Let’s make it plainly clear, Disability Royal Commission Recommendation 5.6 stated:
The Australian Government should establish:
Labor has just had an outstanding federal election win, gaining a huge majority.
Surely this is the perfect opportunity to implement the above DRC recommendations?
If not now, then when?
The DRC also recommended:
People with disability should be recruited to positions within the new department, including into leadership positions.
PDA congratulates Ali France on winning the seat of Dickson and Senator Jordon Steele-John on his re-election at Saturday’s federal election. There is a feeling of optimism in the air amongst much of Australia’s disability community. Let’s hope that the voices of these two representatives are heard and listened to by government, and that positive change is on the cards.
Physical Disability Australia’s CEO, Jeremy Muir calls on the Labor government to now “show that it has listened and heard the disability community and understands that those of us living with disabilities must be at the forefront of disability inclusion, disability policy and disability programs. Our lived experiences of disability need to be the foundations from which real and positive change grows.”
Vice President and NSW Director of PDA, Mark Pietsch, said “We belong in the room where the conversation takes place. We’re not an afterthought. We’re citizens, leaders, parents, professionals, entrepreneurs, artists, voters. We are the faces, minds and bodies of disability and we’re ready to shape the future of this country for people living with disability. To make this happen, we need to be in the same room with those that we gave our votes to, looking at the same agenda and contributing equally.”
No Decisions About Us! Without Us!
We ask the Prime Minister to put the call out to all of us living with a disability.
We are present and we are here.
We live, work and play among you and we can direct Australia to truly become a fully inclusive community.
The NDIS was created to change lives. And for many of us, it has. It’s become a beacon in the darkness – the one part of government that consistently acknowledges our existence, our needs, and our right to support.
But the truth is, the NDIS can’t do it all. It wasn’t designed to carry every responsibility. And yet, for years, it’s been the only part of government where people with disability have had focused political attention. Why? Because for too long, we’ve had a Minister for the NDIS, but not a Minister for Disability.
And that needs to change.
We Don’t Just Need a Portfolio. We Need Representation.
A Minister for Disability isn’t just a title. It’s a commitment to visibility. It’s a declaration that people with disability are part of this country’s social fabric — not just participants in a program.
This Minister would:
Right now, disability is often treated as an add-on or delegated downward to individual schemes. And yet the need for coordinated support – and real leadership – has never been more urgent.
Representation in Parliament Matters
In 2017, when Senator Jordon Steele-John entered the Senate as Australia’s youngest-ever senator and first wheelchair user in Parliament, something shifted. Not just because of what he said – but because of what he represented. He didn’t just talk about disability rights. He lived them. He led the charge for the Royal Commission. He’s held governments to account on the NDIS. And he’s pushed for reform that reflects the lived experience of our community.
Now, he’s one of the most respected crossbench senators in the country – and is being discussed as a future leader of the Greens. If that happens, it will be a milestone: a person with a disability leading a major Australian political party. Though it does make sense. He has more experience than most and has spent longer in parliament than Bill Shorten when he took leadership of the Labour Party.
And just last month, Ali France – a fierce disability advocate and woman with a physical disability – was elected to the House of Representatives, removing the leader of the opposition from his seat. Two firsts. With her in the House and Jordon in the Senate, we finally have visible representation in both chambers of Parliament.
That matters. Because when people with disability are in the room, the conversation changes.
The only thing more powerful than having disabled people in Parliament?
Having one as Minister for Disability and the NDIS.
My Experience: Shut Out of the Senate
Last year, when the Senate held the final vote on the Getting the NDIS Back on Track bill, I was there – but I couldn’t be in the room.
Not because I wasn’t welcome. But because the public gallery is not accessible.
I was with others in powerchairs. The only place for us to sit blocked a stairwell – a fire hazard. One wrong move of a joystick, and someone could’ve ended up down the stairs. In fact, I joked grimly that they might’ve landed in Senator Hanson’s lap – something none of us wanted to explain.
We found space in the left gallery, with better visibility. But Senate rules required us to leave before the vote. We were asked to go – not because we’d done anything wrong, but because protocol made no room for us.
That day, I felt like an outsider in my own democracy. I’ve always been proud to be Australian. But that moment shook something in me. I was reminded that for all our talk of inclusion, access still isn’t guaranteed – even in the heart of our Parliament.
A Minister for Disability, someone with the authority and experience to fight for accessibility in Parliament and beyond, would mean no one else is shut out the way we were.
Moving Beyond the NDIS – Toward Inclusive Governance
The NDIS is a critical support, but it cannot be the only thing people with disability rely on.
We need:
We also need to stop putting the burden of reform on exhausted advocates and overstretched organisations. Representation, resourcing, and reform must go hand-in-hand.
