The Victorian Disability Advocacy Program helps create a safer and fairer Victoria. It helps people with disability stand up against discrimination and protect their rights.
The program provides advocacy services for people with disability, their families, and carers.
Advocacy
Advocacy helps people with disability:
- have their rights respected and be valued as members of the community
- take part in decisions that affect their lives
- share their needs and views with government, service providers and the wider community.
Disability advocacy can include:
- acting with, or making representation on behalf of, people with disability
- referrals to appropriate bodies to affect the resolution of complaints
- supporting changes to policies and practices that create fairness and equal rights.
For more information, see Disability advocacy organisations web page.
Self-advocacy
For people with disability, self-advocacy is about:
- speaking on one's own behalf
- understanding rights
- making real choices
- learning new skills.
2024-25 annual report
The Disability Royal Commission recommended that Australian, state, and territory governments establish annual reporting for advocacy programs.
Annual reporting will:
- track changes on met and unmet demand for disability advocacy
- support other disability advocacy recommendations from the Disability Royal Commission
- add to a shared national view of disability advocacy
- inform the National Disability Advocacy Framework in 2026 and beyond
- show where the funding goes and its results, in line with the framework.