Issues, News, Updates, and Items of Interest for people with disability, their families and supporters, allies, the disability and legal sector
Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion (QAI), formerly known as Queensland Advocacy Incorporated, is an independent, community-based systems and legal advocacy organisation for people with disability in Queensland.
09/04/2026
We know going through an NDIS appeal comes with a lot of confusing terms and processes. This week Sian explains the difference between a Case Conference, a Directions Hearing and a Conciliation, so you have a better idea of what to expect.
Video description:
Sian wearing a colourful dress with geometric pattern and glasses, sitting on a large fig tree root with trees and dappled sunlight behind her. Title at bottom says Case Conference v Directions Hearing V Conciliation. Open captions appear middle of screen.
08/04/2026
Right now, there are more First Nations people in prison than ever before.
From coast to coast across Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are being criminalised and imprisoned at alarming rates, which includes an over-representation of First Nations children with disability.
This is happening because state and territory governments are more concerned with political point-scoring than evidence-based reforms.
Locking up kids is an express ticket to a life of crime and suffering. Throwing a child in prison increases the likelihood they will have ongoing contact with the criminal justice system – which only harms our communities.
That’s why we – alongside more than 200 organisations and leaders – have signed NATSILS - National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services open letter to Anthony Albanese calling on him to act.
Will you add your name too? Go to natsils.org.au/open-letter-pm/
02/04/2026
We will be closed for the upcoming public holidays on Friday 3 and Monday 6 of April.
Back to our regularly scheduled programming on Tuesday. If you leave us a message over the long weekend we will get back to you as soon as we can.
26/03/2026
Today our CEO Matilda Alexander spoke at Ability Connect on a panel about the systems barriers, opportunities and practical levers for change.
She clearly stated “we need to desegregate. We need to deinstitutionalise“.
She also covered that in order to strengthen responses to DFSV for disabled people we need:
➡️ targeted navigation pathways so it's easy to access the right service
➡️ strengthened capacity for services
➡️ increased resources.
Register now for QIDAN's online roundtable discussion on improving community responses and support for victim-survivors with disability. https://qidan.org.au/qidan-events/
QIDAN members
ADA Australia Mackay Advocacy Inc People with Disability Australia Rights In Action SUFY Tasc Community Legal Centre Capricorn Citizen Advocacy Amparo Advocacy Inc. and us at QAI 😉
New hate speech laws have recently been approved by both the Australian and Queensland Parliaments.
Despite our advocacy, neither includes protections from hate speech for people with disability.
𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻!
👉 Support the Equal Rights Equals Respect campaign to resume the implementation of Queensland's Anti-Discrimination reforms here equalrightsequalsrespect.com/
👉 Share this post to spread awareness and grow the public calls for stronger protections against disability hate speech.
👉 Read and share our submission to the Disability Discrimination Act review here qidan.org.au/submissions/qidan-submission-to-the-disability-discrimination-act-1992-review/
Tasc Community Legal Centre Mackay Advocacy Inc Rights In Action SUFY Queenslanders with Disability Network PeakCare Queensland ATSILS Amnesty International Australian Services Union Australian Lawyers for Human Rights
11/03/2026
If you’ve lodged an NDIS appeal with the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART), you’ll usually receive your T-Documents from the NDIA about 28 days later.
These are the Tribunal Documents that outline what the dispute is about and what evidence has already been provided.
They usually come in one long PDF file that can be hundreds of pages long, which can feel overwhelming — but here are a few key things to know:
🔍 Check them carefully to make sure all your reports and documents are included.
📨 If something is missing, send it to the Tribunal and the NDIA’s lawyer as soon as possible.
🔒 Keep your T-Documents safe — advocacy or legal services will often ask for them if you want to get their advice.
Understanding your T-Documents can help you prepare for the next steps in your appeal, we hope this helps with that.
Video description:
Sian wearing short sleeved black top, black and white patterned skirt and glasses, sitting on a large fig tree root with trees and dappled sunlight behind her. Title at bottom says T-Documents (Tribunal-Documents). Open captions appear middle of screen.
11/03/2026
The Voice of Queenslanders with Disability Survey is now live!
If you’re a Queenslander with disability, a family member, or a carer, this is your chance to share your experiences and help shape a more inclusive Queensland. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀.
Your insights will help inform disability policy priorities, strengthen advocacy for people with disabilities, guide sector reform, and influence decisions that impact people with disability and those who support them.
Take the survey at inclusivefutures.griffith.edu.au/vqd26
Who can complete this survey?
People with disability, carers, family members, supporters, and disability sector workers.
What happens next?
Responses will be analysed, key themes and findings will be identified, and a public report will be published in August 2026. Queenslanders with Disability Network will host community events to share the findings and discuss advocacy priorities.
11/03/2026
𝗪𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴!
Are you passionate about advocating for people with disability?
We're looking for a
👉 Paralegal - closes 5pm 11 March
👉 Human Rights Solicitor - closes 5pm 12 March
👉 Indigenous Client Services Officer - closes 5pm 17 March
If you know someone who might be interested in one of these positions share this so they can work with:
✔️An organisation committed to diversity, inclusion and human rights
✔️A friendly and supportive team where staff well-being is taken seriously
People with disability and First Nations people are encouraged to apply!
