Recent Government Initiatives

Amidst the passion of our ‘telling-it-like-it-is’ approach to our advocacy work, it is important we also give credit where credit is due when governments listen and act to assist our families.

Here we give you some information about recent Australian Government initiatives for families of children with a disability.The information included here relates to new or improved services and support that have emanated from decisions of the Australian Government.

This information is not intended to be an overall analysis of the government’s performance, nor have we attempted to catalogue every government decision that may be considered relevant to families of children with a disability.

If you have information about a recent Australian Government initiative that you think should be included here, or you believe that any aspect of the information provided is incorrect, misleading or imbalanced, please contact us with your feedback and suggestions.

Recent Australian Government initiatives relating to families of children with a disability include:

2008

• Helping Children with Autism package

• National Mental Health Disability Employment Strategy

• Office of Early Childhood Education and Child Care

2007

• Carer Adjustment Payment (CAP)
  
  
• Carer Allowance $600 Bonus Payment and Carer Payment $1,000 Bonus Payment
  
  
• Carer Payment (child) Review
  
  
• Child care investment of $2.1 billion including $71.3 million over five years for the Inclusion Support Subsidy program
  
  Child Care Inclusion and Professional Support Program
  
  
• Child Disability Assistance (new annual payment of $1,000 for Carer Allowance recipents (Children under 16)
  
  
• Continence Aids Assistance Scheme (CAAS) extension of eligibility to children aged 5-15 years
  
  
• Disability Assistance Package (announced June 28, 2007)
  
  
• Disability business services continuation of funding
  

• Family Relationships Services for Carers
  
  
• Health Care Card for ex-Carer Allowance (child) students aged 16-25 years
  
  
• Health check to benefit people with intellectual disabilities
  

• National Disability Advocacy Program (NDAP) improvements
  

• Peer support for parents of young children with disabilities which is being implemented as MyTime support groups www.mytime.net.au
  
  
• Respite support for carers expansion
  
  
• Special Disability Trusts