Since the release of the findings of the Disability Royal Commission a fortnight ago, the NDS Policy and Advocacy team have been hard at work distilling the major issues for our members. Our analysis of how the report affects quality and safeguarding (in two parts: Part One and Part Two) and employment have already been released, and soon members can read our papers on home and living, and education.

I recently spent time in Mackay visiting twelve providers and taking time to understand the issues affecting them. As with many other regions in Queensland, a lack of quality workforce was high on the list. Exacerbating this situation is a lack of rental accommodation, so potential staff are put off from moving to the region because they might not find somewhere to live.

Another issue is the lack of public transport infrastructure in Mackay, which forces participants to use funds from their plans to pay for necessary travel. Even with this additional expenditure, use of plans in Mackay is around four per cent below the Queensland average.

We will be hosting several webinars over the coming weeks, including Navigating Medication Safety in Disability Services, Qld’s Regional and Remote Network meeting and our popular Fast Facts Live. You can find them all on the NDS events page.

Have a great month.