The level of income support available to people with disability in Australia is often insufficient to ensure an adequate standard of living. People with disability are more likely to reside in the poorest postcodes of Australia’s capital cities,597 and often experience a lack of access to things the community considers basic essentials.598 This stems from a number of issues, including:
the rate of the DSP payable being too low and subject to strict eligibility criteria;
disability allowances are insufficient to cover the extra cost of living with a disability;
the inadequacy of the DSP is particularly illustrated by the comments of those in supported accommodation settings or aged care facilities, where a large portion of their pension is taken by the care facility;
some government enforced accommodation options consume almost the entirety of a person’s income, leaving limited disposable income leading to an inadequate standard of living;
means testing and work requirements of social security payments reinforces poverty level living. Means testing and work requirements on concession cards and services and other allowances create a disincentive to work; and
for people in nursing homes, most of their DSP is taken by the service providers. This leaves little for other things such as outings and haircuts.599
Section 49 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) exempts insurers from full coverage of people with disability.600 This means that people with disability and their families are, in some cases, not eligible for the same income protection available to the wider community.
In 2002, just over one third of people from an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background aged 15 years or older reported a disability or long term health problem in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Survey, spread relatively evenly over remote and non-remote areas.601 However, people from an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background are underrepresented in Commonwealth services.602 The isolation of some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, especially in the Northern Territory and north Western Australia, make it difficult for them to get access to services which are predominantly located in the major population areas.
A 2008 survey noted that over half of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with a disability were receiving a government pension or allowance as their principle source of income.603
There is a lack of access to appropriate housing and urban infrastructure (including clean water and sanitation) in many remote settlements where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with disability live. Many people with disability in these communities are living in families that are also living in poverty and where there are higher rates of disease, substance abuse and domestic violence. Disability support programs and services do not effectively reach many people with disability in these remote communities or may not be flexible or compatible with cultural values and traditions.
