, one-off assessment with a...
NDIS Market in Queensland – Draft Report
QAI participated in the Queensland Productivity Commission’s inquiry into the operation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in Queensland. QAI raised concern about the human rights implications of suggested reforms to the rules regulating Restrictive...
Position Statement – January 26
QAI's Position Statement on January 26 as a national public holiday. You can view the statement at the links below: PDF version of statement Word version of statement
NDS and NDIS Outcomes Frameworks
QAI considers that if the new National Disability Strategy (NDS) and the NDIS are to genuinely improve the lives of people with disability, there must be tangible changes that facilitate the self-determination of people with disability, and which ensures the...
UN COSP13 Side Event – It all begins with education
QAI and CYDA co-hosted a side event to the 13th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on realising inclusive education in Australia. In this event they heard from several young people with...
Restrictive Practices
QAI considers the use of Restrictive Practices as an infringement of the fundamental human rights of people with disability. Despite being cited as necessary to ensure safety, the use of Restrictive Practices often stems from prejudicial and discriminatory attitudes...
Guardianship Law Reforms 2020
Key reforms to Queensland’s guardianship laws take effect on Monday 30th November 2020. They strengthen the protection afforded to Queenslanders with impaired decision-making capacity. To help explain these important reforms, QAI has created a fact sheet outlining the...
The HRA Community Legal Education Showcase
Emma Phillips, Principal Solicitor, gave a presentation at the Community Legal Centres Queensland State Conference on the community legal education QAI does around the Human Rights Act. You can view the presentation slides from the links below: PDF version of slides...
QAI Calls for More Creativity in the National Disability Strategy
2 November 2020 For immediate release Thinking outside the box: QAI calls for more creativity under the new National Disability Strategy QAI has called for stronger measures to ensure all Australians with disability live as equal members of society under the new...
Restrictive Practices – Research Paper
In November 2020, QAI published an updated version of its research paper, "Conclusions on the use of Restrictive Practices for people with an intellectual or cognitive impairment: How to return respect and control to marginalised people." Access the paper here:...
National Disability Strategy
QAI contributed towards the development of the new National Disability Strategy by providing a written submission in response to the Department of Social Service’s consultation paper. You can read the full submission at the links below: PDF version of submission Word...
Annual General Meeting 2020
Date - 29/10/2020Time - 6:00 pm - 8:00 pmLocation - Gambaro Room, Common Ground. 15 Hope St, South Brisbane Q 4101 Event Details QAI’s Annual General Meeting is coming up and all QAI members are invited to attend in person or remotely via video link. Spaces for both...
Using the HRA to Protect the Rights of Students
Emma Phillips, Principal Solicitor, and Nikki Parker, Education Advocate, gave a presentation to Community Resource Unit on how to use the Human Rights Act to protect the rights of students with disability. You can view the presentation slides from the links below:...
QAI Warns Against Independent Assessments in the NDIS
15 October 2020 For immediate release Time to Assess the Assessors: QAI warns against Independent Assessors in the NDIS QAI and its allies in the disability sector have today raised grave concern over the proposed introduction of Independent Assessments in the...
#MakeItSafeToSpeak Calls for Confidentiality for the DRC
13 October 2020 For immediate release #MakeItSafeToSpeak: QAI calls for legislation to protect confidentiality at the Disability Royal Commission QAI stands with Disabled People’s Organisations Australia (DPOA) and urges the government to pass legislation to protect...
Disability Advocacy and Human Rights
Emma Phillips, QAI Principal Solicitor, gave a presentation on Disability Advocacy and Human Rights, to Bond students. You can view the presentaiton slides at the link below: PDF version of slides
QAI first to opt-in to be bound by Human Rights Act 2019
6 October 2020 For immediate release Turning words into action: QAI has elected to be bound by the Human Rights Act 2019 QAI is excited to announce it has been declared a ‘public entity’ for the purpose of the Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld) (HRA)! The passage of...
Disability Standards for Education
QAI provided a submission to the Department of Education, Skills and Employment’s 2020 Review of the Disability Standards for Education. Drawing upon our extensive experience of working with families who have children with disability in the education setting, we...
Inquiry into the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
QAI made a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme’s inquiry into the National Disability Insurance Scheme’s Quality and Safeguards Commission. You can read the full submission at the links below: PDF version of...
Disability Action Week 2020
17 September 2020For immediate release During Disability Action Week, QAI is supporting people with disability to take their own actions! Leading disability advocacy organisation and community legal centre Queensland Advocacy Incorporated (QAI) considers Disability...
Support Coordination
QAI made a submission to the National Disability Insurance Agency in response to the discussion paper on Support Coordination. You can read the full submission at the links below: PDF version of submission Word version of submission