Advocacy: a year in review
Down Syndrome Australia (DSA) represents people with Down syndrome and their families. Our role is to create positive change and make sure our community is understood and included.
Over the past year, we’ve influenced legislation, government policy and community attitudes. To do this, we’ve worked closely with our member organisations, government, other disability representative organisations and the broader community.
All our work is guided by the human rights model of disability and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
As a Disability Representative Organisation (DRO), DSA leads a national consortium representing people with intellectual disability caused by chromosomal differences and their families.
We engage actively with the NDIA, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, and Department of Social Services other government bodies. This ensures our community’s voices are heard in the policies and services that affect their lives.
In 2025, we released our first supported decision-making position statement. It sets out our key recommendations and explains how supported decision-making can work across health, education, employment, banking and social security.
2024 – 25 advocacy work
Prenatal
- Released a new prenatal testing position statement. It advocates for prospective parents’ right to accurate, balanced and consistent information and psychosocial support in navigating prenatal testing and diagnosis.
- Created the DSA Consortium Prenatal Working Group to collaborate on work to improve prenatal supports and educate healthcare professionals.
Health
- Strengthened advocacy in health, including mental health, through collaboration with the Centre for Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health.
- Advocated for systemic change for people with Down syndrome navigating ageing via DSA’s Ageing Well project and partnerships with Dementia Australia and Young People in Nursing Homes Alliance.
NDIS
- Engaged with the NDIA and Ministers on major Scheme reforms to ensure they consider the needs of people with Down syndrome and their families.
- Developed submissions on Foundational Supports (General and for children), NDIS Support Rules (DRO Joint submission), and NDIS Independent Review of Pricing Art and Music Therapy,
- Participated in co-design and consultation on assessments, budgeting, workforce preparation, funding periods and supported decision-making.
Education
- Advocated for inclusive education and against discrimination in schools through submissions and letters, including Amendment to the Disability Standards for Education and the Anti-bullying Rapid Review.
- Worked with the Australian Coalition for Inclusive Education (ACIE) to update the Roadmap for Inclusive Education. We also met with education ministers’ offices and the Department of Education to progress these goals and review outcomes from the Disability Royal Commission.
Employment
- Launched the Right to Work campaign ahead of the federal election. The campaign called for phasing out the subminimum $3 an hour wage, better-funded employment programs and improvements to the Disability Support Pension.
- The campaign gathered over 10,000 petition signatures and national media coverage, including features on The Project, in The Guardian, and on national radio. DSA Employment Ambassador Charlotte Bailey was campaign spokesperson.
- Advocated to the Department of Social Services for inclusive employment and fair pay through submissions like Next steps in Supported Employment. We believe every person with intellectual disability should have skilled support to pursue open, inclusive work, find a job that suits them and be paid a fair wage.
- Worked with the Down Syndrome Victoria Advisory Network to produce this video interviewing members on what employment means to them.
Migration
- Continued our partnership with Australian Lawyers for Human Rights through the Welcoming Disability campaign. We aim to remove discriminatory barriers for people with disability seeking to migrate to Australia.
- In October 2024, we celebrated a major win: children born in Australia are now exempt from health-related visa criteria that could have made them ineligible. While this is a significant step, we continue to push for the complete removal of all discriminatory factors in migration law.