Australian Federation of Disability Organisations

REGISTRATIONS NOW OPEN

Click here to view the conference program and to register.

AFDO is very excited to be holding its first national conference. The conference, which will be held on the 9th & 10th of October this year at the Telstra Dome in Melbourne. The conference will have a practical focus concentrating on key contemporary policy issues in the lives of Australians living with disability.

The Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO) has been established as the primary national voice to Government that fully represents the interests of all people with disability across Australia.

The mission of AFDO is to champion the rights of people with disability in Australia and help them participate fully in Australian life.

Click here for more information about AFDO

Have you been affected by the Federal Government’s Welfare to Work changes?

AFDO is collecting stories about the impact of these changes on people with disability.

We would love to hear your story.

We have prepared some information "About the project" and "Why take part?"

You can download the forms to tell us your story from this website and email them to us. Or, if you need help telling your story, you can call us on 03 9662 3324.

This project has been supported by the Reichstein Foundation.

Welcome to the first edition of the AFDO newsletter for 2008.

In this issue ....

First AFDO Conference
In October this year, AFDO will hold its first conference. This will be an extremely exciting event and the organisation is well underway.

Impact of Ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.
Our agreement with FaHCSIA is to oversee the consultation process and, interpret feedback from the disability sector and assist the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) and the Attorney General’s Department (AGD) to ensure that work created is appropriate to the needs of people with disability.

AFDO has agreed to produce or facilitate the production of articles for the National Link Disability Magazine. Below is the first article written by our Chair, Samantha Jenkinson that features in the April edition. Look out for future articles and specific AFDO conference advertising. We would like to Thank Denny Rosey – Link Disability Magazine Editor - for the opportunity to contribute to Link.

In October this year, AFDO will hold its first conference. This will be an extremely exciting event and the organisation is well underway. Samantha Jenkinson, Frank Hall-Bentick and I make up the Conference organising committee but there will be times when we will require extra support from the Board and members as the year goes on and the conference gets closer.

What I can confirm is the Conference is to be held on the 9 & 10 October at the Telstra Dome here in Melbourne so mark that in your diary. Titled “Policy About Us, For Us”! A Practical Revolution in the Lives of People with Disabilities, we are looking forward to staging a very contemporary and relevant conference program. Look out for information as it comes to hand over the next few months. As one of our members put it during our members meeting, let’s make sure the conference has some “ZING” so that I think will become the unofficial conference motto.

Our agreement with FaHCSIA is to oversee the consultation process and, interpret feedback from the disability sector and assist the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) and the Attorney General’s Department (AGD) to ensure that work created is appropriate to the needs of people with disability.

Consultations are occurring in mid-February and Therese Sands from PWDA has finalised and an interim report to which she spoke to at our members meeting in Sydney on the 19 February. Thank you as much Therese as the report was excellent and as you might be aware, Roundtable Consultations on the Impact of Ratification have occurred in various cities during February with the results to be provided in the final report on the project, which is due to FaHCSIA and the Attorney General’s Department on the 31 March.

We held our first member meeting of the year in Sydney on the 18 & 19 February. This was an excellent opportunity for our members to discuss our ongoing direction on a number of issues:
• Welfare to Work
• Income Support
• Social Inclusion/Policy
• Employment/Job Capacity Assessments

ACOSS presented on policy options and current government plans and gave us a great insight into their dealings with government particularly around the social Inclusion agenda.