Unfortunately, Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has not committed to this, and Debra will continue to fight for an NDIS. A petition, Queenslanders for NDIS, can be signed here (and anyone can sign it!)
"Imagine waking up in the morning to someone who is unable to look after themselves. Imagine doing this, all day, every day. For many adults, this is the life of a parent. Looking after your child is a full-time job. You teach them responsibility, and how to look after themselves as they grow into young adults and leave home. For some people though, the difficult but rewarding job of caring for someone you love, never ends.
One in eight Australians provide unpaid care to a family member or friend with a disability, mental illness, chronic condition or who is frail-aged. Unable to care for themselves, the stress and anxiety of what the future holds rests on the shoulders of those closest to them, who are left wondering, “Who will look after them when I’m gone?”
Debra Cottrell is the CEO of Carers Queensland Inc., a not-for-profit organisation located in 13 areas across the state providing information, respite, advocacy and support to family carers. A member of Carers Australia, the national peak body representing the diversity of carers, Carers Queensland is part of a network of eight carer associations around the country.
For more information on 'Make It Real' and an NDIS, visit the Every Australian Counts website.With a background in social and community services, Debra’s experience and knowledge is extensive. At just 15, she finished school and began working at the Commonwealth Bank. She did not find it particularly rewarding and in search of something more fulfilling, Debra tried a variety of job paths, before being offered what she considers the first job that shaped her future working career: the opportunity to work in a domestic violence unit as a welfare worker. Debra says that her work as the coordinator of the unit, as well as others at the Ministry of Housing and Community Health Centre gave her a good grounding in the issues of community support needs, housing and health.Her interest in this area not only stemmed from this work, but from personal experience. Both Debra’s sister and niece have a profound hearing impairment and her brother in law is paralyzed from the nose down from a brain stem stroke, only able to communicate using a spelling board. She admires her sister in law for the support and assistance she has provided him, and says that her journey to the community care sector has been a long time coming.
Debra is passionate about the rights of carers, and is vocal in supporting a proposed NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme). If put in place, this scheme would be an important first step in the progress for equality across the nation.“If we are truly to wear the ‘lucky country’ tag, it has to be lucky for all, not just some of us.”Currently, only one in seven people with a disability get the services they require. Although Australia prides itself on being the lucky country, this statistic and many more, say otherwise. Debra believes this is an inequality that must be addressed, and soon. She hopes for a National Disability Insurance Scheme that provides lifelong support to people with a disability, regardless of how, where or why they became disabled. She says, “If we are truly to wear the ‘lucky country’ tag, it has to be a lucky country for all, not just for some of us”.Unfortunately, the introduction of an NDIS does not mean all the needs of a person with a disability will be met, or that there will be no need for family carers. Like most problems in the world, there is not easy solution. At a recent presentation, Debra spoke of her vision for an NDIS. Many carers she has spoken to truly believe that the introduction of an NDIS will have a positive impact on the support that can be accessed for a person with a disability, but that it is also important that it supports family carers too.The number one priority, according to Debra and to family carers, is that people with a disability have access to the level and quality of care and support that they require. There are many elements crucial to the success of a scheme such as this, but notably she believes a high level of input into its design needs to be provided by persons with disabilities and their carers.Debra Cottrell is an inspiring, passionate woman, whose drive and determination are sure to contribute to the beginning of a new chapter for people with disabilities and family carers. She is continuing to support the NDIS proposal, and will be participating, along with carers and the people they care for, at Brisbane’s ‘Make It Real’ rally on April 30. Rallies will be held across the country on this date, hoping for an attendance of 10 000 people, making it the largest rally of people with disabilities the country has ever seen so that the National Disability Insurance Scheme becomes a reality."
