AUSTRALIAN BLINDNESS FORUM and NATIONAL DISABILITY SERVICES ABF/NDS UPDATE May 2010 Contents 1. News from ABF,  Members and Associates 2. Feature Item: The Henry Review – What’s All the Fuss About? 3. ABF Committee News 4. Other Information and Sector News 5. NDS Events and News 6. Other National Events 7. Continuing Professional Education 8. International News and Events 9. Calls for Abstracts 10. Notable Quotes - End Notes 1. NEWS FROM THE ABF, MEMBERS AND ASSOCIATES - Introducing the New ABF Policy Officer Annemarie Ashton commenced as the new Policy Officer for the ABF on 22 March 2010.  The new Policy Officer position replaces the role of Project Officer held by Margaret Verick, who retired in January after many years of highly valued contribution.  Annemarie is delighted to have joined NDS and ABF, having previously been an Executive Manager and Policy Advisor for a carer organisation.  She has an extensive background of many years work in communications, disability policy and advocacy.  Annemarie is also currently studying part-time to complete a Masters in Social Policy and Research at the Australian Demography and Social Research Institute, Australian National University and has an enduring interest in disability policy and social research.  Annemarie is based at the Canberra office of National Disability Services and can be reached by phone on (02) 6283 3208 or via email on annemarie.ashton@nds.org.au - ABF Overseas Aid Forum The Guide Dog Association of NSW and ACT hosted this event for ABF members on 31 March, 2010.  Representatives from 9 ABF member organisations received informative presentations from World Vision Australia, Ausaid, the World Blind Union, and Vision 2020 Australia on their work to assist people with blindness or vision impairment.  ABF members from Blind Citizens Australia, Vision Australia, the Royal Institute of Deaf and Blind Children and the RIDBC Renwick Centre shared information on their work to help other countries in the Asia Pacific Region.  Andrew Daly, Chairperson of the ABF, presented information on the ABF Equipment Recycling Scheme.  Key outcomes of the member forum included: a commitment to raise awareness of blindness and vision impairment among overseas aid organisations, initiatives to develop partnership activities with overseas aid organisations, expansion of relationships with the World Blind Union and the Vision 2020 Global Committee, introduction of a website section on ABF members who are participating in overseas activities, and expansion of the ABF Equipment Recycling Scheme.  A full report on the forum will be circulated to all ABF members. - Productivity Commission Inquiries The Government has announced two new inquiries for the Productivity Commission to undertake: * Inquiry into long-term disability care and support in Australia which will investigate potential for developing a scheme to cover those most in need, with a disability present at birth or acquired through an accident or through a health condition, but not as a result of the natural process of ageing. * Inquiry into caring for older Australians to develop options for further structural reform of the aged care system so it can meet the challenges facing it in coming decades The ABF will be preparing submissions for both inquiries and contributing on sensory policy to the NDS submissions.  Further information on both inquiries can be found at the Productivity Commission website at http://www.pc.gov.au/ - Deafblindness in Australia: Report on the 8th National Conference  Delegates from all over Australia, and as far away as Italy, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Botswana, attended this recent conference in Melbourne to consider new ideas, directions and solutions in deafblindness.  The Australian Deafblind Council (ADBC) and sponsors Able Australia provided an informative and comprehensive program to identify core issues, showcase new technology and discuss strategies for improving outcomes for people with dual sensory impairment.  The most valuable part of the conference was the emphasis on finding ways for people with deafblindness to reduce isolation and achieve greater social and economic participation.  It is clear that mainstream services, government and the community need to take time to listen to people with deafblindness to better understand how needs can be met.  As a direct result of the conference, ADBC President Sven Topp has started his own blog; which is available here http://dbaustralian.blogspot.com/   Conference proceedings will also be available soon via the ADBC website.  - CanDo4Kids has a new CEO.  Judy Curran, a former South Australian Telstra Businesswoman of the Year for Community Services, brings over 15 years of not-for-profit experience to her new role as Chief Executive Officer.  