Brain Injury Australia Ltd (BIA)

Brain Injury Australia (BIA) represents the over 700,000 Australians living with an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) whatever their age or the cause of their injury. BIA was formed at the first national community-based conference on ABI in 1986. The Australian Government began funding BIA in 1991.

Brain Injury Australia's role includes:

advocacy for government program allocations and policies that reflect the needs and priorities of people with an ABI and their families;
provision of effective and timely input into policy, legislation and program development through active contact with Federal Government ministers, parliamentary representatives, Federal Government departments and agencies, and national disability organisations;
driving multi-year public education campaigns on: women, domestic and family violence and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI); the leading cause of death and disability in children who have been abused – inflicted TBI (sometimes referred to as “Shaken Baby Syndrome”); concussion in sport; TBI in the military (1 in every 10 Australian Defence Force personnel who served in the Middle East reported a post-deployment TBI); the leading cause of TBI - falls, due to the ageing of our population; and people with a brain injury in the criminal justice system (as many as 80 per cent of adult prisoners report one or more brain injuries);
facilitating a national “community of practice” in brain injury for the National Disability Insurance Agency (the independent statutory agency whose role is to implement the National Disability Insurance Scheme), being piloted in Sydney - regular meetings of Local Area Coordinators and Agency planners with senior Agency staff, a Clinical Lead and allied health representation”;
monitoring Federal Government consumer consultation processes to ensure that these are of a quality that is meaningful and inclusive of people with ABI and their families; and
developing a range of strategic alliances that support and enhance the achievement of BIA’s strategic objectives.

Brain Injury Australia's operating principles:

A professional and responsible approach in representing people with an ABI;
Decision-making processes that include consultation with people with an ABI and their families and its member organisations;
A balanced recognition of the needs of all people with a disability and other disadvantaged groups;
An effective, democratic and participative approach to governance; and
Full financial and program accountability to membership and to funding agencies.