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What could be the reasons that prevent such essential devices from reaching the intended users; Could it be a funding issue, bottle neck in the bureaucratic process? Whatever the reason PWD in PNG rely mainly on NGOs for support.

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It really is astounding that an NDIS support service is expected to operate with zero indexation of funding for 5 years. Just think how much the cost of everything we purchase has increased over this time, let alone salary increases. Nadrasca only has a small exposure to Support Coordination and it operates at a loss but we feel it is a valuable support that we can provide to our participants to ensure their choice and control over the supports they receive. I am approached regularly by other organisations asking if we will take on their clients as they are ceasing support coordination. #4abetterNDIS #NDISReform #SupportPeopleWithDisabilities #SupportNDISregisteredproviders

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Hi folks and welcome to my Friday Reflection for 9th August 2024   Today I am writing to you from the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity (AFSE) Hub in Naarm/MEL, (University of Melbourne).   Today we celebrate the International Day for the World's Indigenous Peoples. Like many peoples around the world, we celebrate surviving and thriving as First Peoples, Nations, Tribes, Clans and communities. We represent an unbroken line from our ancestors and the oldest surviving continuous cultures on earth.   This week the AFSE program has been focused on Indigenous Leadership. We've been discussing how we navigate our modern world, how we might be more strategic with our leadership, how we incorporate our ancestral wisdoms into our governance, and thriving collectively.   Discussing Indigenous Futures we talked about how we are accessing our knowledges either consciously or subconsciously.   Here are three points and prompts for navigating our Indigenous Futures that might be useful for us all to reflect on while navigating towards our futures.   1. We Make Decisions. We are already making decisions of how to incorporate our sense of self and our cultural identity. We are making choices on our cultural practices, our priorities, our political alliances and positions, and how we present ourselves in the modern world. For example, living in a modern world city as a First Nations person, I already recognise that I am living on the lands of other peoples. I recognise it by treating the natural environment around me like I was looking after my own country and take responsibility for my actions on their lands and waters. How are my decisions impacting futures? 2. We Make Traditions. We are already making traditions by adopting new ideas and practices, adapting to new environments and constraints, and abandoning cultural practices that either no longer serve their purpose or can not be maintained. For example, hunting is a strong cultural practice among First Nations. However, living in a modern world city, I buy food and cook at home much more than I trap, hunt, fish, and gather. However, we've adapted a food sharing and serving of our elders as ongoing cultural practices related to our kinship. What traditions do I keep or change? 3. We Make Partnerships. We are already making partnerships with others in joint business ventures, with governments in policy and service delivery, and with allies at all levels to make futures possible where First Nations can flourish. Who can I partner with?   My encouragement and challenge to you is to think about your Decisions, Traditions, and the Partnerships. Are you acting consciously or subconsciously to fulfil social, work, cultural, and family expectations?   I believe if we are to make futures where people and planet thrive, and where First Nations flourish, we will need to be more intentional, purposeful, and dedicated to taking actions now to make those futures possible.   Be encouraged and encourage others.

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Economic pressures are testing a key pillar of our national identity: multiculturalism. Historically, tough economic times have often led to misplaced blame, with migrant communities often unfairly targeted. But through our work SSI, we know migrants are part of the solution, not the problem. That’s why we’re leading an advocacy coalition to Activate Australia’s Skills and reform a system blocking highly skilled migrants in Australia from positively transforming our economy.

