The Council seeks to represent all people with disability, their families and carers and individual Council members bring knowledge, lived experience and invaluable professional and personal networks to the table.
The Council is vital to providing the Western Australian (WA) Government with authentic advice and perspectives on issues relating to disability in Western Australia. It engages and influences debate on fundamental issues such as access and inclusion and the employment of people with disability.
Over the past 12 months the Council has been instrumental in the development of the State Disability Strategy and has provided considered feedback to the Department of Communities relating to the establishment of an Office of Disability.
In January this year, the Council also made a significant contribution to the important work of the Plastic Straws Working Group established by the Department of Environment and Water Regulation and provided valuable input on the actions needed to reduce the use of plastic straws, while considering and adapting to the needs of people with disability.
In recent years the disability sector in Western Australia has gone through a period of enormous change resulting from the roll out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme across the state. However, one of the constants during this time, has been the stability and leadership provided by the Ministerial Advisory Council on Disability.
Council membership
- Mr Kane Blackman (Chair)
- Ms Mary Butterworth
- Dr Siyat Abdi
- Ms Chanel Bowen
- Ms Clare Gibellini
- Ms Georgia Inglis
- Dr Rita Kleinfeld-Fowell
- Ms Danielle Loizou-Lake
- Dr John Thompson
