We’re rallying for increased funding for independent disability advocacy. Developmental Disability WA (DDWA) is a member of Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA), and we support the Speak Up! campaign.
NOW is the time for the Australian Government to act! But we can only convince them with YOUR help and YOUR actions.
We’re urging the Australian Government to triple funding, allocating an additional $91 million to ensure vital services can meet demand until July 2025 and beyond.
You can make a difference by emailing your local MP (member of parliament/politician) using DANA’s ACTION tool.
DDWA provides individual advocacy services, as well as systemic advocacy. We’re not funded for advocacy but it is our core purpose to support people with developmental disabilities and their families, and we take all calls.
Whilst we work in many areas, DDWA advocates have particular expertise in education, employment, recreation, guardianship, health, disability services (including NDIS) and communication disability (complex communication needs).
We want to continue supporting people with individual advocacy services. We need your help to Speak Up! and tell the Australian Government to provide funding for Independent Advocacy Support.
Join the Speak Up Campaign for Independent Advocacy!
image description: an illustrated p[icture of two hands holding up campaign sign with words written on it “Advocacy needs funding! SPEAK UP! for independent advocacy>” speakupadvocacy.com.au
Every message counts in advocating for people with developmental disabilities, who face alarming challenges due to underfunded advocacy services. With waiting lists growing and organisations on the brink of closure, now is the time to act.
By accessing the Email Your Local MP Action Tool, you can send a powerful message of support and solidarity. Together, let’s ensure no voice goes unheard and no person is left without essential support. Join us in demanding a significant funding increase for independent advocacy services.
Without a significant increase in funding for independent disability advocacy, we simply cannot do the vital work we do.
- We are urging the Australian Government to triple their funding for independent advocacy organisations who directly support people with disability.
- As a member of Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA), DDWA endorse the pre-Budget submission made on 14 November 2023 calling for $91 million of additional funding.
- Additional funding will mean independent advocacy organisations like DDWA can meet demand through to July 2025 (and hopefully, with continued funding, well into the future!).
- Without advocacy funding, people with disability will face difficulty to have their voices heard.
According to Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA):
- Every second person with a disability is being turned away due to lack of available advocates.
- Lack of advocacy support is leaving people with disability in crisis, with their supports for housing, health, and disability being at risk.
SPEAK UP! for Independent Advocacy – and make the Australian Government know that disability advocacy needs a massive funding injection.
Every message counts. And we are pushing the Speak Up! campaign to get noticed with an ACTION tool to email the Government.
Please write an email to your local MP to let them know the importance of funding independent advoacy services.
Click through to copy and paste the drafted letter – personalise it in any way you like – share it with your MP, with your networks and communities.
The disability advocacy sector is chronically underfunded and faces massive challenges from the lack of funding to service demand. Organisations are stretched to their limits:
Advocacy waiting lists are huge.
➡️ Organisations and advocates are at breaking point
➡️ Many organisations are at risk of closure
➡️ Rural and remote areas don’t get enough resources
➡️ Investing in advocacy will strengthen the rights of people with disability Help change this! Speak up!
Share the campaign messages through an email to your local MP, posts on your social media and tell your friends.
If you have a story to share about your own individual advocacy support experience, we’d love to hear about it – whether it was with DDWA’s support or the support of another like-minded organisation that was helpful. Email your advocacy stories to ddwa@ddwa.org.au.
#SpeakUp4LocalAdvocacy #SpeakUp4Advocacy #IndependentAdvocacy #AdvocacyForAll
image description: three images of three different people holding a sign promoting “Speak Up!” for independent advocacy support funding.
DDWA’s Individual Advocacy services
At Developmental Disability WA (DDWA), we’re all about people. When you come to us with a problem, we’re here to listen and understand, ready to act alongside you every step of the way.
No waiting lists, no formalities — just immediate support. Reach out to us through any means that work for you: email, in-person visits, phone calls, or social media. You don’t need a referral.
Our services are free. Because everyone deserves support, regardless of their financial situation.
Here’s where you come in. We need your help to ensure that advocacy services like ours receive the funding they need. Support the Speak Up! for Independent Advocacy campaign today.
Your voice matters. Act now to ensure that everyone has access to the support they deserve.