CanDo4Kids provides free assistance to children in South Australia who are deaf, blind or have a sensory impairment who need help to achieve greater levels of independence and to help them strive to achieve their full potential.  They focus on what kids ‘can do’ and help to give them the skills and confidence to experience life and enjoy the opportunities which are available to all other children. - Guide Dogs Queensland is celebrating its 50th birthday in 2010.  A host of special events have been planned for the year, including a 50th birthday concert and open day on Sunday 4 July.  Clink on this link for more information http://www.guidedogsqld.com.au/page/About_Us/News_and_Events/Guide_Dogs_Queensland_News_and_Events/Celebrating_50_years_of_service_to_Queensland - Vision Australia announces its Making a Difference Awards 2010.  From Brisbane to Geelong, and Newcastle to Western Australia, Vision Australia has recognized outstanding individuals, businesses and organizations who have shown outstanding support for people with blindness or vision impairment in their community.  The stories behind the awards make for inspirational reading, find them here on the Vision Australian website http://www.visionaustralia.org/info.aspx?page=2268 2. FEATURE ITEM: - The Henry Review – What’s All the Fuss About? The highly anticipated report from the Henry Review of Australia’s tax and transfer system was publicly released on 2 May 2010 alongside the Rudd Government’s initial response to the report.  The report entitled Australia’s Future Tax System Review contains the findings and recommendations of an expert review panel led by Dr Ken Henry, Secretary to the Treasury.  The expert panel has worked on this review since May 2008 and is comprised of members from government, academia and industry.  The report has been met with significant media coverage and debate about the Government’s response, but what will it mean for ABF members? Taxation reform is important because taxation is the architecture on which we build our infrastructure, our economy and our social welfare system.  Like any building, over time an architect’s original floor plan can have multiple extensions added, have fixtures which become out-dated, and the roof, walls and foundations can be subject to the creeping erosion induced by both time and the environment.  Similarly, the tax and transfers system has changes imposed and repairs put in place by every Federal and State/Territory budget.  It has to weather the external forces of both the domestic and global economies and the changes driven by new technologies.  It also has to effectively respond to the changing needs of the people who live within it. The vision of the Henry review is to design a system which is efficient, equitable, transparent and effective.  In considers a good taxation system to be one which: * promotes a strong and stable economy which is resilient and sustainable * has incentives to encourage workforce participation and productivity * invests in social capital development as well as physical infrastructure * supports diversity and fair treatment for those who are disadvantaged * reduces waste and the inefficiencies caused by excessive compliance costs * enhances government accountability to their citizens The final report contains 138 recommendations to support this vision, which are anticipated to raise national output by 2% to 3% over the long term. Central to the report is the reform of taxation, to be simplified into 4 main areas: 1. comprehensive personal income tax with simpler compliance 2. business income, with growth-oriented rates and base 3. broad simple taxes for private consumption 4. economic rents on natural resources and land Simplification of revenue would enable the abolition of other taxes, such as payroll tax, property transfer taxes, resource royalties, and fuel & registration taxes Transfers are those payments made by governments to support social welfare and to assist the economically disadvantaged.  Dr Jeff Harmer from FaHCSIA was a member of the Henry review panel.  His review of Australia’s pension and benefits system, the Pension Review Report (2009) available here: http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/about/publicationsarticles/corp/BudgetPAES/budget09_10/pension/Pages/PensionReviewReport.aspx The Henry review recommends the transfer system be simplified to: 1. a pension category for those who are not expected to support themselves through paid work (due to ageing, disability or caring commitments) 2. a participation category paying less than the pension but containing incentives for work to apply to people of working age who are expected to support themselves either now or in the near future  (i.e. unemployed, temporarily incapacitated, people with partial capacity to work, and primary carers of dependent children). 