April 24, 2018
The State Government has launched a project to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability living in south-east Queensland access the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Disability Services Minister Coralee O’Rourke said the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH) would receive almost $250,000 to prepare Indigenous communities across the south-east for the NDIS rollout.
“It’s very important every effort is made to ensure all Queenslanders benefit from the opportunities the NDIS presents,” Mrs O’Rourke said.
“Around 38 per cent of the State’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people reside in south-east Queensland, from Somerset in the north to the Scenic Rim and Gold Coast in the south, and west into the Lockyer Valley.
“Our experience with the rollout so far is that a higher level of engagement is required to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability register to receive the support they need under the NDIS.”
The NDIS rollout is due to begin on July 1 in the South Burnett and Cherbourg.
IUIH Chief Executive Officer Adrian Carson said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability were much more likely to come on board the scheme if they were approached by a person or organisation they trusted and with whom they had an existing relationship.
“It’s also important they can get the information and help they need easily and quickly from an organisation that is based in their community and which understands and values their cultural identity,” he said.
The IUIH NDIS Readiness Project will employ four full-time and one part-time staff.