What Comes Next?
At Physical Disability Australia, we’re helping build a national campaign — one that centres disabled leadership, unifies community voices, and calls for structural change.
We’re working towards :
Because disability policy shouldn’t start and stop with a funding scheme. It should be woven into the structure of a fair, inclusive, and just Australia.
How can you help?
You can join us here, as a member, or as a supporter.
We can work together for good.
Blog image borrowed from https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/come-clean-treasurer-jim-chalmers-demands-coalition-clarify-proposal-to-slash-ndis/ylywsad24
I stumbled across an interesting article where people contributed their take on the question “what would you tell your younger self?” – particularly from the standpoint of a person living with a disability.
myblurredworld.com/2021/03/21/dear-younger-self/
It’s a question that’s been asked and answered many times.
There are common themes, similar shares and some eye opening responses that can come out of such a question, but sometimes they can really help – not just cathartic to yourself, but potentially providing advice or comfort to someone who’s going down a similar road.
So, how would you answer this question?
Another federal election done and dusted.
Let’s hope that this brings an outcome that makes life better for all Australians – including those living with disability.
Whilst we wait to see where our country goes from here, we’d love to hear how your voting experience went.
Did you use a postal vote, attend an early voting station, take advantage of mobile voting or other accessible options, or did you make it along to a polling place on election day and reward yourself with a democracy sausage?
Was your voting stress free or did you have to navigate around accessibility and playing your part in the democratic process?
We’d love to hear about your experiences, so that we can tell the Australian Electoral Commission what is and isn’t working for Australia’s disability community at election time.
Congratulations to Ali France on winning the seat of Dickson.
With her campaign having been focused on accessibility and inclusion, alongside her lived experience as an amputee and para-athlete, Australia’s disability community looks forward to finally having a voice at the table.
Hopefully Government will now be led by the Disability Royal Commission’s recommendation for establishment of a Department of Disability Equality and Inclusion and the introduction of a Minister for Disability Inclusion portfolio.
A big congratulations also to Senator Jordon Steele-John for being re-elected at Saturday’s federal elections.
Thank you for all that you’ve done so far for Australia’s disability community and for all that you’ll continue to bring to your position moving forwards.
I recently travelled to Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. Adelaide is known as the city of churches and for the natural green belt that surrounds the city. It’s also known to have an easy-going lifestyle.
My visit to Adelaide was to enjoy this and to also attend the National Amputee Conference, which is held every 2 years and hosted by Limbs 4 Life Australia. This was my second visit to this event. My first was the last one, held in Melbourne – my home city. I enjoyed it and the connections I made so much, that I promised myself that I would attend the next one – wherever it was held. And so I did.
The conference was held at the Adelaide Convention Centre, a great venue with good accessibility great staff. This year the conference was attended by 300+ from all corners of the country, and included all types of amputees and those who support them.
Limbs 4 Life Australia is a peak organisation for upper and lower limb amputees, and provides services to them, their families and caregivers and support before and after amputation. You can find out more at https://www.limbs4life.org.au
The national Amputee conference is known as AMPedUp and enables all amputees and those who support them find out about the latest in prosthetics, hear talks by healthcare professionals, better understand legal matters, learn about available Assisted Technology and listen to some amazing presenters sharing their struggles with limb loss.
There were also many networking opportunities for attendees over morning teas, lunches and afternoon teas, also allowing friendships to be made and stories and struggles with limb loss to be shared. It was also great to check out the many exhibitors showcasing the latest in prosthetics, wheelchairs, and vast array of healthcare providers. A converted car was also on display by Brazier Mobility, which drew a lot of attention.
Image 1 Exhibitors display
Image 2 Returning from Afternoon Tea
Of most interest to me was attending presentations from numerous speakers who shared their stories and the experiences they had in dealing with limb loss, in terms not just of their own struggles but also those of their families – and especially their children.
One of presenters Kylie, provided her perspective as a congenital amputee. She recounted stories around parenting and her ability to perform everyday tasks (such as hanging out clothes to dry or changing nappies). She also spoke of her childhood where adaptation and problem-solving were emphasised over limitations. Kylie also mentioned her absence of phantom limb pain, a striking contrast to many attendees’ experiences, which highlighted the differences between congenital and acquired limb loss.
Another presenter and his wife shared their experiences following their involvement in a transport accident whilst overseas, and how they dealt with the barriers created by their children being back home in Australia. Their presentation titled ‘Why Us?’ is also the title of their published book, and included snippets from that book written by the husband about his wife’s resultant life changing injuries and his struggles in dealing with his almost injury free future. It was such a great story that I bought the book to read about it further.
