National Disability Services is the peak industry body for non-government disability services.
Its purpose is to promote and advance services for people with disability.

Ahead of the State election to be held on November 29, NDS Victoria calls on all political parties
to commit to:
1.    Boost funding to meet NDIS commitments
2.    Build a strong disability sector
3.    Make Victoria the most inclusive State
4.    Develop new housing options for people with a disability……………

This diagnosis of the problems confronting the system by the Productivity Commission is
consistent with a number of other reports and studies that indicate the unacceptably poor outcomes for people with disability confront across a range of areas, including:
•     Unemployment: In 2009, an estimated 48 per cent of Victorians aged 15 to 64 with a
disability were employed compared with 78 per cent of Victorians without a disability.
According to a report by Price Waterhouse Coopers, Australia performs very poorly in terms of
disability-related employment and poverty compared to the OECD average.
•     Poverty: Estimates of income in 2009 indicate that households including a person with a disability are over-represented (28 per cent) in the lowest household income quintile.
•     Involvement in the criminal justice system: A 2011 Victorian study found that 42% of male prisoners and 33% of female prisoners had an acquired brain injury (ABI); compared with 2% of people with an ABI in the general population. The average annual cost of supporting a person in a Victorian prison is $94,000 per annum and Victoria’s prisons face significant overcrowding.
•     Isolation: About 15% of people with disability aged 15-59 live alone compared to 6.8% of people without disability