FAQs

The definition of disability under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Commonwealth) is broad. It includes physical, intellectual, psychiatric, sensory, neurological and learning disabilities. Disability can be permanent or temporary, visible or invisible. Some conditions and impairments are present from birth. Other people acquire or develop disability during their lifetime from an accident, condition, illness or injury. For some people, support requirements can increase over time. Others can experience fluctuating or episodic disability. Some people may have multiple disabilities, giving rise to different support requirements.

The Disability Discrimination Act states that discrimination based on disability occurs when a person with disability is either:

• treated less favourably than a person without disability (direct discrimination), or
• made to comply with a general requirement or condition that the person is unable to comply with because of their disability, and that leads to the person being disadvantaged (indirect discrimination).

• In 2022, 5.5 million Australians (21.4%) had disability, up from 17.7% in 2018.
• 15.0% of people aged 0-64 years had disability, compared with 52.3% of people aged 65 years and over.
• Disability prevalence was similar for males (21.0%) and females (21.8%).
• 7.9% of all Australians had a profound or severe disability.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics.

In Manningham, 15.8% of residents live with disability, with 7,804 people (6.3%) requiring assistance with day-to-day activities. This marks a 34% increase from 2016 when the figure was 5,844. This rise is largely attributed to Manningham’s ageing population. Among these residents, 4,376 were born overseas and also needed assistance due to disability. Only 7.4% of Manningham residents requiring assistance participated in the labour force, which is below the Victorian average of 10%. Additionally, 58.6% of residents with a need for assistance were female, slightly higher than the Victorian average of 55%.

Note: This should not be viewed as the total population with a disability, as many people with a disability do not require assistance, and would therefore likely answer "no" to this question.

Source: Need for assistance profile | Manningham City Council | Community profile

• A Disability Action Plan is a document that sets out how Council will improve access, inclusion, and opportunities for people with disability. It guides the way we plan, deliver, and evaluate our services, facilities, and programs.
• We will develop the plan in consultation with people with disability, their families and carers, service providers and Manningham Disability Advisory Committee.

Under Section 38 of the Victorian Disability Act 2006 Councils are required to have a Disability Action Plan.

Disability planning is a way that local governments can reduce and remove barriers for people with disability and foster a more accessible and inclusive community.

This Plan provides Council with guidance on how to set out our intentions for an inclusive community, accessible to everyone.

It provides direction to help us comply with legislation and policy that directly relates to social justice, human rights, equal opportunity and inclusion.

The Disability Action Plan will be developed as a two-part structure

Community Framework

1. A high-level, outward-facing document that will be shared with the community.
2. It will outline the vision, guiding principles, priority areas and intended outcomes.
3. This framework will be written in clear and accessible format, reflecting the community aspirations
4. This ensures transparency and helps the community understand council’s commitment to inclusion without being weighed down by internal operational details.

Internal Action Plan

1. A detailed, operational document for Council staff
2. It will set out specific actions, responsibilities assigned to different departments, timeframes and the measures required to achieve the priorities identified in the framework.
3. This plan will guide different departments in implementation, resource allocation and accountability
4. It will remain internal but be reported against annually to the community through progress updates.