Training and events
Professional training
Recent listings
The issue of increasing disruption in Australian school classrooms
Current and proposed sexual consent laws in Australia
Strengthening Community Safety Bill 2023
A new Act to replace the Disability Services Act 1986 (Cth)
Monitoring of Places of Detention (OPCAT) Bill 2022
QAI’s final recommendations to the Disability Royal Commission
Past listings
The issue of increasing disruption in Australian school classrooms
QAI made a submission to the federal government's inquiry into increasing disruption in Australian school classrooms. QAI urged the Committee to take a considered approach to understanding perceived “disorderly behaviour” which could be the manifestation of a person’s...
Human Rights Solicitor (First Nations identified role)
Role Description This is a First Nations identified role. The Human Rights Solicitor will provide a high standard of referral, advice and representation to clients of QAI, with a focus on guardianship and administration matters. The solicitor will contribute to the...
Current and proposed sexual consent laws in Australia
In March 2023, the Commonwealth Government conducted an inquiry into the sexual consent laws across the different jurisdictions in Australia. QAI's submission outlined our long-standing concern about Section 216 of the Queensland Criminal Code which criminalises...
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...
Human Rights Solicitor
Role Description The Human Rights Solicitor will provide a high standard of referral, advice and representation to clients of QAI, with a focus on guardianship and administration matters. The solicitor will contribute to the systemic advocacy work and community legal...
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...
Information and Referral Officer / Paralegal
QAI has multiple short term positions available until 30 June 2023. Join a dynamic team full time or part time providing advocacy for people with disability to uphold their rights and interests. Role Description The Information and Referral Officer and Paralegal will...
NDIS Appeals Advocate
About the Role QAI has received one- off time limited funding to provide additional advocacy support for the independent expert review program being trialled with respect to NDIS Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) appeals. We are looking for expressions of interest...
Justice Support Advocate
Role Description The role of the Advocate is to deliver individual advocacy support to Queenslanders with impaired capacity involved in the criminal justice system. Under the supervision and direction of the Principal Solicitor and other Senior QAI staff as required,...
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...
Administration Officer
Role Description The Administration Officer will provide a high standard of information, referral and assessment to clients and organisations contacting QAI. The Administration Officer is responsible for undertaking a wide range of client and administrative support...
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...
Young Peoples Advocate
About us Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion (QAI) is an independent advocacy organisation whose purpose is to advocate for the protection and advancement of the needs, rights and lives of people with disability in Queensland. We do this by engaging in systemic advocacy...
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...