The Having a Say conference is the largest conference for people with disabilities within Australia where people can find their voice, to speak up, to be heard and to be respected. This is the conference where people listen to each other, not just to the speakers on stage. This is the conference where people respect each other’s views and opinions, and celebrate their common cause. The aim of the conference is to empower people with a disability with the opportunity to ‘have a say’ about issues that affect their lives and to celebrate ability and achievement.

People enjoy coming to the conference for a range of reasons. Some are keen advocates for people with disability and want to debate about issues, others find the whole environment empowering and some just want to have fun! Many people come to the conference to have a say, such as open microphone to present or perform. We often get comments on the Evaluation Forms saying things like “It was great I felt important because everyone listened to what I said”.

There is always be a need for people to get together to share experiences and to celebrate achievements. The inaugural Having a Say Conference, held in Maryborough in 2000, was attended by 190 people and the enthusiasm generated each year has inspired the conference to grow. There are now over 1,000 participants from across Australia, and often from the international community, attending the conference each year.

The conference gets fantastic support from local disability services, the Local Reference Committee, City of Greater Geelong, Tourism Greater Geelong and Bellarine and local Geelong businesses.

Download the Having a Say Conference 2023 Report here

VOLUNTEERING at Having a Say

The Having a Say conference attracts hundreds of delegates from across Australia and overseas and we are looking for volunteers to support participants with different activities at the conference.

The conference is a place where people with disability can speak up and have their voice heard, be respected and empowered and it’s a lot of fun!

What are the benefits of volunteering?

• See the achievements of people with disability
• Certificate of appreciation
• Letter of Reference
• Learn about inclusion
• Be inspired and have lots of fun
• Make new friends

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer at HaS, then:

• have a read of the Volunteer Information Booklet and
• then fill out pages 7 and 8
• if you need a new Police Check you will also need to complete pages 10 & 11 of this booklet and
• return it to [email protected]

Please note that all volunteers are required to have a current Police Certificate and proof of double COVID vaccination. Please send your COVID vaccination certificate with your Volunteer Application. NOTE: VALID is a disability service and the government has made it mandatory for all staff and volunteers of disability services to be vaccinated for COVID.

If you already have a current ‘Worker Registration’ with either the NDIS Commission or VDWC (Victorian Disability Worker Commission) then send us proof of this and that’s all we need.

If you aren’t a ‘registered worker’ you will need to send us a current Police Check Certificate with your Volunteer application.  If your Police Check is out of date (i.e. dated before 7th February 2021) then VALID will pay for ‘volunteer’ Police Check for you – fill our pages 10 and 11 of the Volunteer Information Booklet to request VALID to do this for you.

Having a Say Feedback

Your feedback is important, it helps us to make the conference better.

Download the Having a Say Conference Evaluation form here