GCDA in Nerang, Queensland, Australia | Non-profit organisation

GCDA

Locality: Nerang, Queensland, Australia

Phone: +61 7 5564 0355

Address: Shop 6 18 Ferry Street 4211 Nerang, QLD, Australia

Website: http://www.gca.org.au

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• Non-profit organisation
• Community organisation
• Social service

25.01.2022 This year an unusual double entry was selected as an Archibald Prize finalist - Ernest Brothers, by artists Digby Webster and Neil Tomkins. We were lucky enough to have Digby walk us through his process and take us on a visit to see his work at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. #IDPwD

25.01.2022 We have a GCDA baby! Congratulations to our advocate Jessica and her partner Steven on the birth of their beautiful daughter.

25.01.2022 QCIE values the input from our community of families. You are invited to contribute your experiences to the QCIE submission. Due date for contributions: 18th N...ovember, 2019. Image description: There is a white panel on the right hand side of the page. The QCIE logo is at the bottom of the page. Text reads: Queensland Collective for Inclusive Education will be making a submission to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability. QCIE members Sue Tape and Deb Haller will be writing QCIE’s submission. Please send your personal contribution to [email protected] A white speech bubble is on a dark blue background on the left hand side. The text inside the speech bubble reads: Suspensions. Suspension is a disciplinary measure that requires students to stay away from school for a set period of time due to inappropriate behaviour. Has your child with a disability been suspended from a Queensland school? Was this fair? QCIE would like to hear from you.

24.01.2022 The GCDA office will be closed from Thursday 24th December and will re-open on Monday 4th January. Our Board and staff wish you a safe and happy Christmas and we look forward to what 2021 will bring.

24.01.2022 **EMERGENCY POST** Queensland Government funding for Disability Advocacy runs out on 30th June. This would mean the end of GCDA and other valuable independent advocacy organisations in Queensland. PLEASE STAND WITH US - follow the links below to sign the petition and join us at the rally. Please then SHARE this information to all of your networks. It is vital that we secure a commitment from the Government to continue to fund us.

22.01.2022 Important update regarding personal protective gear and equipment: We have been asked lots of questions about equipment and gear over the last few days. This mo...rning the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission sent out an update to all NDIS providers regarding gear and equipment. It contains important information about: when workers should self isolate where to find training on infection control for workers who should wear personal protective gear where providers and workers can get gear from This information is relevant to both providers and people who employ their own workers. You can read the full update here - http://createsend.com/t/t-350D29C13172277C2540EF23F30FEDED Or on the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission website - https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au//coronavirus-covid-19-in While these updates are for providers, we think it is important information that people with disability and their families should know too. So we will keep letting you know when these updates come out. Stay safe everyone xx (Image description: A picture of a blue medical mask and gloves)

22.01.2022 COVID-19 UPDATE To make it easier for you to stay at home, or self-isolate, during COVID-19, we’re exte...nding the services available through Home Assist Secure. If you have any urgent home maintenance requirements or need to go out to get supplies, get in touch with your nearest Home Assist Secure service. To find out more, visit bit.ly/QldHomeAssistSecure STAY INFORMED: If you are concerned about your health call 13 QHEALTH or www.health.qld.gov.au/coronavirus If you need help with housing, call 13 QGOV or www.qld.gov.au/housing

21.01.2022 Vale Robert Holden. Today we farewell our longstanding member and friend Robert Holden. Robert was a great supporter of GCDA and regularly attended our AGM where he made valued input. He was a friend to many and actively maintained his friendships - always checking in with people and keeping us informed about what was happening on the Gold Coast. When he was unwell he handled it with his trademark quiet dignity and strength. We will miss you Robert.

20.01.2022 Congratulations to this family. It is a disgrace that they had to prove that their son would not be a burden on the system and that he has a lot to offer the country.

16.01.2022 Good Morning everyone! As most of you know our lovely little bakery has closed down and we are onto bigger things! We have our new venue; "The Opportunities Hub..." based in Southport. While we do not have a Cafe or retail front anymore, we are busy making meals for the less fortunate as apart of our program and we have been super busy! We will be closing down the 6729 Facebook and Instagram pages as of next week so please continue to follow our journey on Active Opportunites facebook page & Instagram Page @Activeopportunities See more

