Blog

Millions Face Financial Exclusion and Bureaucratic Nightmares as Mobility Barriers Turn Everyday Essentials into Impossible Hurdles In a nation that prides itself on inclusivity, a hidden crisis is unfolding: Australians with physical disabilities who cannot drive or fly are being systematically excluded from opening bank accounts, accessing government services, and even verifying their identity. With...

Physical Disability Australia is calling for urgent action to fix inaccessible charging infrastructure before inequality is further embedded into the nation’s transport system. As petrol prices climb and fuel security becomes more volatile, Australia’s move to electric vehicles is accelerating. But for many people with disability, the nation’s EV charging network remains inaccessible, unreliable, and...

There are many genuine concerns within the disability community regarding the announcement made by Mark Butler MP yesterday. For those whose lives depend on support, this is a time of significant stress. While there are some welcome positive changes within the announcement, uncertainty remains until we have a clearer understanding of its impact on individuals....

As part of PDA’s 30th year celebrations, a new look was commissioned for both our logo and a refresh of our website to meet our needs and strengthen our organisation as we move forwards. Working with our project partners, FivebyFive, over the past eight months, we are now proud to officially launch the new website...

Joint Statement by Disability Representative Organisations Tuesday 3 February Australia’s Disability Representative Organisations (DROs) acknowledge an agreement has been reached between the Federal, State and Territory Governments regarding hospital funding and disability supports, including the Thriving Kids initiative, that will have implications for the supports people with disability have access to across their lifespan and...

Disability Representative Organisations acknowledge the passage of the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026 (Cth) and the additional protections it introduces to address serious forms of hate and extremism in Australia. The event of 14 December 2025 targeting the Jewish community at Bondi beach was an abhorrent act of hate...

November 6, 2025 We are deeply concerned by the schedule 5 amendment to the Social Security and Other Legislative Amendments (Technical Change No 2) Bill 2025 that gives police new powers to advise the government to stop a person’s Centrelink payment. Stopping a person’s payment before any court process has occurred risks leaving people without...

Physical Disability Australia is deeply concerned with recent changes made by South Australia’s Access Taxis and their new policy to remove customers’ abilities to request specific drivers. Our understanding behind this policy change is related to a lack of Access Cab drivers on the road when needed and a desire to share the load to ensure drivers have more reason...

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this release contains names and references to people who have died. New court filing has exposed a pattern of fatal restraints for First Nations people with disability that has been hidden. This information surfaced after court documents revealed a young Aboriginal man died of acute respiratory failure,...

JOINT STATEMENT Physical Disability Australia, in collaboration with other Disability Representative Organisations has released a Joint Statement in response to the Australian Government’s recent surprise announcement around changes to the NDIS. NDIS Minister Mark Butler’s speech on Wednesday came as a major surprise to the disability community and DROs. Whilst we welcome the investment in...

PDA’s CEO, Jeremy Muir, recently wrote to VIC Minister for Transport Infrastructure/Public and Active Transport, The Hon Gabrielle Williams MP, voicing concern over accessibility failings of Metro Tunnel stations. Flagged as a major concern by PDA’s VIC Director, Robert Wise, and VIC Associate Director, Sean Tyrell, safety and accessibility ramifications of uneven heights between platforms...

Written by Jeremy Muir, PDA’s CEO As the CEO of PDA and as a NDIS participant I acknowledge the complexities and difficulties facing the NDIA and those participants who have been adversely affected by the NDIS reform processes. In saying that, I would also like to acknowledge that the NDIA is not one person and...