Doubling Down on Double Discrimination: Better supporting Indigenous Australians with disability

This paper outlines the author's response to the Australian Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee inquiry into the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Amendment Bill 2020. The focus of the inquiry and the bill is to improve supports for at risk participants. The submission to the inquiry looks at various factors impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (Indigenous Australians) with disability, including location, income, access to services and appropriateness of current support arrangements, and puts forward suggestions for improvement. Often also experiencing racial discrimination, Indigenous Australians with disability face double discrimination. Central to recommendations is the need for investment in Aboriginal community-controlled organisations and formal partnerships and shared decision-making between federal, state and territory government in Australia and Indigenous education and community experts.