15.01.2022 We need your help! We know how hard it is to keep track of everything that is going on at the moment. But there is an important review happening at the moment a...bout accessible housing. And they need to hear from you. The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) has recently issued a Consultation Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) about accessible housing. Phew that is a mouthful. Basically the report looks at the benefits of accessible housing as well as the costs. Unfortunately it concludes the costs outweigh the benefits. So they are suggesting that the building code stays as it is and stays voluntary - instead of introducing legislation to make minimum standards for accessible housing compulsory. The folks at Melbourne Uni reckon the report does not take into account the views of people with disability and what they have to say about accessible housing. So they have come up with a short survey to try and capture those views. It is relevant to both people with disability and older Australians. The survey takes between 10 mins and 30 mins to complete depending how much you want to say. But you have to get your skates on because the survey closes August 26. You can find a copy of the report here - https://www.abcb.gov.au//Regulation-Analy/Consultation-RIS You can find a copy of the survey here - https://melbourneuni.au1.qualtrics.com//form/SV_ai6nqENSX9 (Image description: a photo showing a terrible access fail... exactly the kind of thing none of us want to see. It shows a small open outdoor lift, below a much higher front or back door. But the lift is on top of a chunky new slab of concrete - instead of on the same level as the ground, making it completely unusable for wheelchair users).

14.01.2022 In their none GCDA lives - our staff volunteer at this program which ensures that players with a disability have membership of a mainstream club and enjoy all of the support and banter that goes with that. Sunday was their end of Season Presentation. It was a great opportunity to recognise the achievements of our players and of course eat a mountain of pizza, chips and cake.

14.01.2022 Great news from the Queensland Government with a commitment to continue advocacy funding for 2 Years. I am sure that the Stand With Me campaign and all of the support that we received helped to get this over the line!

14.01.2022 Covid 19. To both protect GCDA staff and everybody that we come into contact with we will be limiting face to face service delivery until further notice. We are fortunate to be able to work from our homes and still have access to phone, emails, messenger etc so hopefully any disruption will be minimal. GCDA Staff and Board Members wish all of our members and allies the best during this period.

13.01.2022 Gold Coast Disability Advocacy invites you to our 23rd AGM.

11.01.2022 There is now a hotline for vulnerable Queenslanders who can't organise the delivery of essential food and medications while in home quarantine as a result of COVID-19. If you need assistance please call Community Recovery Hotline 1800 173 349 Please note: This is a QLD govt initiative- we are simply sharing the information

11.01.2022 CHECK THIS OUT - PLEASE SHARE Not everyone has a place to go for Christmas

10.01.2022 Have you had your say? The Department of Social Services is creating The Disability Gateway. This is a website with key information that will assist people with... disability and their family, friends and carers to access the support they need. They are asking for feedback on how the final version of their website should look. You can take the 5 minute survey and tell them what you think by clicking here https://bit.ly/3nCfFoj

10.01.2022 COVID-19 Update In consideration of Public Health measures to slow the spread and impact of this virus, particularly amongst vulnerable people GCDA’s premises remain closed to visitors. We are still here to work with people in need of advocacy and this is currently being done through a combination of remote working, telephone, email, internet and occasionally meeting in open spaces (where possible). This of course brings challenges but we are very grateful for the flexibility of our staff and the understanding of the people that we work with to ensure that vigorous and productive advocacy continues.

10.01.2022 Today this email went to all NDIS providers from the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. While it is for providers we think it is important that people with... disability and their families have this information too. CORONAVIRUS INFORMATION FOR PROVIDERS - 17 March 2020 It is important that providers and workers follow the Chief Medical Officer’s advice on hygiene and infection control and take all necessary precautions to protect the people you support and your workforce from infection with COVID-19. Today the Australian Government Department of Health has made available a 30-minute online training module for all support workers across all sectors. The module covers the fundamentals of infection prevention and control for COVID-19 including: - COVID-19 what is it? - Signs and symptoms - Keeping safe protecting yourself and others - Myth busting. At the end of this training module, you should be able to: understand the basics about the COVID-19 virus, including: - how it is spread - describe what you can do to protect the people you support and your workforce - know what to do if the person you are supporting develops symptoms - know what to do if you develop symptoms - tell the difference between myths and facts of COVID-19. The NDIS Commission continues to make information available for all providers via a dedicated COVID-19 page on our website. You can find a copy of this information here - http://createsend.com/t/t-56EF6FD4BE34604D2540EF23F30FEDED You can find the online training module here - https://covid-19training.com.au/login.php You can find the Quality and Safeguards Coronavirus webpage here - https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/new/provider-newsletters We will add this information to our own webpage as well - https://everyaustraliancounts.com.au/emergency-information/ And just a reminder that there is another online FREE module for workers here - https://training.disabilityservicesconsulting.com.au//infe (Image description: A picture of the front of the website containing the online training module. It features a place to log in, a picture of the Australian Government Department of Health Logo and a picture of a blue virus on a green background. The text reads "Covid Infection Control Training" in white letters)

10.01.2022 We’ve made some updates to this page on our website: dana.org.au/covid-19-disability-resources/ Let us know what useful resources you’ve found!

