Legislation information campaign
Our growing commitment to Queenslanders with a disability
New legislation is now in force to strengthen and safeguard the rights of Queenslanders with a disability and give them greater confidence in the quality of support services.
The Disability Services Act 2006, which came into effect from 1 July 2006, provides greater protection for people with a disability from abuse and neglect. Queensland is leading the way with the introduction of safeguards to ensure the well-being of people with a disability.
With the growth and ageing of our population, meeting demand is an ongoing challenge. This is why the Queensland Government has substantially increased its commitment to people with a disability with an increase of more than 300 percent in the budget for disability services since 1998.
This year, Disability Services Queensland has a record budget of $634 million. This funding will provide more services and opportunities for people with a disability to participate in and contribute to their communities now and into the future. Disability Services Queensland and the organisations it works with will help more than 16,000 Queenslanders with a disability to access the services they need this year.
A strong commitment to the rights of people with a disability
The Disability Services Act 2006 provides the strongest foundation Queenslanders have ever had to promote the rights of people with a disability, increase their well-being and encourage their participation in the community.
The new Act reaffirms that people with a disability have the same human rights as other members of society and should be empowered to exercise their rights. This new legislation also gives Disability Services Queensland a new mandate: to ensure that all services funded by the Queensland Government meet quality standards.
A shared commitment to meeting the needs of people with a disability
Disability Services Queensland now has ten regional offices, providing services from more than 60 rural, regional and metropolitan locations across the state.
Approximately 80 per cent of Queenslanders who use disability services receive them from organisations funded by Disability Services Queensland.
Disability Services Queensland also provides many services directly to people with a disability.
A commitment to quality services for people with a disability
Disability Services Queensland supports people with a disability by providing funding for a range of programs and services:
- therapy services for children with disabilities and support for their families
- support to help school leavers with a disability establish their lives in the community
- support to help people with a disability in rural and regional communities access local networks, services and information
- accommodation support and 24-hour care for people with an intellectual disability living in houses and units in communities
- supporting people with a disability to participate in their communities and make their own decisions about living arrangements
- respite services to provide a break for people with a disability and their carers.
A commitment to being responsive
We are committed to responding to areas of emerging need.
For example, in this year's budget, more than $23 million is allocated over five years to reducing the number of people under 50 with a disability in aged care facilities.
We have also committed extra funds to support people with a spinal cord injury to return home or to community-based accommodation after treatment in hospital.
We have also responded to the challenges facing ageing carers of adults with a disability by providing extra funds to plan for the future.
| 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–00 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State sourced funding | 125 | 156 | 182 | 189 | 207 | 230 | 278 | 343 | 404 | 516 |
Commonwealth funding |
62 | 64 | 70 | 83 | 94 | 99 | 105 | 109 | 116 | 118 |
Last updated November 2007