Government urged to prioritise inclusion of people with disabilities in Australian Aid program

Stories | September 7, 2022

CBM is urging the Australian Government to re-establish Australia’s international leadership in disability inclusive development by implementing 11 critical policy recommendations, including an immediate increase in the central disability allocation. 

The recommendations were developed in collaboration with the international disability movement and with the Australian Disability & Development Consortium (ADDC), the peak representative body for the Australian international development sector on disability inclusion.

CBM welcomes the commitments to aid made by the Government in the lead-up to the election, which includes an increase of $1.052 billion to the aid program, as well as commitments to prioritise action on gender equality and climate change.

However, even with these new commitments, people with disabilities are in danger of being left behind. We urge the Government to immediately address critical issues, including recent cuts of 25% to the central disability allocation and a lapsed disability strategy.

Specifically, we call on the Government to revitalise disability inclusion in Australia’s international development program by: 

• Increasing the central disability allocation to a minimum of $14 million in the FY2022-23 budget to help restore cuts of recent years.
• Making disability inclusion a major priority in the government’s new International Development strategy.
• Providing the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) with immediate approval to continue developing a new disability inclusion and rights strategy in partnership with people with disabilities and their representative organisations. The current version of the strategy, Development For All, expired at the end of 2021.
• Establishing a Partnership for an Inclusive Pacific (PIP), a regional group of key partners to coordinate action and financial resources for increased inclusion of people with disabilities across the Pacific. 
• Boosting disability expertise in DFAT by re-instating an advisory group to the Australian Aid program, including a strong representation of diverse people with disabilities from the Asia-Pacific region.

Read the details of all 11 recommendations