3. a student assistance category for people engaged in full-time study People with a disability who have a partial capacity to work (and who are not in receipt of a disability support pension) would be required to look for part-time work, but means tests adjustment/exemptions, incentives, or supplements could be used to recognise that they face higher than average costs to support their workforce participation. The Review also recommends the introduction of comprehensive means tests for all income support payments, with the retention of some current exemptions and the use of transitional arrangements to support implementation. Housing assistance has also been considered as part of the Review and reforms recommended to simplify the system of rent support for disadvantaged people and to provide incentives for development of social housing initiatives. The taxation and funding status of the Not-for-Profit (NFP) sector was also considered as part of the Henry Review.  Key recommendations involved: * establishing a National Charities Commission to monitor, regulate and provide advice to all NFPs * streamlining tax concessions and gift deductibility * retention of current income tax or GST concessions for those categories of charities currently in receipt * reconstruction of the Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) concession, to be phased out over 10 years and replaced with direct government funding * simple and efficient tax arrangements for clubs with large trading activities in gaming, catering, entertainment or hospitality. A full copy of the Henry Review report Australia’s Future Tax System Review is available via the website or a hard copy can be obtained by phoning 1800 614 133 http://taxreview.treasury.gov.au/content/Content.aspx?doc=html/pubs_reports.htm Recommendations in reviews and reports are not automatically included into government policy.  The Rudd Government has released an initial response and emphasises that this response is the first wave of reform with further initiatives to be announced as part of the Federal Budget and as their Taxation Policy when seeking a second term of government in the upcoming election.  Reforms announced to date include: * a Resource Super Profits tax * lower company tax rate (phased to 28 per cent) * small business incentives Superannuation measures unrelated to the recommendations in the Henry Report were also announced by the Government as part of their new policy initiatives. The Government has also made definitive statements that it will not make changes that harm the Not-for-Profit sector, introduce land tax or means testing for family homes, reduce indexation of the age pension, change current pension and low income concessions relating to utilities, transport and essential services, or ask the States and Territories to charge market rents to public housing tenants. Historically, previous taxation reform following a key review in Australia in the Whitlam era was implemented over a 10-20 year timetable first by the ALP and then by successive Liberal governments.   The full statement relating to Rudd Government’s initial response may be read at http://www.futuretax.gov.au/pages/default.aspx 3. ABF COMMITTEE NEWS As members are aware, the ABF has 7 separate committees that create and implement ABF Policies.  The committees are created to address specific issues that affect people who are blind or vision impaired. The committees are: * Access to Equipment * Access to Information * Access to Premises * Braille Literacy and Numeracy * Education and Children’s Services * Employment * National Vision Loss Rehabilitation Services Plan - Access to Information Committee This month’s featured committee is Access to Information.  The Committee undertakes actions to achieve the aim of the Access to Information Policy:  “That within 10 years, people who are blind or vision impaired will have the same access to information and library materials, in their preferred format, as do all Australians”.  At its last meeting on 3 February 2010, the Committee worked on information access issues including: * Electronic lodgement requirements for the Legal Deposit system at the National Library of Australia * Contact with the Disability Discrimination Commissioner regarding barriers to accessing information * Discussion on the potential for hosting a national forum on access to information Members of the Committee are: David Blyth, ABF Director (Chair) Cheryl Pascual, Blind Citizens Australia Karl Hughes, Vision Australia Dennis Moir, Royal Society for the Blind Tony Starkey, Blind Welfare Association Di Francis, Round Table Julie Rae, Vision Australia Brian Conway, Round Table Chris Laine, Guide Dogs Queensland If you would like to get involved with this Committee, please contact the Committee Chair or Annemarie Ashton via annemarie.ashton@nds.org.au or (02) 6283 3208 4. OTHER INFORMATION & SECTOR NEWS - Improving Access to Emergency Services Call Numbers Access to emergency services is expected to be made easier for people who are deaf, hearing impaired or speech impaired.  