While the National Disability Strategy provides a good framework for taking action to implement obligations under the CRPD, civil society organisations of people with disability, advocacy groups and other human rights organisations are dissatisfied with the lack of consultation and meaningful engagement in the process of implementation and monitoring of the strategy. Australia has failed to address its obligations under Article 4.3 to put in place effective and robust mechanisms for consultation, engagement and representation of people with disability in implementation and monitoring of the NDS and NDIS (See also Articles 29 and 33 for further discussion).
The NDS was developed following comprehensive consultation with people with disability and their representative organisations as well as other key civil society organisations. However, meaningful engagement has not been maintained for the development of the NDS and for the preparation of the NDS implementation plan. The design and implementation process for the NDIS is also being undertaken without effective mechanisms for meaningful engagement of people with disability through their representative organisations.
