NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SCHEME

Ms Julia Finn, State Member for Granville today joined Labor’s Shadow Minister for Disability Services and Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism, Sophie Cotsis to discuss the National Disability Insurance Scheme at the Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association in Granville.

“NSW Labor is proud to support the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme,” Ms Cotsis said.

“This revolutionary reform promises to improve the level of support which more than 140,000 people with disability in NSW rely upon.

“Labor is proud to support the implementation of the NDIS and I look forward to continuing to work with people with disability and everyone in the disability services sector to ensure the full potential of this historic reform is achieved.”  

Ms Julia Finn, State Member for Granville said “More than 40 percent of people in the Granville electorate come from countries where English was not their first language.

“This diversity is one of the great strengths of our area and I was delighted that our Shadow Minister was able to hear first hand from members of our community today.

“Congratulations to MDAA for their work towards a society where everyone, regardless of background or disability, feels welcome, included and supported.”

The Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of NSW (MDAA) is the peak organisation for people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD)/ non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) with disability, their families and carers in NSW. MDAA is a service in NSW that advocates for people with disability with a particular focus on people from CALD/ NESB with disability, their families and carers.

Ms Ace Boncato, CEO of MDAA said “We promote the rights of people from CALD/NESB with disability, their families and carers in NSW and make sure their rights are safe and protected.

“MDAA appreciates this visit of our local MP and the Shadow Minister for Disability Services and Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism, to have the opportunity to have an open discussion about ensuring the NDIS works for everyone; and to discuss the importance of the ongoing work of organisations such as ours, who provide independent advocacy, information and representation, to support people to access and achieve equitable outcomes across all systems and reforms such as the NDIS.”

It is estimated that over 280,000 people who speak a language other than English in NSW live with a disability. 8.2% of the NSW population are from NES/CALD backgrounds and have disability. More than one in three people with disability in NSW are from an NES/CALD background.