Senator Conroy, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy made the announcement at the Comms Day Summit in Sydney on 20 April.  He intends to establish an SMS emergency service for people with disabilities.  “I have asked my Department to address these implementation issues as a matter of priority,” he said.  Currently, TTY services for access to emergency services are available to people who have deafness or a hearing or speech impairment by calling 106, but this service cannot accept SMS messages.  A technical feasibility study into the provision of SMS services was conducted by the Australian Communications and Media Authority in 2009.  5. NDS EVENTS AND NEWS - Vision Impairment Program Showcased at NDS Conference.   Lauren Doughty from Guide Dogs SA.NT shared important information on developing services for people with blindness and vision impairment.  Her presentation “Independence through empowerment—a program for young vision impaired women” was delivered at the recent NDS Accommodation and Social Participation Conference 2010 at the Gold Coast on 6 to 7 May.  The conference program featured a comprehensive range of presentations by people with disabilities, people working in the disability sector and academic researchers.  Delegates at the conference included people with disabilities, family carers, service providers, government and policymakers. - Sensory Policy Presentation to NDS National Committee.  Annemarie Ashton, the new Sensory Policy Officer at NDS and Policy Officer for the ABF, presented to the NDS National Committee on Disability & Ageing at their quarterly meeting in Canberra on 10 May 2010.  The presentation focused on an overview of sensory impairment in Australia and included key summaries of data on blindness and vision impairment, deafness and hearing impairment, and deafblindness.  Information was also presented on critical issues for people with sensory disability as they age, as well as the increasing number of people who have acquired a sensory impairment as a result of the ageing process.  Impact on services and strategic sensory policy issues were also discussed.  The presentation was very well-received by members of the Committee, who also expressed their appreciation for the provision of a short paper on sensory impairment which accompanied the presentation. - Government Purchasing with Purpose Expo will be held on 1 June 2010 at the National Convention Centre in Canberra.  The Expo will allow Australian Disability Enterprises to showcase their goods and services to federal government buyers. This exciting trade fair event will raise awareness on the part of government as to the capacity of the ADE sector to support their business needs.  Join dozens of ADEs as they proudly showcase their expertise at this national event.  For further information, contact Louise Gray, NDS Disability Procurement Manager, Ph 02 6283 3213, louise.gray@nds.org.au. - Employment Forum will be held at the Hilton the Park in Melbourne on 6 and 7 September 2010. - CEO Meeting will be held in Canberra on 6 and 7 December 2010. If any ABF member is looking to raise its profile, exhibiting and advertising opportunities exist at NDS conferences. For further details, contact Julie Walton on 02 9256 3115 or julie.walton@nds.org.au. 6. OTHER NATIONAL EVENTS - 2010 Australian Braille Authority Meeting and Workshop A reminder that the 2010 Australian Braille Authority Meeting and Workshop will be held on Saturday 5 & Sunday 6 June 2010 at the Harbour View Hotel, Sydney. The ABA Annual Meeting is a unique opportunity for direct communication and collaboration between members from all sectors of the braille community in Australia. The special highlight of the 2010 meeting will be the launch of the UEB Rulebook. Registration details can be found at the Round Table web site http://www.e-bility.com/roundtable/  or by contacting Tammy Axelsen, Administrative Officer Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities Inc on 0417 101 418 or via roundtableadmn@bigpond.com   - National Deafblind Training workshops for deafblind people, carers, families, service providers and interpreters will commence in mid 2010. For more information, contact Carla Anderson at Able Australia on 1300 225 369 or via email carla.anderson@ableaustralia.org.au. - - 3rd National Disability Advocacy Conference "Strengthening Disability Advocacy – Becoming a National Force" will be held at the Hotel Realm in Canberra on 15 and 16 June 2010.  