Background

It is well evidenced that good health is supported by a broad range of structural determinants beyond the provision of healthcare, such as work, education and housing. As a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), Australia has committed to uphold the rights of people with disabilities to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health without being discriminated against on the basis of disability. Even with this commitment and the Australian Disability Strategy, Australians with disability have stark and persistently poorer health outcomes compared to those without disability. Health for people with disability could be improved if Australia met its obligations in multiple domains including healthcare, housing, and work - currently we are failing as demonstrated by indicators including:

AHEAD has the potential to improve the social and structural determinants of health for people with disabilities, enhance health and social systems to improve health outcomes and ensure resources are used efficiently and effectively.

These inequities are not inevitable - similar OECD countries are achieving better outcomes. 

Every year Australian governments spend $63B ($2,400 per person) on disability supports and services. The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) alone is projected to rise from $33B in 2022/2023 (1.5% GDP) to $163B in 2031/2032 (2.6% GDP). Wasteful punitive measures, social barriers being overlooked and a lack of focus on health and wellbeing hinder our ability to seize crucial opportunities. Investment decisions by policy makers to optimise health and wellbeing and achieve health equity for all people with disabilities are impeded by a lack of evidence. 

For disability reforms to succeed we need qualitative and quantitative research evidence on what works, informed by lived experience, predictive analytics to model the implications of possible policy solutions, and continuous monitoring and evaluation of policy changes.

By leveraging our research capacity, advocacy expertise and strong policy networks we will deliver a new innovative and integrated program of disability and health research. We will engage new collaborators to expand research capacity, creating valuable opportunities for early- and mid-career researchers. We will create new knowledge on how disability resources in Australia can be optimally reallocated and identify and demonstrate how health and social service delivery can be re-designed.

We will mobilise evidence into policy and practice impact by developing accessible fact sheets and decision-support tools, running a series of public webinars and policy forums with key government policy makers, and making submissions to government inquiries.