Submissions

QAI made two submissions to the inquiry into ongoing reforms to the youth justice system. The inquiry is overseen by the Youth Justice Reform Select Committee. Our submissions focus on the overrepresentation of children with disability in the youth justice system....

QAI wrote a joint submission with Queenslanders with Disability Network (QDN) and WWILD on the need to remove section 216 of Queensland's Criminal Code. The submission was sent to the parliamentary committee considering the Criminal Code (Decriminalising Sex Work) and...

QAI made a submission to the inquiry into the provision and regulation of supported accommodation in Queensland. In theory, hostels and boarding houses can provide a useful, short-term accommodation option for people with and without disability in Queensland. However,...

QAI made a submission to the review of Queensland's Residential Care system. We made the following recommendations: De-institutionalise young people and update Departmental policies and procedures to align with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons...

QAI welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the NDIS Review. The NDIS provides critical support that facilitates the rights of people with disability to be independent and to live full social and economic lives.   However key challenges with the scheme remain...

QAI contributed to a joint submission by the Disability Representative Organisations (DROs) and other individuals to comment on the proposed Disability Services and Inclusion Bill 2023. Submission - PDF  

The right to education for students with disabilities has long been a focus of QAI’s systemic advocacy. Practices such as gatekeeping, the overuse of school disciplinary absences, the use of Restrictive Practices and a lack of access to reasonable adjustments, are...

QAI welcomes the opportunity to publicly call for a federal Human Rights Act. QAI continues to bear witness to the numerous ways in which people with disability have their rights infringed on a daily basis. Current avenues for redress provide piecemeal protection and...

QAI made a submission to the Attorney General's Department on the design of a new federal administrative review body. Read our submission here: Submission - PDF Submission - Word    

QAI made a submission to the Commonwealth Department of Education's Review of the impact of COVID-19 on school students with disability. Read our submission here: Submission - PDF Submission - Word    

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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...

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...

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...

QAI made a short submission to the Criminal Procedure Review - Magistrates Court. Read our submission via the links below. Submission - PDF Submission - Word  

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...

Advocating for the right for all people with disability to live a life free from violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation and discrimination is core to QAI’s work. QAI welcomed the opportunity to provide a submission to the Queensland Human Rights Commission (QHRC) as...

QAI considers the use of restrictive practices to infringe the fundamental human rights of people with disability. Restrictive practices are used as a form of behaviour control, applied to individuals considered to be exhibiting ‘behaviours of concern’. There are...

QAI made a submission on the proposed Religious Discrimination Bill 2021 to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights and the Senate Standing Committees on Legal and Constitutional Affairs. QAI is deeply concerned about the Religious Discrimination Bill 2021...

In July 2021, QAI provided a submission on the Purpose, Intent and Adequacy of the Disability Support Pension to the Senate Community Affairs Reference Committee inquiry. In December 2021, QAI provided this submission to the Disability Royal Commission as evidence of...

QAI made a submission to the Community Support and Services Committee regarding the Public Trustee (Advisory and Monitoring Board) Amendment Bill 2021. QAI supports the establishment of the Board and its intended functions to monitor and review the performance of the...

QAI made a submission to the Legal Affairs and Safety Committee on the Inspector of Detention Services Bill 2021. People with disability are over-represented in all sites of detention and are at greater risk of experiencing torture and ill-treatment in these settings....

QAI made a submission to the Disability Royal Commission in response to the 'Criminal Justice System' issues paper. QAI welcomes the Royal Commission's focus on the experiences of people with disability in the criminal justice system. Despite increasing commitment by...

QAI made a submission to the Department of Social Services regarding the proposed changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 and the introduction of the Participant Service Guarantee. QAI supports the underlying intention behind many of the proposed...

QAI and Leadership Plus have collaborated to provide a response to the NDIA's Support for Decision-Making policy. The increased focus on the decision-making rights of people with disability engaging with the NDIS is extremely welcome. However, whilst the proposed...

In August 2021, The Public Trustee of Queensland commenced a review of its Fees and Charges. QAI assists many people with disability whose financial affairs are managed by the Public Trustee. Whilst the Public Trustee states that its vision is to protect the dignity...

Some people with disability experience vilification and harassment on the basis of their disability. This includes physical and verbal abuse and can be perpetrated by strangers, groups or people known to them. Whilst disability is a leading cause of discrimination, it...

QAI made a submission to the Women's Safety and Justice Taskforce regarding the proposals to legislate against coercive control and create a standalone domestic violence offence. QAI is deeply concerned about the disproportionate rates of violence and abuse affecting...

QAI made a submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs regarding the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Improving Supports for At Risk Participants) Bill 2021. QAI has been concerned for some time about the ability of the NDIS Quality...

QAI made a submission to the Attorney-General's Department regarding the proposed National Register of Enduring Powers of Attorney. QAI agrees that a National Register of Enduring Power of Attorneys ('EPOAs) would assist in reducing financial abuse, in particular, the...

QAI made a submission to the Senate Community Affairs References Committee on their inquiry into the Disability Support Pension (DSP) and its purpose, intent and adequacy. QAI considers that the DSP in its current form has lost its purpose, is unreasonable in its...

QAI is vigilant about the risks for people with disability inherent in schemes that legalise voluntary assisted dying. Voluntary assisted dying must never be a substitute for access to appropriate medical care, disability support services or palliative care, or indeed...

What does an inclusive society mean to you?  As an organisation dedicated to promoting the rights and interests of the most vulnerable Queenslanders with disability, QAI considers an inclusive society to be an essential prerequisite for people with disability to enjoy...

Further to our previous work on the new National Disability Strategy, QAI recently provided a submission to the Department of Social Services regarding the proposed National Disability Employment Strategy. With the underrepresentation of people with disability in...

QAI made a submission to David Tune's 2019 Review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 and the Participant Service Guarantee. Submission - PDF Submission - Word

QAI made a submission to the Australian Human Rights Commission regarding the need for a federal Human Rights Act. Read our submission via the links below. Submission - PDF Submission - Word  

QAI made a submission regarding the Criminal Code (Child Sexual Offences Reform) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2019. Submission - PDF Submission - Word

QAI made a submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs regarding the inquiry into Centrelink's Compliance Program. Submission - PDF Submission - Word  

QAI made a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme's inquiry into planning in the NDIS. Submission - PDF Submission - Word  

QAI made a submission to the Senate Community Affairs References Committee regarding the inquiry into the adequacy of the Newstart Allowance and other related payments. Submission - PDF Submission - Word