Welcome

Welcome to this 8th edition of the Fix NDIS Campaign Newsletter. Our aim to to get several people from the disability community elected to the next federal parliament to Fix NDIS. No-one else is going to do it for us, so we will do it ourselves. Subscribe. Keep informed. Become involved.

Fix NDIS

Millions of Australians are deeply disappointed with the way NDIS has been botched as an important social reform. It was intended to personalise supports for people with disabilities through individual budgets to purchase supports to suit each individual so we can all take our place in society.

In fact, NDIS has become a big bureaucracy that people with disabilities have to fight to get the support we need. Its costs have blown out through mismanagement and refusal to heed the advice of thousands of Australians who want NDIS to succeed.

“The NDIS reforms are a masterclass in how not to reform a system. By concentrating power, eroding procedural fairness, and dismissing legitimate concerns, the government risks turning a vital support system into a bureaucratic nightmare. If the goal was to create a system that fosters distrust, fear, and disempowerment, then bravo—they’ve hit the nail on the head.” Renee Fisher, Democracy First Candidate for Isaacs.

It has become clear that both the Albanese Government and the Dutton Coalition have no idea how to Fix NDIS. In fact, they have colluded in a flawed attempt at reform which will mean more bureaucracy, more heavy-handed regulation, more waste of money, and less self-determination for people with disabilities.

The disability community has lost trust in our politicians. They have failed us.

To Fix NDIS we will need to elect our own people to federal parliament to use their leverage to get it right.

Profile | Kelly Dick for Richmond

Kelly Dick is a parent, lawyer and community leader in Tweed Heads. She is our Democracy First candidate for Richmond in northern NSW, including Byron Bay and Ballina.

In Richmond in 2022, only 51% of voters chose Labor or National. The other 49% voted for Others. Unfortunately, there was no mainstream centrist candidate in the field last time, so the 2nd and 3rd preferences of minor party and Independent voters went back to Labor (who won the seat) and National.

This time, Richmond can be won by Kelly Dick as a centrist community candidate. This is what happened in the seat of Fowler in Sydney's West in 2022, where Dai Lai won the seat as a centrist. Dai polled 28%, behind Labor candidate Kristina Kenneally with 40%, with the Liberals on 16%. Minor party voters gave their 2nd and 3rd preference to Dai Le, as did the Lib voters, which meant their votes were added to Dai's, overtaking Labor to win the seat.

When a centrist candidate in the middle of the field wins the preferences of minor party and independent voters, they can leapfrog the weaker of the major parties, and win the seat.

"My name is Kelly Dick, and I am a proud neurodivergent individual and a dedicated parent and carer of a child with a disability. I have had a front row seat to the rollout of the NDIS as an end user. This lived experience has equipped me with a deep and thorough understanding of the challenges faced by families with disabilities.

I have actively contributed to my community by serving on boards of early childhood intervention centres and women's health organisations. In these roles, I have worked collaboratively with diverse stakeholders to promote inclusion and support for those with disabilities and their families.

In addition to my advocacy work, I have a strong passion for nature, wilderness, and deep ecology. I believe in the importance of connecting with our environment and fostering a sustainable relationship with the natural world. My love for local amateur sport and the arts also drives my commitment to bringing people together and enriching the lives of all of us.

I have been a land owner, a homeowner, a renter and a member of a multiple occupancy (MO) in this region. I have experienced fire, flood and drought. I have planted trees everywhere that I have lived.

My professional background includes a foundational education in law, which enables me to navigate complex policy environments and advocate effectively for the rights of families with disabilities. I am dedicated to creating environments where families can access the resources and support they need to thrive, and my experiences have equipped me with strong interpersonal and leadership skills that facilitate building meaningful relationships and driving impactful change."

Profile | Sarah Weinstock for Macnamara

Sarah Weinstein is a registered nurse and midwife, and parent of three children with autism.She is our Democracy First candidate for Macnamara in Melbourne, including South Melbourne, St Kilda and Caulfield.

Sarah is President of the Autism Family Support Network in Victoria. She works to get government support agencies to recognise families with members with disabilities as a social unit that needs support as a social unit in functioning adequately. Unfortunately, governments tend to recognise only individuals and treat them as detached individuals living in a social vacuum. This is costly, inefficient, and counter-productive.

As a nurse, Sarah worked with people with dementia and Alzheimer's in aged care settings. Then when she had three children with autism, her marriage ended and she spent a year in homelessness in 2011. Since then she has worked casually in nursing and running pre-birth parenting classes.

She volunteers as a Consumer Adviser with Merri Health Care.

Sarah is an active member of Melbourne's Jewish community, and lives in Caulfield.

Profile | Monique Jeremiah for Moncrieff

Monique Jeremiah is an entrepreneur and founder of Diversity Models, a modelling agency for people with disabilities, older people and people from multicultural backgrounds. Moncrieff is on the Gold Coast and comprises Surfers Paradise and Carrara.

"I am Monique Jeremiah and a proud Gold Coaster over the last 28 years. I am delighted to run for Democracy First for the seat of Moncreiff.

I’m an entrepreneur by heart and a practical ex-business teacher by trade who founded Australia’s very 1st and most ground-breaking modelling agency for people with disabilities, multiculturalism and mature aged.

As a leader I am passionate about innovation, diversity, family and my community. I daringly lead the country’s very first NDIS registered provider of its kind. I use my business experience, media skills and influence to facilitate change, educate industries on new possibilities for disabilities, open minds and improve the NDIS sector.

I am running for Democracy First because we need a movement like this to renovate government. No-one else is going to do it. I am a highly socially driven business woman who is realistic and people focused and I value relationships over systems and power plays."

What We Believe

1. Everyone matters and is entitled to a say, but most of us have been denied a voice. We feel disillusioned with politics and disappointed with our governments.

2. Politicians from Labor and Coalition parties think disability and NDIS are worthy enough BUT they think they know best and will continue to deliver what they decide is appropriate, no matter what anyone else in the community might think, and no matter that this negates the idea of ‘co-design’.

3. Political representatives should be facilitators of community discussion, participation, adult education, development of local solutions, and be 100% accountable to local people.

4. We don’t want career politicians. We want people who are pioneers, innovators, listeners, leaders and change makers.

There should be a maximum of 3 terms for politicians, then back to your day job so someone else can be a representative.

5. People in the disability community value persons and relationships ahead of systems and bureaucracy. We value stable connections and personal contact. We are wary of Big Business and Big Government. We want bureaucracy kept to a minimum and we want creativity and initiative to flourish.

6. We will create a Local Solutions Hub in each electorate to generate better ways of doing things in community inclusion, family support, small business support, local job-creation, support for ageing people, local power generation and carbon sequestration, healthy living and illness-prevention.

7. Every government agency and department should have an Independent Panel of Citizens to monitor and scrutinise spending with the aim of eliminating waste, duplication and rorts.

8. Our representatives have an obligation to consult with colleagues and their voters, and vote accordingly in Parliament, upholding the spirit of this What We Believe statement. At the end of the day, our MPs have a right to vote in accordance with their conscience on every matter.

Enquiries: Vern Hughes 0425 722 890 vern@democracyfirst.org.au