The Australian Government has announced that two organisations delivering disability services in Tasmania will share in $1 million in grants, as part of the Government’s recent $31 million investment under the Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) program.

The purpose of the ILC program is to support community-based capacity building activities for people with disability, their families and carers, to improve connection and inclusion. 

The organisations receiving funding are:

• The Brain Injury Association of Tasmania Inc to continue to build the capacity of people with acquired brain injury (ABI), including the development of ABI ID cards explaining brain injury
• Disability Voices Tasmania Inc to build the skills and confidence of people with disability to self-advocate on issues that affect them.

This funding will ensure continued capacity in the disability sector and support for people with disability ahead of Foundational Supports commencing. 

Minister for National Disability Insurance Scheme, Bill Shorten said this latest funding under the ILC program expands its important work to build the skills and knowledge of Australians with disability and those that support them. 

“Capacity building is critical to people with disability, their families and the local communities they operate in, including in Tasmania,” Minister Shorten said.

“As states, territories and the Commonwealth focus on the development of Foundational Supports, we must not take the foot off the gas for current supports – and that’s what this funding is all about.

“We are proud to support projects like these that empower people with disability to advocate for themselves on issues that matter to them, and to improve support and understanding in the community.”  

Tasmanian people with disability will also benefit from national programs funded under the latest series of grants, including:

• the new Disability Dialogue, a platform for conversations, problem solving and collaboration in the disability community to drive innovation and change
• improved support for First Nations children with disability and developmental delay or concern and their families under the Early Childhood Outreach Initiative, and
• strengthened and expanded best practice resources for Autism.

Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth said this funding boost is yet another example of the work being done under Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-31 to improve inclusion and outcomes for Australians with disability. 

“Building the skills, knowledge and confidence of people with disability and those who support them will remain a central pillar of the disability support system the Government is working to strengthen under Australia’s Disability Strategy and our Disability Reform Roadmap,” Minister Rishworth said. 

“The ILC funded projects will provide targeted support at the local and national levels to empower people with disability to build their capacity, connect with their communities and access the services they need.”  

Tasmanian Senator Catryna Bilyk said she was pleased to see both organisations get this critical funding.

“I have worked closely with the Brain Injury Association of Tasmania over a number of years and have been impressed with the life-changing impact of their National Assistance Card service,” Senator Bilyk said,

“I am pleased to have advocated strongly for this service, so to have it not just maintained, but expanded to cover people with autism nationally, is a fantastic outcome.”

Tasmanian Minister for Disability Services, Jo Palmer, said Disability Voices Tasmania and the Brain Injury Association of Tasmania provide critical support to Tasmanians living with disability. 

“As a strong supporter of these organisations and the services they provide, I am incredibly pleased they can continue to work with our disability community to build their capacity and importantly, to build self-advocacy skills,” Minister Palmer said. 

“I will always advocate strongly on behalf of Tasmanians with disability and the service providers that support them.”

More information about the ILC program is available on the Department of Social Services website.