Presenters from Paralympics Australia also put on a remarkable presentation, talking about Wheelchair Basketball and Australia’s first Gold Medal in Rowing at the Paris Games. If you put your mind to it almost anything is possible. There were also presentations from Ottobock Australia, Ossur and OPC health and many more, each showcasing the latest in prosthetics and how far we have come.
There were also presentations titled “Laughter is the best medicine” by Jan Vaughan which got the audience involved, and another named “Musical Mystery Madness” where we had to name the song by title and artist. We also had to work out the common theme of the songs. Guessing wasn’t that easy, but when the answer was revealed I could understand the reasoning. Whilst I can’t remember all 7 songs included, the theme was cleverly built around limbs or body parts.
We were reminded of the many quotes familiar to most of us throughout the conference, motivating us and reminding us to look back at these these when we’re feeling down and struggling. These included:
Image 3 Some light entrainment at the Welcome event (look for a familiar face.)
For those who don’t understand limb loss and how it effects lives, I recommend that you attend one of these events and see it from our many perspectives – as all amputations are not the same or as they appear to be. I will be at the next conference whenever or wherever it will be.
During my time in Adelaide, I also had the chance to explore some of the attractions, soak up the culture and check out the city from an accessibility point of view – perhaps a topic for a future blog?!
Whilst at Adelaide airport waiting for my flight home, I saw this quote by Henry Ford
“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that an airplane takes off against the wind not with it.”
Something that I took home,
Thanks for reading.
Links to some of presenters who shared their stories and experiences
https://www.limbs4kids.org.au/personal-stories/kylie-grew-up-with-no-limb-its
On Wednesday 30th April 2025, PDA’s CEO Jeremy Muir was interviewed by Vision Australia Radio’s Peter Greco in regards to PDA’s recent media release on airline accessibility following announcement of the Virgin Australia and Qatar Airlines partnership (https://newshub.medianet.com.au/2025/04/physical-disability-australias-response-to-airline-accessibility-following-virgin-qatar-airlines-partnership/96690/).
You can listen to his interview in full by clicking below and visiting PDA’s YouTube channel.
Whilst you’re there, don’t forget to subscribe to our channel.
Don’t throw your vote away without knowing a candidate’s disability policy or plan.
Contact your local MP and candidates and ask what they are doing for the 21.4% of Australians with a disability.
https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Contacting_Senators_and_Members
For more information on Fair Australia’s disability policy election campaign, go to:
There are a lot of benefits in becoming a PDA member.
Firstly it’s free.
But it also provides a wonderful community of people who truly understand what it means to live with a physical disability.
With physical disability making up a huge *76.8% of Australia’s reported 5.5 million disabled, PDA represents the vast majority of our country’s disability community – over 4.2 million in fact.
As well as Australians living with physical disability, we also welcome their families, friends, carers, support workers, providers and anyone with a supportive interest as PDA members.
We’ve been around since 1995 and are one of a very small handful of Australian disability organisations that actually has members and board representation in every Australian state and territory.
This gives us a national footprint and allows PDA to have its finger firmly on the pulse of disability in our country.
It is through this representation that our strong voice is heard and that we are included in Australia’s disability conversation.
As an organisation run by people with physical disability for people with physical disability, PDA also truly understands and stands for the needs, rights and consideration of its members.
We put disability rights at the forefront of all that we do.
Join today.
You’ll be glad that you did.
*https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/disability/disability-ageing-and-carers-australia-summary-findings/latest-release
There’s still time to apply for a postal vote – but you will need to apply by 6pm on April 30 by going to
You can also visit an early polling place ahead of Saturday. To find your nearest early voting centre, go to
https://www.aec.gov.au/election/voting.htm#start
However, for both postal votes an early voting, you will need a legitimate reason as to why you can’t attend a polling place on election day. These include you:
If you are blind or have low vision, you can vote over the phone by calling 1800 913 993. Registrations for telephone voting operates 8:30am to 5:30pm Australian Eastern Time (AET) Monday to Friday for the 10 business days immediately prior to polling day (excluding national public holidays), and 8am to 6pm AET on polling day. For more information, go to
https://www.aec.gov.au/election/fe25/telephone-voting.htm
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) provides mobile voting (also referred to as mobile polling) in certain locations to provide an in-person voting service to individuals who experience barriers to electoral participation. This includes those:
For more information and to find locations, go to
https://www.aec.gov.au/election/fe25/mobile-voting.htm
If you are planning to vote in person at a polling place on Saturday, you can find your most convenient venue (including detailed accessibility info) by going to
https://www.aec.gov.au/election/voting.htm#start
For more information on accessible voting at this election, visit
1800 732 674
