ADVOCACY
WHAT IS ADVOCACY AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
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Disability advocacy is acting, speaking or writing to promote, protect and defend the human rights of people with disability. The Australian Government, and some state and territory governments, fund independent advocacy to help people with disability who face complex challenges or are unable to advocate for themselves, and do not have family, friends or peers who can support them as informal advocates, to access advocacy support.
An independent advocate, in relation to a person with disability, means a person who:
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is independent of the organisations providing supports or services to the person with disability; and
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provides independent advocacy for the person with disability, to assist the person with disability to exercise choice and control and to have their voice heard in matters that affect them; and
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acts at the direction of the person with disability, reflecting the person with disability’s expressed wishes, will, preferences and rights; and
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is free of relevant conflicts of interest.
WHY DOES INDEPENDENCE MATTER?
A disability advocate must be independent and act solely in the interests of the person with disability who they are supporting. An advocate cannot be independent if they, or the organisation they work for, might benefit in some way from influencing the outcomes of the advocacy – this would be a conflict of interest.
A conflict of interest can happen in many situations, for example, a support worker helping a person with disability to resolve a complaint about the disability service that employs the support worker.
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Government-funded independent advocates can act solely on the side of the person with disability and without a conflict of interest. This differs from National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Local Area Coordinators, for example, whose role is to link people with the NDIS and to provide information and support in their community, but not to act as advocates. It also differs from NDIS Support Coordinators who have an interest in maintaining services and/or funding relationships and have restrictions on how much they can support the direct wishes of the person with a disability.
Independent advocates assist people with complex, specialised and often serious issues that can include supporting them:
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to understand their rights and responsibilities;
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through discrimination, criminal and child protection cases;
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within mental health facilities and through the mental health review tribunal;
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to resolve issues about government benefits, payments, pensions and support services;
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through tribunals for guardianship, tenancy and consumer affairs;
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to access housing, education or other state systems;
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to resolve complex service provision or complaints issues, especially where it is difficult for the person to speak up for themselves; and
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to leave domestic violence situations.
HOW DO I FIND AN INDEPENDENT ADVOCATE?
To find the locations and contact details of government-funded independent advocates near you, click here.
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For the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations, click here.
Disability Advocacy Agencies in Queensland
Aged and Disability Advocacy Australia (ADA)
1800 818 338
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People With Disability Australia Incorporated (PWDA)
1800 422 015
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Queensland Advocacy Inc (QAI)
(07) 3844 4200
Speaking Up For You Inc (SUFY)
(07) 3255 1244
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Sunshine Coast Citizen Advocacy Programme Inc
(07) 5442 2524
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TASC National Ltd
(07) 4616 9700