Tom Keating
Dr Tom Keating is a Melbourne based writer and researcher. He is a former senior executive in health and human services in Victoria and a former senior academic with appointments in various Australian and overseas universities. He played a major role in the reform of disability services in Victoria in the 1980s and 90s. His book, The Evolution of Intellectual Disability Policy and Administration in Victoria: From Care and Custody to Citizenship is forthcoming (De Gruyter Brill, 2026).
Tom's articles (3 total)
Kids in jail: Victoria is heading down Queensland’s road
Queensland has legislated remote camps for children, while Victoria has made it easier to sentence young offenders as adults. Victoria once kept more kids out of jail by investing in community alternatives. That hard-won approach is being lost in the race to sound tough.
NDIS reform is putting the cuts before the safety net
Parliament has passed the largest contraction of the NDIS since its creation. The amendments improve the bill, but budgets will shrink and eligibility tighten before foundational supports are operating.
The NDIS transformed lives – fixing it will take more than cost cutting
The NDIS needs reform, but tightening eligibility before alternative supports are ready risks abandoning people with disability and retreating from the citizenship principles on which the scheme was built.