Consultations, Submissions and Exressions of Interest

The Productivity Commission invites public participation in an inquiry into a Long Term Essential Care and Support Scheme including:
• how it would need to be designed to make a practical difference to people with disability, their families and carers
• its costs, benefits and feasibility
• its interaction with the health, aged care, informal care, income support and injury insurance systems
• how to determine the people most in need of services, the services they should receive and service delivery
• its workforce and infrastructure impacts.

Making a submission:
To help preapre submissions, an Issues paper will soon be released to provide background information and outline the main areas where they're seeking people's views. People will also be able to respond to a Draft Report.

Key Dates:
Release of Issuess Paper - May 2010
Initial Public Hearings - June/July 2010
Initial submissions Due - End June 2010
Release Draft Report - Feb 2011
Public Hearings for Draft Report - April 2011
Second round Submissions due - April 2011
Final Report - 31 July 2011

It is strongly encouraged that everyone register their interest so that they can follow the progress of the inquiry and be notified of opportunities for participation – you will only get regular updates from the Commission if you register your interest.

This is your chance to have your say about what the future of people with a disability, their families and carers looks like in this country – and it is an opportunity not to be missed.

Further Information:
Long-term Disability Care and Support Scheme- Terms of Reference
How to make a Submission
Website: Productivity Commission Website

Registrations:
To register your interest in the inquiry contact
Roberta Bausch
Phone: (02) 6240 3221
Email: disability-support@pc.gov.au

When Tuesday 4 May, 8.45am for a 9am start-12pm
Where AMREP Seminar Room, the Alfred Hospital, 55 Commercial Road, Prahran

Alfred Health is holding a Disability Workshop at The Alfred Hospital to help them develop their Disability Action Plan.

The workshop will include Alfred Health staff but we are also looking for consumers, carers and community members to attend to provide us with feedback. The purpose of the workshop is to seek feedback around three outcome areas that the plan needs to address as follows:

1) Reducing barriers to persons with a disability accessing goods, services and facilities
2) Promoting inclusion and participation in the community of persons with a disability
3) Achieving tangible changes in attitudes and practices which discriminate against persons with a disability

Consumers, carers and community members will be reimbursed for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses to attend the workshop.

Attendees will receive an agenda before the meeting as well as a map of how to get to the Seminar room.

Further Information:
Tanya
Phone: 9076 2409

Registrations:
RSVP by 27 April to Tanya
Email email t.hendry@alfred.org au
Phone: 9076 2409

A research project is being conducted to look into the musical and mathematical skills in Asperger Syndrome. As part of the project the organisers are also interested in Vision Impairment.

The research has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee at the University of Melbourne, ensuring that the research procedures protect the safety and rights of participants at all times.

Participants will be reimbursed for public transport and taxi fares, parking permits and fuel.

Organisers would like to hear from interested people who are congenitally blind, or who have been blind since the first 3 months of life. Participants should be male, and between the ages of 18 to 30 years. It is also preferable that participants are not light sensitive.

As a volunteer participant, you will be asked to contribute approximately 4 hours of participation, divided into short sessions of 1 or 2 hours each. Participation will take place at Melbourne University.

You will be involved in activities relating to basic musical and mathematical ability, and other problem-solving activities.

There will also be three questionnaires to complete that will ask about your social activities, medical history, and any previous musical or mathematical training you might have had.

Further Information:
Loretta
Phone 0421 041 390
Email l.greco@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au