Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion - QAI

10/10/2025

QAI’s NDIS Appeals team is experiencing unprecedented demand for our service and this article reflects what we are seeing.

Use your review rights if you’ve just got a new plan and your support has been cut. If you are within the 3-month period of the plan start date, ask the NDIA for an internal review (also called a section 100). Don’t ask for a reassessment or a change of circumstances. Put your request in the NDIS form and email it to enquiries@ndis.gov.au

If the NDIA don’t change their mind on the internal review. You can apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal within 28 days of your internal review decision.

Brisbane man is one of hundreds reporting devastating cuts to NDIS plans after rule changes last year

09/10/2025

🧠 Queensland Mental Health Week ends on Sunday.

But that doesn't mean your mental health should stop being a priority.

Let this be your prompt to take some time to connect, either with yourself, loved ones, your community or nature - whenever you feel the need or desire! Staying connected with the people and places that support us is always a great idea.

07/10/2025

📢 We are hiring!
We're on the look out for a solicitor to join our Human Rights team.

If you know someone who might be interested share this with them now 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

𝟱 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆.

More details on Ethical Jobs here: ethicaljobs.com.au/members/qai/solicitor-human-rights-1?keywords=qai&locations=5

02/10/2025

We will be closed for the upcoming public holiday on Monday 6 October.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming on Tuesday.

29/09/2025

📰 ‘𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗮𝘄𝗳𝘂𝗹’: 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆

Our CEO Matilda spoke to the Courier Mail about students being turned away from Brisbane private schools because of their disabilities.

“Our message to parents and kids is that discrimination is unlawful in Queensland,” Ms Alexander said.

Many parents are struggling to find a school that will enrol and support their children with disabilities, including private, public and special schools.

As a whole, our system is broken and is failing to provide kids with their right to an education. We need a national roadmap to work towards a truly inclusive education system.

Courier Mail article here
couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/neurodivergent-students-being-turned-away-from-elite-brisbane-schools/news-story/fad28cd05538617fd545a3da96f85c24

Join the campaign to Let All Kids Learn Together here bit.ly/LetAllKidsLearnTogether


ACIE Australian Coalition for Inclusive Education

24/09/2025

𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 ✍️
This is your chance to have your say and inform the government on what the new supports program for Autistic children and those with developmental delay under nine should look like.

This short survey asks about the current supports and systems, with the goal of finding out where the gaps are so they can decide how Thriving Kids can fill those gaps and add supports.

The survey will be open until 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟭𝟬 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱.

Don't miss this chance to shape the future of disability supports for kids. Go straight to the survey here - tinyurl.com/38bk5b9m

23/09/2025

Sa4i Student Alliance 4 Inclusion founders, Ruby Habib and Laura Panetta, believe every student has the right to a fully inclusive education system.

🎥 Watch their short video and join the call for change at bit.ly/LetAllKidsLearnTogether

Australia needs a National Inclusive Education Roadmap to Let All Kids Learn Together.

Video description: High school students Ruby and Laura speak to camera one-by-one, both wearing their light blue school unforms with their school library in the background. ACIE logo in top right corner and open captions at the bottom.


ACIE Australian Coalition for Inclusive Education

17/09/2025

📢 We’re hiring!

Are you passionate about supporting people with disability to uphold their rights? Are you based in Townsville or Brisbane?

We are hiring:
👉 A Disability Advocate in the Townsville area to provide individual advocacy for people in regional Queensland. The role will include travel and will have a particular focus on building and maintaining relationships with Far North Queensland’s youth detention centres to ensure young people with disability in these settings are supported and represented.
Job ad here - ethicaljobs.com.au/members/qai/disability-advocate-regional-townsville?keywords=qai

👉 A Paralegal to join the team in our Brisbane office and provide a high standard of information, referral and assessment to clients and organisations contacting QAI. We’re looking for a compassionate professional who thrives under pressure and excels in a fast-paced environment.
Job ad here - ethicaljobs.com.au/members/qai/paralegal-1?keywords=qai

Benefits include:
✅ Four weeks of annual leave per annum (pro rata) plus leave loading
✅ Salary sacrifice up to $15,900 of your base salary with option for an additional $2,600 for meals and entertainment
✅ Paid parental leave and other additional types of leave
✅ Portable long service leave – which is now standard across the sector

We encourage people with disability and First Nations people to apply as the positions would benefit from people with lived-living experiences.

11/09/2025

Last week we were part of a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) coalition that joined with the Australian Human Rights Commission to deliver our report to federal MPs on how Australia is going with implementing the international obligations we have signed up to.

As one of the three disability organisations in the coalition, QAI drafted the disability section on page 11 of the report.

We delivered the report ahead of the Universal Periodic Review which happens every 4 years for every country that has signed on to United Nations Conventions and Treaties. The purpose of these reviews is to check on how well each country is upholding their obligations and where they need to improve or make changes.

One way Australia can improve our implementation of the different obligations we have would be to pass a national Human Rights Act for Australia.

You can join or follow the campaign for an Australian Human Rights Act at humanrightsact.org.au/

Read the full NGO report here hrlc.org.au/app/uploads/2025/07/Report-UPR-2025-26-Joint-NGO-Australia-Submission.pdf

02/09/2025

What do students with disability say about why we should Let All Kids Learn Together?

"Inclusion is important because everyone deserves friends and shouldn’t be lonely. Being included at school feels like you’re with someone and have at least one friend or a group of kids and you’re not by yourself" - Student, age 15

Join our campaign today!
🔗 bit.ly/LetAllKidsLearnTogether

29/08/2025

🌈 Today is Wear It Purple Day! 🌈

This year’s theme “Bold Voices, Bright Futures” empowers LGBTQIA+ youth to dream big and be heard.

At QAI, we know that LGBTQIA+SB people with disability continue to face significant barriers when accessing advocacy. That’s why, with support from the Queensland Government, we partnered with the Queensland Council for LGBTI Health (QC) to deliver the LGBTQIA+SB Pilot Project.

Our upcoming report shares:
✨ The challenges faced by LGBTQIA+SB people with disability
✨ Insights from community voices and the advocacy sector
✨ Key findings and recommendations — including the need for a dedicated specialist advocacy service

We’re also developing a practical resource to help advocacy services become more inclusive for LGBTQIA+SB people with disability.

Together, we can build a future where every voice is heard and every future is bright. 💜

28/08/2025

𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 - 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲

Everyone needs a place to call home that meets their needs.

52 organisations representing people with disability, older people, families/carers and the disability, housing and community sectors have joined together to show their support for Queensland’s continued implementation of the Livable Housing Design Standard (LHDS) under the National Construction Code.

Accessible housing is not a luxury; it’s a basic human right for all people.

Let’s continue to build accessible homes now that meet the needs of both today and tomorrow’s Queenslanders.