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Women are valuable drivers of the care economy, as care work, both paid and unpaid, is essential to the fabric of our societies, yet continues to be undervalued and under-resourced. As we navigate growing populations, ageing societies, and evolving family dynamics, the demand for comprehensive care services is escalating, with women and girls around the world performing more than three-quarters of unpaid care work, while two-thirds of paid care workers are women. Care work consists of two overlapping activities: direct, personal and relational care activities, such as feeding a baby or nursing an ill partner; and indirect care activities, such as cooking and cleaning. Unpaid care work is a critical dimension of the world of work that warrants recognition, while paid care work encompasses a wide range of professions, including midwives, nurses, teachers, doctors, and personal healthcare workers, who deliver essential services yet often face low wages, limited benefits, and inadequate protections. Economies depend on care work to survive and thrive, yet gaps in care service provision and quality disproportionately impact women and girls, deepening gender inequalities in the labour market. That’s why I, alongside The Wellbeing Foundation Africa, am committed to advancing the Care Work and Care Jobs for the Future of Decent Work Report, and support the International Labour Organization’s Women at Work Centenary Initiative. Through on the ground community engagement, #WBFA ensures caregivers receive the recognition and support they deserve, by mobilising resources and fostering partnerships dedicated to improving the conditions for unpaid and paid caregivers alike, highlighting the critical contributions they make to our society. On this International Day of Care and Support, as I recognise and honour those who dedicate their lives to caregiving, let us commit to prioritising quality care work on national policy agendas. Urgent action is essential to pursue this path, fostering a future of decent work for all and laying the groundwork for a more equitable and sustainable society. #CareWork #CareEconomy #CommittedToCaring #WellbeingForAll #WellbeingEconomy

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For all the social entrepreneurs in the ACT...

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🎥 Have you seen our latest videos for the 'Speaking Up for Women' campaign? As the General Election approaches, these videos highlight the urgent need for a National Women's Fund and empower women to make their voices heard on critical issues affecting the women's sector. Let's ensure that women's rights and equality are at the forefront of the election conversation. Watch now and share widely- https://lnkd.in/eNcCCEwS #SheVotes24

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YALL- check out this amazing new resource by the fabulous Tvisha Nevatia & Sophie Namy (she/her). Some of you in the field of VAW/VAC prevention and beyond may have heard the term "practice-based learning" over the past few years. It was conceptualized by Raising Voices (so please give due credit 😊 ). This gorgeous InfoSheet unpacks what practice-based learning is and the value of elevating it in the field of violence prevention. It shares five key features of practice-based learning, ways to nurture it in programming, ideas to deepen rigor and responsibility, and addresses common misperceptions in practice-based learning. See some common myths and facts below: *Myth: Practice-based learning is anecdotal and less valuable than knowledge generated through academic enquiry. Fact: When pursued rigorously and responsibly, practice-based learning makes critical, high-quality contributions to the global knowledge base and substantially improves programming in real-time. It is equally valuable to knowledge generated through other methods and can meaningfully complement findings from research studies. *Myth: Practice-based learning is another way to describe monitoring & evaluation (M&E). Fact: While practice-based learning can include learning from M&E, it is far more expansive. It encompasses the practical know-how that comes from experience as well as a wide range of learning opportunities – through consultation, observations, reflection, feedback mechanisms, dialogue and more.

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Thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with Zat Astha as he prepares for the September issue of The Peak Singapore, which will be themed around “The Business of Philanthropy.” Zat has a way of asking questions that makes you reflect deeper on the “whys” of your work and the place of your organisation in the world today. As captured in his words, it’s not easy to explain Tri-Sector Associates' work to a passerby. In gist, we want to harness the strengths of different sectors - philanthropists, government, businesses and civil society - to work better together in solving systemic societal challenges in an aligned, structured, measurable and sustained manner. Indeed as an impact advisor, it’s easy to get lost in the details:  How do we catalyse funding into issue areas where intervention gaps exist? How do we structure collaboration models – pay-for-success or blended finance solutions – for programmes in areas such as disability employment, climate action? (And yes, it can get technical 🤓) Hopefully, my attempt to make our work more comprehensible in the upcoming article works. Thank you for the opportunity :) #philanthropy #doinggoodbetter

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This #HeartWeek2024 I'm feeling confused. We are three days into Heart Week, Australia's national heart health awareness week lead by the Heart Foundation, and I haven't seen or heard one piece of heart health awareness from the local healthcare community. Not even a social media post! How about you? Have you seen or heard any heart health/heart disease prevention messages from the local healthcare community this #HeartWeek2024? 73.7% of deaths in the North West are from coronary heart disease, ranking us number two in Victoria. We are 20% above the state average for deaths to coronary heart disease, 20%! If my observations are fair, then can you please help me understand why this is the case? I'm curious. If my observations are wrong, please correct me, better still, please show me so I can share the work they are doing because our community needs to hear this life saving message. #heartdisease #heartdiseaseawareness #heartdiseaseprevention #australiasbiggestkiller #mildura #sunraysia #mallee #heartdiseasewidow

