Changing systems

Submissions

Older submissions

Education Funding

We made a submission to the Education, Employment and Training Committee on the Education (General Provisions) (Helping families with school costs) Amendment Bill 2023. The right to education for students with disability has long been a focus of QAI’s systemic...

Queensland’s Residential Care Review

QAI made a submission to the review of Queensland's Residential Care system. We made the following recommendations: De-institutionalise young people and update Departmental policies and procedures to align with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons...

NDIS Review

QAI welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the NDIS Review. The NDIS provides critical support that facilitates the rights of people with disability to be independent and to live full social and economic lives.   However key challenges with the scheme remain...

Disability Services and Inclusion Bill 2023

QAI contributed to a joint submission by the Disability Representative Organisations (DROs) and other individuals to comment on the proposed Disability Services and Inclusion Bill 2023. Submission - PDF  

Review to inform a better and fairer education system

The right to education for students with disabilities has long been a focus of QAI’s systemic advocacy. Practices such as gatekeeping, the overuse of school disciplinary absences, the use of Restrictive Practices and a lack of access to reasonable adjustments, are...

Inquiry into Australia’s Human Rights framework

QAI welcomes the opportunity to publicly call for a federal Human Rights Act. QAI continues to bear witness to the numerous ways in which people with disability have their rights infringed on a daily basis. Current avenues for redress provide piecemeal protection and...

Administrative Review Reform

QAI made a submission to the Attorney General's Department on the design of a new federal administrative review body. Read our submission here: Submission - PDF Submission - Word    

The issue of increasing disruption in Australian school classrooms

QAI made a submission to the federal government's inquiry into increasing disruption in Australian school classrooms. QAI urged the Committee to take a considered approach to understanding perceived “disorderly behaviour” which could be the manifestation of a person’s...

Current and proposed sexual consent laws in Australia

In March 2023, the Commonwealth Government conducted an inquiry into the sexual consent laws across the different jurisdictions in Australia. QAI's submission outlined our long-standing concern about Section 216 of the Queensland Criminal Code which criminalises...

Strengthening Community Safety Bill 2023

On 21 February 2023, the Strengthening Community Safety Bill 2023 was introduced into the Queensland Parliament. The Bill was referred to the Economics and Governance Committee for detailed consideration and report by 10 March 2023. The proposed legislative changes...

A new Act to replace the Disability Services Act 1986 (Cth)

QAI welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the Commonwealth government’s plan to replace the Disability Services Act 1986 (the Act). QAI agrees that a lot has changed in the disability sector over the last three decades, rendering the Act outdated. QAI...

Monitoring of Places of Detention (OPCAT) Bill 2022

The purpose of this Bill is to facilitate visits by the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (the Subcommittee) to places of detention in Queensland. QAI welcomes this Bill following the Subcommittee’s failed visit to Australia in October 2022 when it...

QAI’s final recommendations to the Disability Royal Commission

During the course of the Disability Royal Commission, QAI has provided extensive evidence of the ongoing mistreatment of people with disability in Australian society. QAI has made ten written submissions, given evidence at three public hearings, and our Disability...

Capability and Culture of the NDIA

QAI made a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in response to its inquiry into the Capability and Culture of the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). Despite several inquiries into the operation of the...

Places of Detention in Queensland

As a result of our work supporting clients in closed environments, QAI holds grave concerns regarding some of the physical and psychological conditions that people deprived of their liberty can endure when detained in certain Queensland-government funded institutions....

Guardianship, Substituted and Supported Decision-Making

QAI welcomes the Disability Royal Commission’s enhanced focus on guardianship, substituted and supported decision-making. While the intent behind guardianship legislation is to protect people with impaired decision-making capacity who are unable to make their own...

Information gathering for access and planning in the NDIS

QAI made a submission to the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) in response to their survey on information gathering for access and planning. The submission responds to key questions in the survey that directly pertain to the experiences of participants...

Draft Guidelines on Deinstitutionalisation

At the 15th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), QAI learned about the CRPD Committee’s Draft Guidelines on Deinstitutionalisation, including in emergencies. These guidelines are very welcome...

QAI Intervention Statement to the United Nations

QAI made an intervention to the 15th Conference of States Parties (CoSP) General Debate, highlighting our concerns regarding risks to people with disability in closed environments and the inherent inability of closed environments to keep people safe from Covid-19...

The framework for a decriminalised sex work industry in Queensland

QAI welcomes the move to decriminalise sex work in Queensland. QAI has consistently raised concern about provisions within Queensland’s Criminal Code that infringe the human rights of people with disability and which arbitrarily limit their right to sexual...

Review of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (Qld)

Advocating for the right for all people with disability to live a life free from violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation and discrimination is core to QAI’s work. QAI welcomed the opportunity to provide a submission to the Queensland Human Rights Commission (QHRC) as...

QAI and ATSILS call for inquiry into school disciplinary absences

Queensland Advocacy Incorporated (QAI) and The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (Qld) Limited (ATSILS) are publicly calling upon the Queensland Human Rights Commissioner to conduct an inquiry into the use of school disciplinary absences in...

Queensland’s restrictive practices laws

QAI considers the use of restrictive practices to infringe the fundamental human rights of people with disability. Restrictive practices are used as a form of behaviour control, applied to individuals considered to be exhibiting ‘behaviours of concern’. There are...

Religious Discrimination Bill 2021

QAI made a submission on the proposed Religious Discrimination Bill 2021 to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights and the Senate Standing Committees on Legal and Constitutional Affairs. QAI is deeply concerned about the Religious Discrimination Bill 2021...

Institutional Economic Neglect

In July 2021, QAI provided a submission on the Purpose, Intent and Adequacy of the Disability Support Pension to the Senate Community Affairs Reference Committee inquiry. In December 2021, QAI provided this submission to the Disability Royal Commission as evidence of...

Public Trustee – Advisory and Monitoring Board

QAI made a submission to the Community Support and Services Committee regarding the Public Trustee (Advisory and Monitoring Board) Amendment Bill 2021. QAI supports the establishment of the Board and its intended functions to monitor and review the performance of the...

Inspector of Detention Services Bill 2021

QAI made a submission to the Legal Affairs and Safety Committee on the Inspector of Detention Services Bill 2021. People with disability are over-represented in all sites of detention and are at greater risk of experiencing torture and ill-treatment in these settings....