Narratives of choice: the policy visions shaping the Victorian State Disability Plan 2002-12

© 2018 Dr. Leah TangThis study examines Australian disability policy debates between 1999 and 2002, as the Victorian State Disability Plan 2002-12 (VSDP) was developed. This was a fascinating moment in social policy reform in Victoria and Australia, when broader trends reshaping disability policy were reflected in Victorian disability planning: shifts from differentiated ‘intellectual disability’ services to universal disability services on the basis of need; from ‘disability services’ to a focus on disability rights; and from operational departmental planning to whole-of-government strategy. The thesis investigates the multi-vocal nature of the conversation within and beyond the formal VSDP policy development process using corpus-based discourse analysis and narrative analysis. The policy corpus comprises over 400 documents produced by a wide range of bureaucrats, policy planners, service provider organisations, support professionals, advocacy organisations, peak bodies, media reports and other policy actors. Six distinct narratives of ‘choice’ are identified within the corpus, each imagining a different central vision. The first focuses on safeguarding the right to choice, even for the most vulnerable. The second demands choice for people with disabilities, in spite of societal barriers. The third proposes re-orienting the system, because existing, one-size-fits-all arrangements cannot provide choice. The fourth narrative asserts that, in the real lived experiences of families, carers, and support professionals, providing meaningful choice is complex. The final two narratives frame choice as a battle in the face of personal tragedy, and alternatively as a neoliberal illusion that has lead society away from social justice. The thesis finds that choice has been an influential if mutable concept in the recent history of disability policy. Taken alongside their location in the policy conversation, these narratives represent a discursive contest over the concept of ‘choice’, but also a range of visions of disability policy itself – who it is for, what it should do, and what reforming it means. This discussion raises questions about what matters more – discursive power or structural, material power, highlighting the at-once influential and ephemeral nature of discourse on policy