09.01.2022 Nerang Neighbourhood Centre has re-opened its doors which means our Employment Guru Wayne is also back to assist job seekers get into work! Don't be put off by ...the job layoffs due to Covid19 - there has actually been an increase in vacancies, which means great news for YOU!! We can help with creating a resume, interview skills, job search and vacancy applications. The Centre also has funds available for interview clothing, fuel cards, licenses, tickets - basically anything that will assist you to get into employment. So if you are 16 to 24 years old and not receiving Centrelink payments, please give Wayne a call to see what we can do to get you working!! Ph: 0491 148 185 Hours: 9am - 3pm

08.01.2022 Here's some helpful info because we are going to be closed until Monday 6 January 2020. 1 Crisis numbers 2 Those places doing Christmas meals/food 3 ...11 pages of all the agencies on the GC who do food aid Be safe! Be kind to one another! Merry Christmas!!

08.01.2022 Don't forget to register for the National Youth Disability Summit... It's a free online conference for young people with disability - running from September 29 ...to October 3. "It's about creating a platform for young leaders to pave the way for social change. "It's about coming together to address some of the toughest social challenges today, so that we can shape a better tomorrow." Help Mel and the rest of the Summit Co-Design Committee at Children and Young People with Disability Australia find the next generation of change-makers! Find out more and register from https://www.cydayouth.events/ (Image description: Photo of a young woman using a wheelchair. The text reads "I am so excited about this summit because it is truly youth led. It's designed by young people with disability for young people with disability" Mel Tran, Chair, Co-Design Committee. NYDS - National Youth Disability Summit.")

08.01.2022 Breaking news out of the NDIS this morning ... The NDIA have released the Price Guide and Support Catalogue for 2020-2021. This guide will be effective from Jul...y 1 this year. As always there is a lot to look at but a few things jump out straight away: The Fair Work Commission has not yet made a decision on the minimum wage. This will happen sometime in June. This will affect the NDIS prices - so an updated guide should be released sometime before the end of June. So keep an eye out. Participant plans will automatically be increased to cover the increase in prices. (But note - NOT the 10% loading that has been added due to COVID-19) There are some new line items to help people with a psychosocial disability, including the introduction of new Psychosocial Recovery Coaches. There are also some new line items to cover Individualised Living Options (ILO is NDIS-speak for anyone looking to do something innovative or interesting with their accommodation and support). There are more line items covering people looking to get into work. The guide has a new look which hopefully makes things easier to find. The NDIA have also released the results of their annual review into prices. Some of you contributed to this review so may want to take a quick look. You can find the news item about the guide here - https://www.ndis.gov.au//4835-delivering-ndis-annual-price You can find the new price guide and support catalogue here - https://www.ndis.gov.au/providers/price-guides-and-pricing You can find the results of the annual price review here - https://www.ndis.gov.au//price-guides-/annual-price-review UPDATE: We have a quick explainer on our website. We have waded through the detail so you don't have to - https://everyaustraliancounts.com.au/ndis-prices-the-good-/ #NDISMakeItWork (Image description: A red rectangle with the words "Breaking News" in white capital letters. Underneath the words you can see the Every Australian Counts logo and the words "NDIS: Make It Work)

08.01.2022 The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission have put out a new Coronavirus fact sheet for participants. It covers a bit about what your providers should be doin...g for you now - and how to make a complaint or get in touch if you're not happy with your service. Providers MUST follow the rules from the Commission. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission are putting out a lot of information and training for providers at the moment - but it is all really good for participants and families to be informed too so that you know what your rights are. Anyone with questions about services should check out their coronavirus info page at https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au//coronavirus-covid-19-in The fact sheet for participants is at https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/document/1976 (Image descriptions: Screenshots of page 1 and 2 of the fact sheet. Each photo has a full transcript of the content)

07.01.2022 Spinal Life wants people with disability to complete a survey developed by the Melbourne Disability Institute, to influence the Commonwealth Government, this survey is confidential. Have you ever had trouble finding accessible housing? BIG challenges require big solutions. Systemic failings require systemic change.. There is not enough accessible housing in Australia because construction of accessible housing is not mandatory.... The Commonwealth Government is considering making it mandatory RIGHT NOW. This is your once in a generation chance to have your say. It takes 20 minutes. PLEASE take the time to complete the survey and convince the Government to improve accessibility in residential dwellings for everyone.. https://melbourneuni.au1.qualtrics.com//form/SV_eFHJIBaIPd

