The National Disability Data Asset Pilot was informed by a Disability Advisory Council, which was chaired by Dr Ben Gauntlett, Disability Discrimination Commissioner. The Council engaged with the disability community about the National Disability Data Asset and provided guidance to the project.
Council members brought expertise in disability policy, data, advocacy, social investment, research, service provision, business, economics and law. Members also brought experience working with a wide range of people with disability, including people with complex needs, First Nations Australians, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and people living in regional and remote communities.
The Disability Advisory Council Members
- Dr Ben Gauntlett, Disability Discrimination Commissioner and Chair of the Disability Advisory Council
- Dr Scott Avery, Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University
- Professor Bruce Bonyhady AM, Executive Chair & Director, Melbourne Disability Institute
- Professor Gemma Carey, Centre for Social Impact National Research Director and Academic Director, UNSW
- Belinda Drew, CEO, Community Services Industry Australia, Chair, Social Enterprise Finance Australia
- Damian Griffis, CEO, First Peoples Disability Network (Australia) Ltd
- Professor Anne Kavanagh, Chair of Disability and Health, Head of the Disability and Health Unit in the Centre for Health Equity, Co-Director, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Disability and Health, University of Melbourne
- Professor Gwynnyth Llewellyn, Director of Family and Disability Studies, University of Sydney, Head, WHO Collaborating Centre for Strengthening Rehabilitation Capacity in Health Systems, Co-Director, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Disability and Health, Disability and Inequity Stream Leader, Centre for Disability Research and Policy
- Mary Mallet, CEO of Disability Advocacy Network Australia
- Catherine McAlpine, CEO Inclusion Australia
- Dr Steven McEachern, Director, Australian Data Archive, Australian National University
- Mary Sayers, CEO of Children and Young People with Disability Australia
- Professor Julian Trollor, Head of Department of Developmental Disability Neuropsychiatry, University of New South Wales
Council Membership Changes
New Members
On the 22nd of July 2021, the Disability Advisory Council welcomed four new members to inform the National Disability Data Asset pilot. Taking up the roles of three members who had recently stepped down, the new council members brought their unique expertise and experience to the Council.
- Professor Gemma Carey, Centre for Social Impact National Research Director and Academic Director, UNSW
- Mary Mallet, CEO of Disability Advocacy Network Australia
- Catherine McAlpine, CEO Inclusion Australia
- Mary Sayers, CEO of Children and Young People with Disability Australia
Past Members
These members and their contributions shaped the National Disability Data Asset Pilot.
- Kevin Stone, CEO, Victorian Advocacy League for Individuals with Disability, Chair, Inclusion Australia (National Council on Intellectual Disability)
- Leah Van Poppel, CEO, Women with Disabilities Victoria
- John Walsh AM, Adjunct Professor, The University of Sydney
Messages from the Disability Advisory Council
During the Pilot phase the Disability Advisory Council met regularly and communicated the discussions and outputs of their meetings.