The Conference focuses on issues that have the potential to influence and shape disability advocacy practice into the future. Speakers include: The Hon Bill Shorten MP, Senator Mitch Fifield, and Senator Rachel Siewert.  For further information about the Conference or nearby accommodation options please contact the DANA Conference Secretariat on info@dana.org.au or 02 6242 5060.   7. CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION The calendar for Professional Education Courses in 2010 run by RIDBC Renwick Centre can be checked at http://www.ridbc.org.au/renwick/courses/continuinged.asp. 8. INTERNATIONALNEWS AND EVENTS - ICEVI 13th World Conference ‘Achieving Education for All Children with Visual Impairment: Strategies and Challenges’ will be held in Thailand in August 2010. There’s more information at http://www.icevi.org/13thWC/call_for_papers.html. ICEVI’s journal, The Educator, is also available on the ICEVI website at http://www.icevi.org/pdf/educator_january_2009.pdf. - Twelfth International Conference on Mobility and Transport will be held in Hong Kong from 2 to 4 June 2010. The conference theme is ‘Sustainable Transport and Travel for All’. For further information, visit http://www.transed2010.hk. - 2011 Biennial Conference of the South Pacific Educators in Vision Impairment (SPEVI) will be held in Sydney from 16  to 21 January 2011. The theme is "Unlocking Student's Potential: What's working for you?"  The program will be important for educators, vision professionals (including the allied professions), ophthalmologists, orthoptists, opticians, pediatricians, GP’s, teacher aides, agencies, parents and community groups. The Conference Flyer is at the SPEVI Homepage http://www.e-bility.com/spevi/conf2011.php for all other enquiries contact the conference organizers: All Occasions Management on 08 8125 2200 or via email at candice@aomevents.com - International Mobility Conference 2012, ‘Mobility Through the Ages, Up, Over and Down Under’ will be held in Palmerston North, New Zealand on 13 to 17 February 2012. The call for abstracts opens in February 2011 and closes 30 April 2011. To register your interest, go to http://www.imc14.com. 9. CALLS FOR ABSTRACTS - 2011 Biennial Conference of the South Pacific Educators in Vision Impairment (SPEVI). The theme is "Unlocking Student's Potential: What's working for you?"  Closing date for receipt of abstracts is Monday 3 May 2010.  Guidelines on completing abstracts are at the SPEVI Homepage http://www.e-bility.com/spevi/conf2011.php 10. NOTABLE QUOTES - Recognising Accessible Design “We must make clear that building in accessibility at the design and development stage is cost-effective, and that all of society benefits from the widespread use of accessibility features such as captioning, speech recognition, and speech output,” said US Federal Communications Commission Chairman, Julius Genachowski, announcing the recent release of Connecting America: The National Broadband Plan. - End Notes Getting more information on issues in the ABF/NDS Update: Unless otherwise stated, please contact Annemarie Ashton at annemarie.ashton@nds.org.au, phone 02 6283 3208. Reproducing information from the ABF/NDS Update: Anyone may reproduce any of the information in this Update, with appropriate acknowledgement of the source. About AUSTRALIAN BLINDNESS FORUM http://www.australianblindnessforum.org.au Australian Blindness Forum (ABF) was first formed as an unincorporated body in 1992, funded only by its members. In April 2007, the ABF became an Australian public company limited by guarantee, funded by its members and governed by a board of directors. The purpose of the ABF is to operate as a peak body representing the blindness sector for the benefit of people who are blind or vision impaired. The Project Officer (Australian Blindness Forum) is located at the ABF registered office, 33 Thesiger Court, Deakin ACT 2600 – contact Annemarie Ashton, email annemarie.ashton@nds.org.au, phone 02 6283 3208. About NATIONAL DISABILTY SERVICES http://www.nds.org.au National Disability Services (NDS) is the national industry association for disability services, representing over 650 not-for-profit organisations. Collectively, NDS’s members operate several thousand services for Australians with all types of disability. NDS’s members range in size from small support groups to large multi-service organisations, and are located in every State and Territory across Australia.