Melbourne Disability Institute

The Melbourne Disability Institute aims to improve the lives of people with disabilities through research, education, policy development and public engagement. The Institute (MDI) is a catalyst for exciting, policy-relevant research that will improve the lives of people with disabilities, their families and their carers. People with disabilities are at the centre of all that we do.

The MDI is being established following major reforms in the last ten years that have transformed the lives of people with disability. Foremost, is the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which has changed the way services and supports are provided to people with disabilities in Australia. Importantly, Australia is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (UNCPRD) and globally there is great interest in disability policy in Australia.

As a nation we have the opportunity to build the best disability support system in the world with the NDIS at its core. The NDIS is developing a comprehensive database on disability and, with our expertise in the analysis of complex longitudinal data, the MDI is well positioned to answer pressing questions facing the disability sector and to identify new opportunities.

We see the NDIS enabling much wider innovation and reform – in education, health, law, economics, design, engineering, technology and the arts – all areas where the University of Melbourne has enormous knowledge and potential. Our interests however are much broader than the NDIS. Mainstream services must work in harmony with the NDIS, and all Australians with disabilities should have access to well-designed policies and adequate resources.

Through interdisciplinary research, teaching, partnerships with industry and collaborations with the sector, our aim is to be an integral part of a new and growing eco-system in Australia. We will foster the exchange of evidence and ideas that support the long-term vision of the National Disability Strategy and the NDIS.

We are developing our Strategic Plan in consultation with our Establishment Committee and stakeholders from the disability sector. Please feel free to email us to let us know your views on the priorities for the Melbourne Disability Institute.

Professor Bruce Bonyhady AM
Executive Chair and Director