About disability service plans

Purpose of disability service plans

The Disability Services Act (Qld) 2006 (the Act) provides a foundation for promoting the rights of Queenslanders with disability, increasing their wellbeing and encouraging their participation in community life. This legislation requires all Queensland Government agencies to develop and implement a disability service plan. Disability service plans ensure each agency meets the Act’s human rights and service delivery principles, and the government’s policies for people with disability. These plans aim to improve access to services across government for people with disability, including more coordinated responses.

Context

All Abilities Queensland: opportunities for all (Queensland State Disability Plan 2017–2020) sets a vision of ‘opportunities for all Queenslanders’ across five priority areas: (1) communities for all, (2) lifelong learning, (3) employment, (4) everyday services, and (5) leadership and participation to guide action by the Queensland Government and encourage others to act to bring this plan to life.

Disability service plans and the state disability plan align with, and will deliver on, Queensland’s commitments under the National Disability Strategy 2010–2020 (NDS) and its second implementation plan, Driving Action 2015–2018. The NDS represents a unified approach by all governments in Australia and the Australian Local Government Association to work together with business and the community towards the vision of an inclusive Australia.

Disability service plans and the state disability plan also complement the Queensland transition to the NDIS, with full implementation by 2019. These plans include actions the Queensland Government will take to support the transition and to ensure mainstream services are responsive and accessible to all Queenslanders with disability.

Additionally, disability service plans and the state disability plan contribute to meeting the Queensland Government’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (the Convention). The Convention, ratified by Australia on 17 July 2008, obligates all governments in Australia to work towards promoting, protecting and ensuring the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disability and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.

DPC and PSC are committed to:

• ensuring Queenslanders with disability have the same opportunity to access our services, facilities and systems as all other Queenslanders
• meeting our workforce target of six per cent for people with disability by 2022
• respecting and advancing the needs of families, carers and advocates of people with disability
• providing safe, accessible services appropriate to the needs of Queenslanders with disability
• progressing a coordinated and consultative whole‑of‑government approach to the delivery of disability services in Queensland
• working across other state government agencies and with the federal government to successfully deliver the NDIS for Queensland.

Monitoring and reporting

The department will report annually on the implementation of the Disability Service Plan through a yearly progress report.

Information from the annual progress reports on the disability service plan and the state disability plan will also be shared with federal and other state and territory governments as part of reporting on Queensland’s commitment to the NDS.

For more information

For more information about our Disability Service Plan, contact Human Resource Services on (07) 3003 9432 or allvoices@premiers.qld.gov.au

Other languages and formats

The Queensland Government is committed to providing accessible services to Queenslanders from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. If you need an interpreter, please contact the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 131 450.

We will provide alternative formats (including large print) on request. If you would like an alternative format, please contact us on (07) 3003 9432 or email allvoices@premiers.qld.gov.au.

If you use a telephone, typewriter or a computer with a modem, please call the National Relay Service on 133 667 (TTY/voice calls) or 1300 555 727 (speak and listen).