Melba Community News

It’s certainly been a whirlwind of a start to the new year, and we’re not sure it’s going to slow down any time soon. The Melba year kicked off with the Midsumma Festival in January followed by the 25th Having a Say Conference, run by VALID in Geelong. Days later Melba was loudly and proudly strutting their way through St Kilda at the Midsumma Pride March. What a way to start the year!

We’ve kicked off 2026 with our advocacy hats firmly on, read on for more.

What’s coming up? We have expos and school visits, local and international trips, newly built houses opening and planning is well underway for some new centre based day programs.

Melba is ramping up our advocacy work as we continue to stand up for quality, sustainability and the rights of people we support. With the sector under increasing pressure, we believe strong, collective voices are essential to achieving the systemic reform that’s needed.

We’ve summarised all our recent activity including how we are advocating, why it matters and how to get involved.

We have new homes becoming available across Victoria – and one of them could be yours. Where you live matters, shaping your independence, daily life and happiness. At Melba, we work closely with you to find the right fit for where, how and who you want to live with.

Our Supported Independent Living (SIL) is all about choice, with flexible options to balance independence and support. Whether you’re moving out of home for the first time, looking to live alone or with others, or wanting a change of scene, Our SIL experts are here to talk through your options and support you every step of the way.

From shared living with 24/7 support in Rosebud, to apartment living with rostered support in Essendon, or support as needed in your own home, our tailored supports are designed around you. With vacancies across Victoria – from city to suburbs, bush to beach – we have new and established and new options available, with more on the way.

Meet Don: a lover of cats, The Cats and…fishing, a passion he discovered with his uncle back when he was younger.

Our latest Annual Report is well worth a read. It’s full of achievements, stats and some great stories from the Melba community.

The Having a Say conference is always a great way to start the year. As the only Australian conference run by people with intellectual disability for people with intellectual disability, it is always full of great, targeted ideas and presentations that resonate with so many people.

We presented two sessions related to our intimacy program and we are truly energised for the year ahead.

We run workshops all year round in various locations and can work with you to and your network to make sure the content is right for you.

Everybody experiences intimacy differently and that’s more than ok!

We’re part of an important and exciting research project on making mealtimes safer and more enjoyable for people with disability and dysphagia living in supported accommodation.

Thanks to a $50,000 grant from Cancer Council Victoria, we are planning a series of events to increase awareness and knowledge of cervical screening among people with disability.