Victorian Disability Advisory Council

About the Victorian Disability Advisory Council

The Victorian Disability Advisory Council (VDAC) was established in July 2007 under the Disability Act 2006.

The council:

provides independent advice to the Minister for Disability
advises on policy and strategy
helps to increase the inclusion and participation of Victorians with disability.

To fulfil its functions, the council:

develops an annual forward agenda
holds meetings every two months and participates in additional meetings focused on particular topics
works with government and the community to promote disability inclusion
supports the development, implementation and monitoring of Inclusive Victoria: state disability plan (2022-2026).

The chairperson leads the council, playing a key role in:

facilitating meetings
building strong relationships with members and stakeholders.

The Office for Disability in the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing supports the council and is the Secretariat for the council.

Current VDAC members

The following people make up the seventh council appointed since 2007. They help the Victorian Government continue its important work to make the state more inclusive and accessible.

Chairperson: Chris Varney
Deputy Chairperson: Mija Gwyn
Husna Amani
Stella Barton
Kelly Ann Blake
Amir Brand-Abdi
Bianca Failla
Helen Freris
Melissa Hale
Jen Hargrave
Katrina Harrison
Timothy Harte
Nicole Karidis
Laura Pettenuzzo

Council members bring:

a wide range of lived experience of disability
expertise in disability inclusion related to advocacy, policy, and program delivery.

The Victorian Government is committed to ensuring that government boards and committees reflect the diversity of the Victorian community. The current council has more than 50% women. It also has representatives who are:

Aboriginal
LGBTIQA+
culturally diverse
regional Victorians
young people
carers.

This council will serve a fixed term until July 2028.

Information about the Chairperson and the Deputy Chairperson is provided below. We will update this page with more information about the other newly appointed members soon.

Find out more about the Chairperson and the Deputy Chairperson

Chris Varney - Victorian Disability Advisory Council

Chris Varney (Chairperson)

Chris (he/him) is proudly autistic. He is the Founding Director and Chief Enabling Officer of I CAN Network. I CAN® is Australia’s largest autistic-led organisation. I CAN mentors over 3,000 young people every year through the I CAN School® and I CAN Online programs. Since 2015, Chris has employed close to 200 autistic people to deliver mentoring programs at scale.
In 2017, Chris received the Supreme Court of Victoria’s Best Achievement in Human Rights Award. Chris is:
- national patron of the Australian Association for Special Education and
- a non-executive director of the Australian Autism Alliance.
He has been the Chairperson of the Victorian Disability Advisory Council since 2022.
Chris is passionate about disability job creation and employment. He lives with his young family in Greater Geelong.
Disability community: autistic
Location: regional
Focus areas: inclusive education, inclusive workforces and job creation.

Chris Varney - Victorian Disability Advisory Council Chair

View transcript

Mija Gwyn - Victorian Disability Advisory Council

Mija Gwyn (Deputy Chairperson)

Mija (she/her) is Deaf and uses Auslan as her first language. She resides on Wadi Wadi and Muthi Muthi lands. Mija is the Head of Youth Disability Advocacy Service (YDAS). She has led and coordinated community development, film festivals and arts projects in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Mija has sat on advisory committees in the health and disability sectors. Previously, she was the President for Deaf Victoria. She has a:
- Bachelor of Arts from University of Melbourne,
- Master of Communication from Griffith University, and a
- Master of Public Policy and Management from the University of Melbourne.
Mija has been the Deputy Chairperson of VDAC since her appointment in 2022.
Disability community: Deaf and hard of hearing community
Location: regional
Focus areas: Youth, intersectionality, NDIS, health, and regional and rural issues.

Mija Gwyn - Victorian Disability Advisory Council Deputy Chairperson

View transcript

More information

If you have questions or want to learn more about a project, contact us.

Making a Freedom of Information request

For information on how to make a Freedom of Information request to access documents held by the Victorian Disability Advisory Council, visit the Making a Freedom of Information request on the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing website.

Equality

Updated 13 August 2025