Wednesday, 1 May 2024

 Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:25): I rise to update the house on the Victorian government’s disability self-help grants program. As a government, we recognise the important role that self-help groups play in supporting people with disability to live fulfilling lives. Self-help groups deliver different initiatives in their communities. For example, they can bring together people who deal with similar experiences and barriers through a peer support network; support their members to share insights and information gained through personal and lived experience; and support people to become active members of their community, taking control of their own situation and circumstances and raising awareness in the broader community about the experiences of people with disability and their carers.

Earlier this month I was very pleased to visit a support group for parents and carers of children with special needs, Sunspec, with the member for Sunbury Josh Bull to announce the recipients of the latest rounds of disability self-help grants. I was delighted to have the opportunity to meet with Sunspec volunteers and members, including Sunspec’s president Karen Jans and coordinator Anthony Henjak, to acknowledge the valuable work that they do and the vital support that they provide their members. We know that people with disability are better supported to reach their goals when the people closest to them are also well supported, so I was pleased to hear that Sunspec will use their grant to provide a series of mental health workshops for carers of people with disability.

Sunspec is one of 72 disability self-help groups located across the state set to share in $750,000 of funding boosting over two years from the Victorian government. Each disability self-help group will receive an increased amount of up to $14,000 over two years to provide critical peer support to their members. This year I am pleased to report that around one-third of groups will focus on supporting specific cohorts, including women and girls, autistic and other neurodiverse people, people from multicultural communities and LGBTIQA+ people.

Other highlights of the grant funding round include support for people across Victoria, with 22 groups from regional and rural areas as well. Victoria’s support for disability self-help groups recognises the value of peer support and aligns with the goal of Inclusive Victoria’s State Disability Plan (2022–2026). We will always work together to better support Victorians with disability, their families and their carers.