Join AUS Squad
At Paralympics Australia, we help Australians with disabilities participate in sport and compete at the Paralympic Games through partnerships with governments, business, sporting bodies and the community.
We are responsible for preparing the Australian Paralympic Summer and Winter Teams for the Paralympic Games, which we have done successfully since 1990. At the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, Australia placed fifth on the gold medal tally with 22 gold, 30 silver and 29 bronze medals out of 159 countries.
We work with our National Federation partners to help identify potential Paralympians and assist athletes to prepare for competition by providing funding for coaching, equipment and travel in the lead up to the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games.
Our partnerships with governments, business, national sporting organisations and disability groups are critical to delivering a successful Paralympic Team to the Games.
We believe participation in sport provides positive social and physical benefits to people with disabilities, and plays an important role in changing community perceptions of people with disabilities.
At the heart of what we do is our athletes, who strive to compete at an elite level, upholding the ideals of the Paralympic movement.
#ImagineWhatWeCanDo
The Australian Paralympic movement’s unmatched potential to unite, inspire and drive social change will be fully mobilised under a comprehensive and bold strategy announced by Paralympics Australia in Sydney on Wednesday 1 March.
The release of the Strategy for Australian Paralympic Sport to Brisbane and Beyond by the nation’s preeminent sporting organisation for people with a disability signals the start of a new era in Paralympic sport, seizing the once-in-a-generation opportunity presented by the Brisbane 2032 Paralympic and Olympic Games.
Our Enduring Belief: ‘Sport has the power to change the world’
Paralympic sport has the power and a platform to engage, inspire and challenge inequality. We aspire to amplify the influence sport has to create positive social change.
We believe that sport and society need to evolve to be more inclusive and collaborative; to live and reflect the Australian values of equality, mateship, and a fair go – for everyone.
Remarkable Paralympic moments inspire trust, pride, and respect; they bring us together, catalysing conversations and telling powerful stories from diverse role models.
Our Purpose:
We exist to lead Paralympic sport and create a more inclusive world.
Our Vision:
To create the most successful era of Paralympic sport in Australia’s history.
Our Ambitions:
- Ambition 1: A world-leading and equitable sport system.
- Ambition 2: Remarkable Paralympic performance.
- Ambition 3: Our Team is a source of Aussie pride and a force towards creating a more inclusive society.
For more on the Paralympics Australia Strategic Plan visit imagine.paralympic.org.au
"The title is 'Imagine' because really what it's asking of us is to imagine what we can achieve in the future. Australia can be remembered for hosting the most inclusive Games the world has ever seen." – @APC_CEO
Find out more: https://t.co/t4ruPaOwAE#ImagineWhatWeCanDo pic.twitter.com/7nBP8VGMrx
— AUS Paralympic Team (@AUSParalympics) March 3, 2023
His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd)
Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia
His Excellency General the Honourable David John Hurley AC DSC (Retd) was sworn in as the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 July 2019.
David Hurley joined the Australian Army in January 1972, graduating from the Royal Military College, Duntroon into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. In a long and distinguished 42-year military career, his service culminated with his appointment as Chief of the Defence Force.
He commanded the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment during Operation SOLACE in Somalia in 1993, receiving the Distinguished Service Cross. Following promotion to Colonel, he was appointed Chief of Staff, Headquarters 1st Division in June 1994, attending the U.S. Army War College in 1996 and 1997. He commanded the 1st Brigade from 1999-2000 in Darwin, supporting Australian-led operations in East Timor. He was appointed the inaugural Chief of Capability Development Group from 2003-07, Chief of Joint Operations Command in October 2007, and Vice Chief of the Defence Force in July 2008. Promoted to General, he succeeded Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston as Chief of the Defence Force on 4 July 2011 until his retirement on 30 June 2014. In 2010, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to the Australian Defence Force.
Prior to being sworn in as Governor-General, David Hurley served as the 38th Governor of New South Wales from October 2014 – May 2019.
David Hurley was born in Wollongong, New South Wales on 26 August 1953, the son of Norma and James Hurley. His father was an Illawarra steelworker and his mother worked in a grocery store. He grew up in Port Kembla and attended Port Kembla High School where he completed his Higher School Certificate in 1971. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Graduate Diploma in Defence Studies from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1975. He is married to Linda with whom he has three children: Caitlin, Marcus and Amelia.
He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Wollongong in 2013; a Doctor of the University, honoris causa, from the University of New South Wales in 2015; made a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering in 2016; and awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Macquarie University in 2017.
