Disability Representative Organisations
About the Disability Representative Organisations program
The Disability Representative Organisations (DRO) program provides the opportunity for people with disability, and their representative organisations, to have their views communicated to the Australian Government. This is regardless of type of disability, gender, cultural background, age or membership.
Organisations funded under the DRO program communicate with the Australian Government. This is to ensure that disability issues and a diversity of voices are represented in:
- decision-making
- legislation
- policy development
- implementation of programs and policies that may affect people with disability.
Providing systemic disability advocacy
Through the 2022-23 October Budget, the Government doubled existing support for systemic disability advocacy, to increase annual funding from $2.6 million per year to over $5.2 million per year.
This funding enables organisations to provide systemic advocacy for Australians with disability to:
- promote an understanding of the lives of people with disability
- promote and protect the rights and dignity of people with disability
- foster support for the participation of people with disability in all aspects of community life.
The funded organisations provide advice to the Government on breaking down barriers and improving social and economic participation.
They also engage with a range of ministers and portfolios.
Organisations funded under the DRO program
In 2023-24 a targeted selection process was undertaken resulting in the following organisations being funded under the DRO program from 1 July 2024 until 30 June 2026.
Details on funded organisations are available on the Community Grants Hub(Opens in a new tab/window) website.
To find out more about the DROs you can visit their websites:
- People with Disability Australia(Opens in a new tab/window) representing all people with disability and LGBTIQA+ people with disability
- First Peoples Disability Network Australia(Opens in a new tab/window) representing First Nations People with disability
- National Ethnic Disability Alliance(Opens in a new tab/window) representing culturally and linguistically diverse people with disability
- Women with Disabilities Australia(Opens in a new tab/window) representing women and girls with disability
- Children and Young People with Disability Australia(Opens in a new tab/window) representing children and young people with disability
- Inclusion Australia(Opens in a new tab/window) representing people with intellectual disability
- Australian Federation of Disability Organisations(Opens in a new tab/window) consortium representing all people with disability (including people with brain injury) and people with disability with sensory impairments
- Down Syndrome Australia(Opens in a new tab/window) consortium representing people with intellectual disability, with a focus on chromosomal variations
- Physical Disability Australia(Opens in a new tab/window) representing people with physical disability
- Autism Alliance National representing people with disability, with a focus on autism
- Community Mental Health Australia(Opens in a new tab/window) consortium representing people with psychosocial disability
- Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA)(Opens in a new tab/window) representing people with disability who have engaged with individual advocacy supports and providing the National Coordination Function for the DRO program.