06.01.2022 "...we need more funding for advocacy, both systemic and individual advocacy... I am aware that many advocacy organisations have closed books and some of them h...ave even closed their waiting list. I think in the middle of a global pandemic when people urgently need help, that isn't acceptable." - Kirsten Deane, Every Australian Counts (At the Disability Royal Commission hearing on the experiences of people with disability during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic) #DisabilityRC #COVID19au #DisabilityAdvocacy See more

04.01.2022 Flexibility in the NDIS. It's finally starting to happen. Just in case you missed it - last month the NDIA introduced a small but important change to the IT sys...tem. The change allowed people to use their core funds across ALL core categories. No need to ask for a review just to move funds around. But the change was only made for participants who were plan or Agency managed. Well on the weekend they have made the same change for self managers. That means EVERYONE can now use their core funds in the way that works best for them. No more need for buckets ... If you want to read more on the NDIS website you can find it here (just look for the questions dated June 15) - https://www.ndis.gov.au//participants-co/using-your-budget We have explained what it all means on our website. With much less jargon. You can find it here - https://everyaustraliancounts.com.au/flexibility-and-the-n/ #NDISMakeItWork (Image description: A photo of five colourful buckets. Two buckets are sitting on top of the other three. The colours are orange, light blue, mid blue, red and green)

04.01.2022 Apologies - our phone system is down as we transition to NBN. We are working on it! If you need to contact please email [email protected].

03.01.2022 Today Ren and Kay were pleased to welcome Nikki Boyd MP - QLD Assistant Minister for Health. We spoke about the work of GCDA and the need for rigorous independent advocacy in both the Health and Disability sectors and the concern around funding of this advocacy past 2021.

03.01.2022 WWILD is running a 2 day FREE workshop for women with disability that will focus on safety and rights within relationships and organisations and information about violence and skills to to access safety. Participants will be given a $50 gift voucher for their time. Please see the flyer for details.

02.01.2022 The CEO of the NDIA Martin Hoffman has just released an open letter to all NDIS participants. The letter is about the planned introduction of compulsory assessm...ents for every single new and existing NDIS participant. The letter does not contain any new information about the assessments. Nor does it address some of the key questions we have all been emailing the Minister. The letter has been released ahead of Mr Hoffman giving evidence to the Joint Standing Committee into the NDIS this afternoon. You can read the letter on the NDIS website - https://www.ndis.gov.au//5356-improving-national-disabilit There is an Easy Read version of the letter - https://www.ndis.gov.au//5356-improving-national-disabilit And if you haven't already, there is still time to email the Minister. You can draft your own letter or use ours. You can find everything on our website - https://everyaustraliancounts.com.au/questions-for-ministe/ #NDISMakeItWork (Image description: A picture of a clipboard. There is a questionnaire on the clipboard. The NDIS logo can be seen at the top of the questionnaire )

02.01.2022 Struggling to pay your energy bills because of COVID-19? If you are struggling to pay your energy bills as a result of COVID-19, contact your energy provider as soon as possible to get help. COVID-19 has financially affected many households and small businesses across Australia. ... Many people are or will be affected by dramatic changes to their lives, businesses, income and working arrangements, and those of their friends, families and communities. As a result their energy use and ability to pay their bills could be affected. Others may be staying at home or working from home for extended periods which is leading to much bigger energy bills that they may not be able to afford. Help is available contact the company that sends you your energy bill. Your energy provider can offer you a range of assistance including giving you more time to pay your bill by way of a payment extension, which may include a period in which no payment is made. They might offer you the option of paying your bill in regular, more affordable instalments. If you are in contact with your energy provider you should not get disconnected. You can also ask your financial counsellor or other authorised representative to contact your retailer on your behalf. If you’ve had a change in income, let your energy provider know as you may now be eligible for a concession or rebate on your bill. So if you’re experiencing financial stress, contact your energy provider as soon as possible to discuss your options. Getting help early can mean you can avoid being disconnected and make a plan to get on top of your bills once you are back on track. For more information, visit the Australian Energy Regulator website at www.aer.gov.au/consumers/COVID-19. If you are experiencing higher bills and want to make sure you are on the best plan, visit Energy Made Easy at www.energymadeeasy.gov.au.