In a joint media release on Friday 3 April, Ministers The Hon. Greg Hunt, Anne Ruston and Stuart Robert announced an immediate response plan to focus on the unique health needs of people with disability during coronavirus pandemic. 

NDS welcomes the focus on people with disability and the establishment of the advisory committee (the Committee) which has been asked to provide expert advice to inform the development and oversee the implementation of the Australian Health Sector Emergency Response Plan for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Management and Operational Plan for People with Disability (the Plan).  Read the Terms of Reference here.

The Committee held its first meeting on Friday 3 April and aims to deliver the Plan to the AHPCC on Thursday 9 April, for immediate action. We will be updating members on the Committee’s work as the information comes to hand.

Membership
NDS welcomes the appointment of Kerrie Stubbs, Managing Director at Northcott, an NDS Member, to the Committee.  Ms Stubbs joins:

Chair - Mr Simon Cotterell PSM, First Assistant Secretary, Primary Care Division, Australian Government Department of Health
Mr Jim Simpson, Senior Advocate, Council for Intellectual Disability and Inclusion Australia
Prof Julian Trollor, Head, Department of Developmental Disability Psychiatry, University of NSW
Prof Anne Kavanagh, Chair of Disability and Health, Melbourne Disability Institute, University of Melbourne
Dr Jacqueline Small, Paediatrician, President of the Australian Association of Developmental Disability Medicine
Dr Linda Goddard, Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Charles Sturt University School of Nursing and Midwifery
Dr Rebecca Kelly, Parent of a child with intellectual disability
Ms Kerry Stubbs, Managing Director, Northcott
Mr Jeff Smith, CEO, People with Disability Australia
Dr George Taleporos, Policy Manager, Summer Foundation
Ms Dani Fraillon, Chief Operating Officer, Get Skilled Access
Ms Jenny Martin, Director, Allied Health NSW Central Coast Local Health District
Ms Ellen Dunne, Director, Office for Disability ACT
Ms Deb Connock, National Disability Insurance Agency
Ms Samantha Taylor, NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
Dr Ben Gauntlett, Disability Discrimination Commissioner
Ms Melanie Metz, Department of Social Services