QIDAN submission – Remote locations pilot
Disability advocacy in regional, rural and remote regions is crucial to ensure people with disability have access to services and supports, and have their human rights protected and promoted. Queensland has the most decentralised population in Australia, with 51% of people living outside the capital. Research demonstrates that over 38% of Queensland’s population reside in Rural and Remote Areas, and they often experience lower levels of well-being compared to urban centres.
Under the Queensland Disability Advocacy Program (QDAP), seven organisations are funded to provide disability advocacy within all Queensland local government areas (LGAs). Although these organisations already provide advocacy in regional, rural, or remote areas, people with disability living in these communities continue to experience significant geographical barriers to accessing advocacy. Under the current QDAP funding provisions advocacy organisations can assist just 0.3% of the population of people with disability in Queensland.
According to the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASFS), most of the LGA’s in Southwest Queensland (serviced by TASC), Central Queensland (serviced by CCA), North and Far North Queensland (serviced by RIA) are classified as outer regional, rural, or remote. In 2024-2025, QDAP funded a Remote Locations Pilot Project (pilot project) to be delivered by TASC, Capricorn Citizen Advocacy (CCA), and Rights in Action (RIA), and facilitated by Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion (QAI) as the coordinator of the Queensland Independent Disability Advocacy Network (QIDAN).
Through this pilot project QIDAN has identified key barriers for people with disability accessing advocacy in regional, rural and remote areas and has provided recommendations to improve access to advocacy and promote and protect human rights.
In addition to the recommendations provided by the organisations funded through the Remote Locations Pilot Project, QIDAN recommends:
- The Queensland Government must maintain funding the Remote Locations Project on an ongoing basis.
- The Queensland Government must extend independent disability advocacy funding for regional, rural, and remote communities by providing sufficient outreach funding for all organisations delivering services in regional, rural, or remote areas.
