News
Members of the disability community are being asked to share their personal experiences as part of the Federal Government’s review of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 which was announced last week.
As part of its response to the Disability Royal Commission last July, the Australian Government committed to reviewing the Disability Discrimination Act to strengthen protections for people with disability and ensure it remains fit‑for‑purpose.
A total of $6.9 million has been committed to reassessing the Disability Discrimination Act with the intention of modernising the legislation, according to the Attorney General’s Department, the department in charge of the review.
Some of the issues under examination include whether the rights and obligations in relation to assistance animals are outlined clearly enough and the lack of prohibitions on harassment towards people with disability, according to the Review Paper.
While the issue has been somewhat addressed in the Disability Education Standards for Education 2005, and is definitively included in the Racial and Sex Discrimination Acts, the Disability Discrimination Act does not explicitly include a clause which prevents offensive behaviour or harassment towards the disability community, as stated in the Review Paper.
The disability community has played a crucial part in the various reviews and inquiries since the Disability Discrimination Act first became a part of the Australian legal system over three decades ago. As such, the Attorney General’s Department says it will draw on responses from prior submissions so that people with disability do not need to advocate again about the same issues and experiences.
That being said, Australians with disability, family, carers service providers and relevant professionals can also make new submissions by way of responding to questions outlined in the report or complete the shorter community survey. Anyone choosing to participate can submit their responses under their own name or remain anonymous, according to the Attorney General’s website.
The Review Paper is accompanied by an Auslan video, Easy Read and plain English versions of the paper’s summary, making it accessible for every individual.
Anyone participating in the Review can submit their statements in a variety of ways using written, audio, or video content, according to the Attorney General’s Portfolio.
Australia’s attorney-general, Michelle Rowland, is encouraging anyone with disability or has experience with disability to have their say.
The review of the Disability Discrimination Act is one important aspect of our response to the Disability Royal Commission – ensuring Commonwealth anti-discrimination legislation remains fit-for-purpose. The Albanese government is committed to working with the disability community to uphold the rights of Australians living with disability, while ensuring adequate protections exist to combat disability discrimination.
Michelle Rowland
Minister for Health, Disability, and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Mark Butler, backed up the Attorney General’s comments.
“Our government wants to ensure Australians living with a disability can access and participate in all parts of society on the same basis as people without disability.”
As this is only the first round for submissions, which close on the 24 October, those who are unable to contribute will have future opportunities to share their thoughts, according to the Attorney General’s website.
For those who wish to know more click here.