A New Disability Rights Act (Video Available)
This special online session of the Disability Research Community of Practice is co-hosted by the Disability Law Network and supported by the Melbourne Social Equity Institute.
View the recording and download the captions from the session below.
Host and Moderator:
Kirsten Deane, Melbourne Disability Institute
Panellists:
Dr Alastair McEwin AM, Royal Commissioner and Australia's Disability Discrimination Commissioner from 2016-2019
Micheline Lee, Disability activist and author of the Quarterly Essay, Lifeboat: Disability, Humanity and the NDIS
Natalie Wade, Founder and principal lawyer of Equality Lawyers
El Gibbs, Award-winning writer and disability activist
Further Resources
Free and Equal: Human Rights Act Message Guide
How to talk about human rights
Event Description
The rights of people with disability in Australia are protected by a variety of laws - some international - like the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (UNCRPD) - and others national - such as the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
Despite the rights enshrined in these laws and the length of time they have been in place, people with disability in Australia routinely continue to experience discrimination, segregation, violence and abuse. The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability shone a terrible spotlight on the daily experience of discrimination and marginalisation of many people with disability - and for others horrific experiences of violence and abuse.
Many people with disability and their supporters shared and relived their pain and trauma with the Commission in the hopes of seeing an end to both systemic and individual discrimination and abuse. In response the Commission has recommended a wide raft of reforms - including the introduction of a new Disability Rights Act.
In this session our panellists will discuss the recommendations of the Royal Commission and talk about what they think needs to be done to ensure people with disability are able to enjoy the same rights and opportunities as others in the Australian community. The panel will talk about what work needs to be done to ensure that the rights outlined in our existing laws are able to realised in practice - and how a new Act may contribute.