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Grants and funding myth #10 MYTH: 'Evidence' always means academic research Reality: Funders want to see supporting evidence that your initiative is likely to work. Your evidence base may include research studies, data and statistics, and/or community consultation, testimonials and evaluations. Consider what information can best demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of your approach, so the funder can see how it is a good use of their funds. Purpose Plus #grants #grantwriting #funding #charities #nonprofits #philanthropy

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Six common mistakes made by some mainstream NGO’s when seeking to align their funded PURPOSE with local Aboriginal community's needs 1.  Lack of Meaningful Consultation Fail to involve the Aboriginal community in decision-making processes, resulting in projects that do not meet community needs or aspirations. 2.  Ignoring Community Needs Prioritise organisational agendas over understanding and addressing the specific needs and aspirations of the Aboriginal community, leading to projects that are not relevant or beneficial. 3. Neglecting Community-Driven Objectives Overlook  the importance of prioritising community-driven objectives in favor of organisational objectives, which can lead to projects that lack community support and fail to achieve desired outcomes. 4.  Surface Level Understanding of Motivations Fail  to deeply reflect on the underlying motivations driving projects in the Aboriginal space, which can result in initiatives that are driven more by organisational interests than genuine community needs. 5.  Tokenistic Engagement Engage with the Aboriginal community in a tokenistic manner, such as through superficial consultations or minimal involvement, which undermines trust and leads to projects that do not effectively serve the community. 6.  Use R'DAGED instead of GEDDAR   R'DAGED  focuses on quick, standardised solutions with minimal community input, prioritising efficiency and compliance over flexibility and adaptation. Reflection and feedback are limited, restricting responsiveness to community’s mom-identified  needs. GEDDAR approach is inclusive, flexible, and culturally sensitive, focusing on long-term impact through continuous feedback, accountability, and adaptable, community-centred solutions that empower local Aboriginal communities. PURPOSE is one of seven keys to successfully engaging, connecting and building strong and sustainable relationships with your local Aboriginal community. Are you curious about how your NGO navigates the delicate balance R'DAGED and GEDDAR ? Click on the link https://lnkd.in/gtKEzrzn and get some feedback on your current approach.

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My PhD research aimed to explore what changes to Aotearoa New Zealand’s tertiary education policies, specifically those focused on adult literacy, could promote equal access for adults with intellectual disabilities. Unfortunately, it appears that the redesign of the vocational education and training system may further exclude them from their educational pathways of choice. The reposted consultation document proposes cutting a significant proportion of Learner Component funding currently allocated to support disabled learners and others facing barriers to access. This action would contravene multiple objectives for barrier-free access outlined in the Tertiary Education Strategy and would reverse progress towards implementing Article 24.5 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which asks us to “ensure that persons with disabilities are able to access general tertiary education, vocational training, adult education, and lifelong learning without discrimination and on an equal basis with others." Adults with intellectual disabilities are frequently denied access to open-entry and foundational courses. Anecdotally, reasons include educator attitudes presupposing that these students will not complete their course, an expectation that they should only enroll in courses specifically designed for them, and support issues, with educational providers often requesting that a student bring their own 1:1 support person (where is the funding for that?). The Special Supplementary Grant and Equity Fund for Disabled Learners are already insufficient. In 2022, the Tertiary Education Commission reported that the paucity of these funds results in an "inability to provide learners identified as having an intellectual disability with regular in-class support" (p. 7). These funds have narrow parameters and underfund the current need. Any repurposing will lead to the exclusion of more adults with intellectual disabilities from lifelong learning. Please consider responding to the consultation on proposed changes to the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system, especially if you are a disabled person. Tertiary Education Commission. (2022). 2022 Equity funding for tertiary students with disabilities: Tertiary Education Institutions data reporting. https://lnkd.in/g7CJtxi2

