Disability Advocacy Service Alice Springs National Advocacy Conference 2007

1. Disability Advocacy Service Alice Springs National Advocacy Conference 2007 Melbourne 2007

2. Area of Service • Alice Springs (Urban) • Amoonguna • Tennant Creek (Urban) Melbourne 2007

3. Melbourne 2007

4. GapsDarwin Community Legal Service provide advocacy in the Top EndNPY Women’s Council provide service to the Pitjantjatjara LandsAdvocacy from our service captures only the urban locations of Alice Springs and Tennant Creek. We do not provide service to communities that fall outside of this catchment area.So this excludes many people who live on remote communities and outstations.As you would be aware many of these communities and outstations are populated primarily by Indigenous Australians. How do these people access disability advocacy?THEY DON’T! Melbourne 2007

5. Melbourne 2007

6. SnapshotOver the past two decades the Aboriginal population in remote communities has grown by approximately 40%.They do not have the same range, level and quality of public funded infrastructure and services that are provided in town of similar size elsewhere in Australia.“Published in Commonwealth Grants Commission Report on Indigenous funding 2001, Vol 1, Page 33” Melbourne 2007

7. Networking and CollaborationThere are few opportunities for networking due to the lay of the land and the tyranny of distance.We utilise other advocacy services and knowledge within these agencies on a needs basis e.g Darwin Community Legal Centre has a Solicitor, NPY have more specific knowledge of remote area service provision. Much collaboration and referral between Advocacy providers would be based on the geographic location of the consumer and what agency is best able to address the issues presented. As such there are not “disability type” specialist services. Melbourne 2007

8. Outside of Advocacy service providers we work collaboratively with Government agencies and other NGO’s with consideration to maintaining an independent focus on advocacy. Melbourne 2007

9. Key Issues - NPYCommunicating with agenciesis often time consuming due to the fact that NPY operates tri state, therefore there are often three lines of communication.Referrals and support are often personality driven by people who work for local clinics and councils.Anangu client group often have low expectations due to circumstance e.g poor education, poor living conditions and chronic constant state of ill health.Most individual advocacy is around basic needs e.g clothing, food and shelterIf people don’t have good family support it is very difficult to provide ongoing support.Most advocacy work is around systemic issues e.g housing and accessible housing. Melbourne 2007

10. Key Issue - DASSeparating Advocacy from Case Management due to low levels of service provisionSparse coverage of region ie no remote service fundingAccommodation – availability, suitability, high cost, application processes for both private and public housingTransience – Greyhound TherapyNo effective monitoring systems of NT funded services so therefore no avenues for action or recourse and consequently no changeNot enough Advocates Melbourne 2007

11. Level of FundingDAS is funded: FACSIA - $109,000 DHCS - NT - $49,000 Melbourne 2007

12. Contact Us • Disability Advocacy Service • PO Box 8267, Alice Springs 0871 • Phone: 08 89531422 • Fax: 08 89530471 • Coordinator@disabilityadvocacyserv.org.au Melbourne 2007