Advocates continue to push for Activ workshops to remain open amidst possible closures

Advocates are continuing to fight for Activ workers and their families amid the prospect of closures announced earlier this year.

Since the announcement, the Federal Government has formed a taskforce of representatives from the Department of Social Services, WA Office of Disability, NDIA, Activ Foundation, WA ADE and NDIS.

The not-for-profit Activ Action Team was able to secure two places on the taskforce and will be advocating on behalf of parents, employees and carers.

The taskforce aims to move current employees into more inclusive employment involving “community access” type activities.

However, the Activ Action Team is not prepared to accept this unless the employee wants to move into alternate work.

Activ Rockingham volunteer Martin de Hass said that one of the biggest reasons Activ Rockingham was fighting to stay open was “that there are no other ADEs (Australian Disability Enterprises) in the Rockingham area”.

“So you either have to use a mobile facility if there’s one available, or you have to travel away from Rockingham to go to one of the other workshops, one of the other ADEs,” Mr de Hass said.

“And in most cases, that is a two or three bus and train trip.

“I know that in my case, that is beyond my brother’s capability; that is pushing the limit too far.”

Mr de Hass said that the Activ Foundation’s transition to the “new Activ”, will offer limited services including car cleaning and detailing and property care, which he said were not suitable for his brother and many other Activ employees.

“Those in the workshops won’t have a place to go because the existing services will be closed,” he said.

Activ Action Team advocate Janette Gee said Activ was more than just a job for employees, it was a safe place for people to socialise and share similar experiences.

“There’s a fantastic bunch of support workers on the floor that are helping build skills and not just work skills, but social and community participation skills as well,” Ms Gee said

The Activ Action Team plan to lobby for an improved funding model with the National Disability Insurance Agency that will better support workers.

“We believe that there needs to be a base amount per person, especially for the more or less able; the NDIA amount that they get through the NDIS funding needs to come up to be the same as the community access funding,” Ms Gee said.

“It will actually cost the government more for people to stop working and going to community access.

“People think Activ has been funded to stay open and fix themselves, that’s not what’s happened. The funding is to transition people.

“Their model of business will have to be different and they’re getting a total change of admin and looking at ways that they can do that to make that efficient.

“People need to not give up, they need to be vocal and they need to talk to their local members.”