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Kate Carnell, Violet's Chair wrote a thoughtful piece for InnovationAus.com that highlights crucial challenges in end-of-life care, underscoring the emotional and financial toll of an unprepared system. Her call for innovative policies and meaningful planning resonates deeply; without reform, Australia risks neglecting both the dignity of ageing citizens and the sustainability of its healthcare system. Kate led and championed #MentalHealth #Reform through her many years with Beyond Blue. I am so personally #grateful to have Kate's leadership focus on improving care for all Australians through the #LastStageOfLife. 👏 We are now scaling Violet to deliver lower end-of-life costs to public and private healthcare systems and reduce time, cost and complexity for a broad range of businesses -  while achieving positive health and social outcomes for people approaching the last stage of life or experiencing life-limiting conditions. If you are working in public or private #HealthCare systems, across #AgedCare, #HomeCare, #RetirementLiving, #FinancialServices or #Superannuation, Violet can help to support your customers, members and their families - whilst improving CX, EX, #processes and #productivity across your organisation. violet.org.au meetviolet.ai

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It’s no secret that quality disability service providers are struggling since this year's pricing decision, with many in crisis mode. The proposal for a tiered system of registration for disability support makes sense. But registered high quality providers need to be fairly compensated or they will face a huge financial disadvantage. Pricing that recognises the added costs of quality must be part of the new system. This is for the NDIS participants' sake too. No one wants to see vulnerable participants struggling to find decent support because high quality providers can’t afford to take them on and provide the standard of care they deserve. I wrote last year about the need for a differential pricing system for disability supports here: https://lnkd.in/gFfP8GcB #4abetterndis

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Dr Maurice King (1927-2024), BODHI's public health advisor since 1991, passed away in August 2024. My tribute to him can be read at https://lnkd.in/gky7gM3U. The BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal) has commissioned an obituary of Maurice. In addition, they plan to publish a themed issue to commemorate his life; especially the ideas of "benign uproar", "demographic entrapment" and the "Hardinian taboo". As the idea of "overshoot" (popularised by William Catton in 1980) is revived - e.g. "overshoot" of 1.5 deg C - it is also time to recognise the world is in perilous overshoot of its human cargo, with its enormous needs and the egregious greed of a tiny minority. Donald Trump was re-elected, in large part, due to the sustained and on-going vilification of people living in the US who have either entered that country without a visa, or else who over-stayed their visa. I would argue that many of these people have done so, due to a form of "overshoot" in their original nation, e.g. Honduras or Venezuela. They either wanted to escape, or don't want to go home (or both). Unfortunately, neither the incoming Trump administration, nor the outgoing Biden administration, seem able or to have been able to properly analyse what I call the four vectors of migration: "push", "pull", "glue" and "fend". The 2nd Trump administration will focus on "fend" (deterrence, including deportation) but there also needs to be much greater attention to the enhancement of "glue" (the factors that create an acceptable living standard in one's land of birth). I (and Maurice - and also the late economists Herman Daly and Joan Robinson) argue that a fundamental reason for this flawed analysis was to exploit poor populations, especially in the global South, including to depress wages in the South, enabling a higher consumption of both raw and transformed materials extracted from or manufactured in the South (e.g. tantalum from the DRC, or garments from Dhaka). Maurice further argued that the taboo on these ideas was enforced by an "unholy" coalition of neoliberal govts., the Vatican and some in the feminist movement. These ideas are also discussed, at length, in Chapters 9 and 10 of the "Climate Change and Global Health" (the 2nd edition, published 2024).

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Amidst the deeply distressing rates of violence we are discussing now, there is enormous commitment from multiple sectors and leaders for genuine generational change. We can get further if we work together. Funding for early intervention services is right now as critical as crisis response investment. There is never enough money so we need to work hard to gather our resources and be as invested in the solutions as possible. Government have responsibility, as do many sectors and households across the nation. The Allies for Children partners see first hand the impacts of DFV on children, it is a leading driver of entry into child protection. We don't want any child to be in a situation where they have to be taken from their family. We agree to continuing to support the discussions about solutions and investment being directed to preventative strategies so that children and families can be safe and at best, thrive. #domesticviolence #childprotection #collaboration

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What is the government going to do to bring excessively high public service remuneration packages into line with community expectations? AND What can the government do to stop excessively overpaid elites lecturing us about disadvantage?

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