Ideas & Society Program: Disability and Australian Society: How Well Are We Doing?

It is often said that the humanity of a society is best judged by the ways in which it treats its most vulnerable members.

In September and October 2023 two reports of greatest significance concerning the way members of Australian society with disability are treated are due to be released.

In September the findings of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability will be published. In late October the Independent Review into the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will report to Bill Shorten, the responsible Minister.

In addition, to mark the tenth anniversary of the creation of the NDIS, The Quarterly Essay (from Black Inc., the partner of La Trobe University Press) has published Lifeboat: Disability, Humanity and the NDIS.

According to the Convenor of the Ideas and Society Program, Professor Robert Manne: “Our Program is honoured and delighted that our panel on the question of disability and Australia will include one of the Disability Royal Commissioners, Rhonda Galbally, the author of “Lifeboat”, the superb new Quarterly Essay, Micheline Lee, and the Director of Policy and Advocacy for the Disability Network Advocacy Australia, El Gibbs. And we are very grateful that La Trobe University’s Christine Bigby has agreed to lead the discussion and that the La Trobe Vice-Chancellor, John Dewar, has agreed to introduce it.”

“Rhonda was a passionate advocate and architect of the Gillard government’s groundbreaking disability legislation, the most significant and ambitious addition to Australia’s social welfare state of recent decades. Micheline is a fine novelist and someone who relies for her well-being on one of the NDIS’s ‘plans’. El Gibbs is a leading disability advocate.

The conversation will be able to examine what the Royal Commission has uncovered about the problems still facing Australians with disabilities. It will be able to outline the extremely important contributions the NDIS has made to the lives of many thousands of Australians but also aspects of the scheme where there is need for reform and improvement.

The October 5 event promises to be an enlightening introduction-in-depth to one of the most vital questions facing all Australians interested in the health and humanity of their society. We invite everyone with an interest in Australia’s democracy not to miss this exclusively online event.”

Hear from:

Participating Chair: Professor Christine Bigby

Director, Living with a Disability Research Centre

Speakers:  

Micheline Lee

Author ‘The Healing Party’, Quarterly Essay contributor

Dr Rhonda Galbally AC

Disability Royal Commissioner

El Gibbs

Director of Policy and Advocacy, Disability Network Advocacy Australia