Election Hub
2025 Federal Election Platform
Investing in children and young people with disability is investing in Australia’s future
In this Federal Election, CYDA is calling for urgent and genuine action across four key areas to improve outcomes for children and young people with disability, and their parents and caregivers.
Calls to Action
- Build a truly inclusive education system
- Ensure a fair, safe, and accessible disability supports ecosystem
- Address cost-of-living and unemployment impacts
- Invest in individual advocacy
Will you pledge your support for inclusive schools?
Right now, too many disabled students are being excluded, bullied, and failed by an education system that should be supporting them to thrive.
We say enough is enough.
This election, CYDA and 18 other disability organisations are calling for a clear, funded, and co-designed National Roadmap for Inclusive Education.
Sign the pledge. Demand real accountability for inclusive education.
1. Inclusive Education
A truly inclusive education system in Australia would cost less and improve outcomes for all students.
It is also required under Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-31 and the Disability Standards for Education (2005), which is up for review this year.
We call for commitments to:
- Action a National Roadmap to Inclusive Education
- Set up a national independent oversight body to make sure providers meet their legal obligations
- Create an Inclusion Fund for Early Childhood Education and Care
- Provide federal funding to schools to guarantee safe and quality education for students with disability
- Strengthen pathways into higher education for students with disability
In the week before the election, CYDA hosted its long-awaited Election Webinar: Making Inclusive Education a National Priority.
Attendees heard from key parliamentarians, including Minister for Youth and Early Childhood Education Dr Anne Aly, WA Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John, and Independent Senator for Tasmania Tammy Tyrrell. Coalition candidates were also invited, but declined the offer to participate.
Together, they answered questions from the community about early childhood education and care, a National Roadmap for Inclusive Education, and higher education reform.
Watch the full webinar recording below.
“We need to entirely dismantle and redesign the education system in Australia because it’s not meeting the needs of disabled students and thus is not inclusive.”
2. Supports ecosystem
Many children and young people with disability are not having their supports needs met.
We call for a fair, safe, and accessible disability supports ecosystem through commitments to:
- Guarantee children with disability stay in the NDIS until they can get other supports that meet their needs
- Provide more intensive supports at key transition points
- Invest in lived experience by employing young people with disability and co-designing reform
- Make the NDIS accessible by giving participants clear information, transparent communication, and accessible assessment processes
“I live in [regional area] where we lack funding and staffing in education and health. I don’t trust that there are resources for adequate support.”
3. Cost-of-living
Children and young people with disability are hardest hit by the cost-of-living crisis. They have the highest unemployment rates, lowest incomes, and higher living costs.
We call for commitments to:
- Create a National Youth Disability Employment Strategy to tackle job insecurity
- Increase income support by raising JobSeeker and Youth Allowance and introducing supplements
- Make sure Disability Support Pension and carer payments are accessible, available, and not impacted by relationship status
- Move away from segregated employment in Australian Disability Enterprises to inclusive, fair-wage jobs
“Disabled young people are drowning under the rising cost of living. We’re struggling with housing, medical treatments, and basic necessities in a world where so much is stacked against us. Something's got to give.”
4. Individual advocacy
There is a serious shortage of individual advocacy services for children and young people with disability. More advocacy support is needed to uphold rights and improve outcomes.
We call for commitments to:
- Create a specialist individual advocacy service for children and young people with disability
- Provide dedicated funding to existing advocacy services
- Provide sustainable funding for peer support activities that build self-advocacy skills
- Invest in targeted support for children and young people with disability with intersectional experiences and from diverse backgrounds
“We have this added burden [...] there are so many different parts of our lived experience that we have to try and explain to people.”
Economic Justice Blueprint
This election, CYDA has been working with Australia’s Disability Representative Organisations on a National Blueprint for Economic Justice.
The next government has a clear choice: continue excluding people with disability or create systems that work for everyone.
We want candidates to prioritise economic justice and deliver in three key areas for children and young people with disability:
- Income support
- Employment
- Housing
CYDA calls on renewed government to deliver lasting change
CYDA congratulates the Albanese Government on its recent re-election. The historic result comes at a critical moment for children and young people with disability, and their families and caregivers.
Group of 75 organisations and experts call for reform to laws that stop people with disability from voting
This Saturday, most adult Australians will vote in the Federal Election. However, there is a whole section of our community who can be removed from the electoral roll and disallowed from having their say: people with “cognitive disabilities.”
Youth voice on cost of living crisis
Ollie is a young disabled person living through the cost of living crisis. In this short video, he shares how rising costs are affecting his family and reminds us not to leave disabled children and young people out of the conversation.
