Disability Rights Now is published and available here

Posted Friday, 19th October 2012

For the first time ever, the United Nations is reviewing Australia's compliance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

Leading Disabled Persons and Human Rights Organisations in Australia have partnered to form a project group which has compiled the Disability Rights Now report. Rosemary Kayess from the AHRCentre has been member of the project group over the 3 years of consultation and drafting of the report. The aim of the report is to make recommendations to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to form the basis of the Committee's review of Australia in 2013.

Disability Rights Now, the Civil Society Report on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), presents the perspective of people with disability in relation to Australia’s human rights obligations. The report has been compiled from consultations with people with disability and their representative and advocacy organisations over the past three years. It also draws on reports, submissions and evidence produced by civil society involved in the protection and promotion of human rights for people with disability.

Australia is failing to meet the basic rights of people with disability in nearly all areas of life, including education, employment, access to health and support services, and participation in society, according to a landmark report prepared by a coalition of leading disability, human rights and community organisations. In many areas of life, people with disability in Australia remain significantly disadvantaged when compared with people without disability in other comparative countries. The Disability Rights Now report makes over 130 recommendations for all Australian governments ‑ both federal and state and territory ‑ to embed the rights, standards and obligations contained in the UN Disability Convention into all aspects of Australian law, policy and practice and improve the lives of people with disability around Australia.

Some of the key human rights issues highlighted in the Report include:

  • the lack of legal protection of human rights;
  • limitations of equality and non-discrimination laws;
  • inability to live independently and be included in the community;
  • lack of protection from exploitation, violence and abuse;
  • disproportionate impacts on particular groups, such as women and children with disability;
  • difficulties accessing education and employment;
  • unavailability of health services and support;
  • inadequate standard of living and high rates of poverty;
  • lack of access to justice and disproportionately high rates of contact with the criminal justice system.

 

Download a copy of the report here: http://doc.afdo.org.au/CRPD_Civil_Society_Report_PDF