More details on Ethical Jobs here - ethicaljobs.com.au/jobs?keywords=qai
05/03/2026
If you’ve appealed an NDIS decision to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART), you might be wondering: 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁?
The tribunal process can feel confusing — especially if you’ve never been through it before. This reel walks through a 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 so you know what to expect.
While every case is different, the process often looks something like this:
➡️ 3–4 weeks after lodging your appeal
You should receive a letter from the Tribunal confirming your application.
The NDIA will send you the T-Documents (Tribunal Documents) — the evidence they are relying on. These are important, so keep that email safe.
➡️ 6-8 weeks after lodging
You’ll receive a Listing Notice with the date of your first Tribunal appointment, usually a Case Conference (sometimes a directions hearing).
➡️ First Case Conference
This usually happens around 4–6 months after you lodged your appeal and is typically held by phone or on Teams.
➡️ Gathering evidence
The Tribunal will give you time to collect reports, assessments or other evidence to support your case.
➡️ Second Case Conference
Usually 8–12 weeks after the first Case Conference, although it can sometimes take longer.
➡️ Conciliation
If the issue isn’t resolved yet, the Tribunal may list the matter for Conciliation. This is where many appeals are resolved.
➡️ Hearing
If the dispute still isn’t resolved, the final step is a Tribunal Hearing.
If a case goes all the way to a Hearing, the process can take 12 months or longer — but many appeals resolve earlier along the way.
⚠️ This timeline is 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 and everyone’s experience may be different.
If you’re going through an NDIS appeal, we hope this series helps you understand the process a bit better and makes it a little less overwhelming.
Video description:
Sian wearing black and white polka dot top and glasses, sitting in a leafy park. Title says Appeal Timeline. Open captions middle of screen. Timeline items appear and disappear on left as Sian speaks.
03/03/2026
Did you see this article yesterday?
We stand with Caitlin and Children and Young People with Disability Australia in their calls for a positive duty to be added to the Disability Discrimination Act.
This is a great article that explains what a positive duty would mean and why we need one to prevent discrimination against people with disability. Other discrimination laws already have a positive duty, it's time we gave disabled people the same rights and legal protections.
Australia's Disability Discrimination Act is decades old, with reform "well overdue". Removing the burden of proof could be the first step.
26/02/2026
We’ve had a lot of interest in this series, and we know we’re getting this one out a little later than we planned! From now one we’ll hopefully have a new one out each week (if life and other work commitments allow).
This bit was too complicated for a short reel, but if you asked the NDIA for an Internal Review of a decision and you haven’t got their decision within 90 days, you can lodge an application at the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) because the law says if there is no decision within 90 days, it is assumed the NDIA have refused your request to change the original plan or access decision. In this case you need to show the ART that you did make a request for the Internal Review and attach your original decision (your plan or an Access Not Met decision).
If you are out of time for lodging and there are exceptional reasons why, then you can still lodge the application, and the tribunal will decide whether to accept your application outside the 28-time frame.
Like Sian said, you can withdraw your appeal at any time, but we do recommend you try and get some advice from Legal Aid or another legal or advocacy service before you withdraw, so you are making an informed decision.
Last week we met with Amanda Camm MP Queensland Minister for Families, Seniors and Disability Services and Minister for Child Safety and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence.
We discussed:
👉 Thriving kids and NDIS reform to best support Queenslanders, especially in regional areas
👉 The impacts of Domestic and Family Violence on people with disability
👉 Funding for advocacy to support Queenslanders with a disability when they need it most
Later that week when talking about Thriving Kids in Parliament, Minister Camm mentioned our meeting and called QAI an “advocacy organisation that are leading the charge in supporting vulnerable families”.
We appreciated Minister Camm taking time to meet with us to talk about how to improve the lives of Queenslanders with disability.
Address
QAI, 2nd Floor, South Central 43 Peel Street (Cnr Merivale Street) Brisbane, QLD 4101
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QAI's mission is to promote, protect and defend, through advocacy, the fundamental needs and rights and lives of the most vulnerable people with disability in Queensland. QAI does this by engaging in systems advocacy work - through campaigns directed to attitudinal, law policy and practice change, and by supporting the development of a range of advocacy initiatives in this State.
QAI also provides individual legal advocacy in support of persons whose disability is at the centre of their legal issue. This is done by way of advice or advocacy within the limitations of QAI's resources.
Other individual advocacy is provided for people engaged in the criminal justice system through our Justice Support Program.
The NDIS Appeals advocates prioritise their work with people who are unhappy about decisions made by the NDIA who need assistance with Appeals to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. They also assist where possible with people who wish to apply for an Internal Reviews.
NDIS advocates also provide advocacy and assistance to people who require Decision Support to access the NDIS.
All of our services experience VERY HIGH DEMAND and assistance is prioritise to those who are most vulnerable, have highest need, and can only be offered within the constraints of our limited resources.
This Page is a place for the posting and sharing of Issues, News, Updates, and Items of Interest for people with disability, their families supporters and allies in the disability and legal sector.
Call to Action on systemic issues - join QAI in being the change you want to have.
