What is advocacy
Advocacy:
Advocacy is the act of supporting or promoting a specific cause, idea, or group to create positive change in society. Advocacy can involve speaking up or acting on behalf of others to influence decisions, policies, or public opinion.
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Australia has over 600,000 community groups of vastly differing sizes and shapes, groups that provide a voice to advocate for someone or some issue.
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Advocacy can take many formats. You could be lobbying for new lights and the local football ground, opposing a war, planting more trees to aid shade at your local park, the examples are endless.
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Imagine an Australian society without the following systemic advocacy efforts:
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If people with disabilities were still locked behind the walls of institutions, excluded from society, denied autonomy, and unable to participate in community life.
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If smoking was still associated with the glamour of sports, perpetuating harmful habits and normalizing tobacco use for future generations.
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If seatbelt laws were never championed, allowing avoidable deaths and severe injuries on Australian roads to continue unchecked.
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If safety campaigns never highlighted the risks of head injuries when cycling, leaving countless lives shattered by preventable accidents.
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If child safety education never led to mandatory pool fencing laws, drowning incidents in residential swimming pools would remain a tragic and all-too-common reality.
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If the dangers of asbestos were never recognised and banned, workplaces and homes across the country would still expose people to this deadly material, leading to devastating health outcomes like mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
These advocacy efforts have shaped a safer, healthier, and more inclusive Australia, demonstrating the transformative power of systemic change.
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Levels of Advocacy:
There are six main levels of advocacy:
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Self advocacy
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Family advocacy
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Citizen advocacy
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Individual advocacy
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Legal advocacy
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Systemic advocacy
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Self advocacy
Definition: Self advocacy is the act of speaking up for your rights, needs, and interests. It involves understanding your needs, knowing what support you might need, and communicating those needs to others.
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Examples: Self advocacy can be used in many ways, such as when you make everyday choices, like what you eat or wear. For example, if you're a worker who struggles with reading, you might self advocate by asking your onboarding training to be in video form and talking.
Benefits: Self advocacy can help you build confidence, and can make it easier to tackle more challenging situations. It can help improve your self-esteem and sense of personal control in your life.
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Family advocacy
Definition: Family advocacy is when a family member or carer supports a family member to get what they need to live a full life.
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Example: Family advocacy can be critical, such as when a family member becomes permanently disabled and you take actions or speak on their behalf to ensure they have the support they need to recover, or have a good quality of life.
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Benefits: Family advocacy is fundamental to society since we all can sometimes need a helping hand in life. Family advocacy means a family (by blood or by choice) can be stronger than if they acted alone.
Citizen advocacy
Definition: Citizen advocacy is a volunteer-based program that matches community members with people who need help speaking up for themselves. The goal is to help people who might otherwise be ignored or excluded from their community.
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Example: A citizen advocate volunteers at a disability advocacy group to support the needs of disabled individuals. The citizen advocate helps the partner identify their choices and decisions, and then speaks up for them to the advocacy group. The relationship is long-term, and based on trust and confidentiality. Citizen advocacy agencies match advocates with people who need help. Advocates are trained and supported by the agency.
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Benefits: Citizen advocacy helps people with disabilities, intellectual disabilities, or other challenges access the services and support they need. It helps people who might otherwise be excluded from their community feel included and valued. It helps people who might otherwise be treated negatively feel respected and heard. It also has benefits for those who doing the advocating. Volunteering to help others is scientifically demonstrated to be improve mental and physical health.
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Individual advocacy
Definition: Individual advocacy is when a professional advocate, or sometimes a dedicated individual, supports a person with a specific problem or challenge. This support can involve representing the person one-on-one or empowering them to advocate for themselves. The advocate helps resolve issues the individual has been unable to solve independently. Importantly, an individual advocate must remain independent, prioritise the person’s interests, and act solely on their behalf, especially in the context of disabilities or other vulnerabilities.
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Example: An individual advocate might step in to help a journalist who has been captured and held by a terrorist group. If governments are limited in their ability to act, a passionate individual could fundraise, raise awareness, and take independent steps to secure the journalist’s release, even years after the incident has faded from public memory.
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Benefits: Individual advocacy creates a significant positive impact by providing focused attention and support. It addresses the unique concerns of the individual, offering tailored solutions to meet their specific needs.
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Legal advocacy
Definition: Legal advocacy involves the use of legal expertise and processes to represent, support, and defend the rights, interests, and needs of individuals or groups in legal matters. Legal advocates can include lawyers, paralegals, or trained professionals who work to ensure fair treatment under the law.
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Example: An employee is wrongfully terminated due to disability discrimination. They seek help from a legal advocate who represents them in negotiations with the employer or files a formal complaint, explains their rights under laws such as Fair Work Act, negotiates a settlement or takes the case to court if necessary.
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Benefits: Legal advocacy provides numerous benefits by ensuring that individuals and groups receive fair treatment and that their rights are protected. It facilitates access to justice, helping people navigate complex legal systems and achieve remedies they might not secure on their own. Through expert representation, legal advocates handle disputes effectively, often leading to better outcomes.
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Systemic advocacy
Definition: Systemic advocacy focuses on influencing policies, laws, and systems to bring about broad and long-term changes that benefit groups of people. Unlike individual advocacy, which addresses specific cases, systemic advocacy targets the root causes of issues to improve conditions for many.
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Example: An advocacy group focusing on workers' rights launches a campaign to educate coal mine workers about their legal rights regarding workplace safety, fair wages, and protection against unfair termination. The group holds workshops, distributes informational materials, and provides guidance on how to report safety violations to regulatory bodies. Through this initiative, workers learn to recognise unsafe conditions and understand the importance of speaking up. The advocacy group also trains them on how to self-advocate and organise collectively to demand better working conditions. Over time, the workers are empowered to advocate for themselves and their coworkers, pushing for systemic improvements, such as stronger safety regulations and better enforcement of existing health and safety laws.
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Benefits: This systemic advocacy benefits not only the workers directly involved but also the entire industry, as it promotes safer practices and fairer treatment for all coal mine workers. It addresses root issues by targeting policies and enforcement gaps while empowering individuals to drive sustainable change.
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