WWDA NEWS
Issue 2, 2009
© ISSN: 1836-7739
Welcome to Issue 2, 2009 of WWDA NEWS – the quarterly Newsletter of Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA)
Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA) is the peak organisation for women with all types of disabilities in Australia. It is a not-for-profit organisation constituted and driven by women with disabilities. It is the only organisation of its kind in Australia and one of only a very small number internationally. WWDA is inclusive and does not discriminate against any disability. WWDA is unique, in that it operates as a national disability organisation; a national women's organisation; and a national human rights organisation (more information about WWDA can be found at the organisation’s extensive website:
If you have any questions, or would like more information on anything in this Newsletter, please email Carolyn or Shirley at: .
Previous Newsletters and Update Reports are available on the WWDA website at:
PO Box 605, Rosny Park,
Tasmania 7018 AUSTRALIA
Ph: +61 3 62448288
Email:
Web:
In This Issue:
WWDASubmission to the National Human Rights Consultation...... 3
WWDAPolicy Paper: ‘Parenting Issues for Women with Disabilities in Australia’...... 4
WWDA Submission to the Study into an Independent Disability Equipment Program...... 5
WWDA Submission to the National Broadband Network Discussion Paper...... 5
WWDA Submission to the Review of Consumer-related Industry Code Processes...... 5
Violence Prevention Update...... 6
WWDA provides evidence at the Pay Equity Inquiry Hearings...... 11
The National Women’s Health Policy...... 12
Report on Draft Premises Standards Released...... 12
Harmonisation of Disability Parking Permit Schemes in Australia...... 13
Global Assistive Reporting Initiative (GARI) launched...... 13
Christopher Newell Memorial Prize launched...... 14
Advances in disability and human rights legislation welcomed...... 14
WWDA Article: 'Brave New World?...... 15
Australian Disability & Indigenous Peoples' Education Fund (ADIPEF) launched...... 19
Family Picnic – By Peggy Bogar...... 20
Migrants with Disability and the 10 Year Qualifying Residence Period...... 21
The Spiritus Alina Program...... 21
The Victorian Women and Mental Health Network...... 22
Concluding Observations of the Committee on Economic, Social Cultural Rights...... 22
Resources – Books, Reports, Websites, Lists...... 23
New on the WWDA Website...... 28
News Wanted for WWDA-News!...... 28
Join WWDA!...... 28
1.WWDA Submission to the National Human Rights Consultation
On 10 December 2008, the 60th anniversary of the adoption by the United Nations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the Australian Government launched a national public consultation about the legal recognition and protection of human rights and responsibilities in Australia. An independent Committee was established by the Government to undertake the nationwide consultation. The Committee is to report to the Australian Government by 31 August 2009 on the issues raised and the options identified for the Government to consider in order to enhance the protection and promotion of human rights. The Terms of Reference for the consultation included three questions for the Australian community to consider:
- Which human rights (including corresponding responsibilities) should be protected and promoted?
- Are these human rights currently sufficiently protected and promoted?
- How could Australia better protect and promote human rights?
The Terms of Reference also specified that the options identified should preserve the sovereignty of the Parliament and not include a constitutionally entrenched bill of rights.
WWDA developed a Submission to the National Human Rights Consultation in May. WWDA's Submission highlights the fact that although Australia has embraced and ratified a number of international human rights treaties and instruments affirming its commitment to protect and promote the human rights of women and girls (including women and girls with disabilities), in practice, they have had little bearing on improving the human rights of women and girls with disabilities in Australia - who continue to experience serious violations of their human rights, as well as failures to promote and fulfil their rights. WWDA's Submission focuses on several key human rights where there are continuing abuses against women with disabilities in Australia, including for example:
- The right to bodily integrity
- The right to freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse
- The right to an adequate standard of living, including adequate housing
- The right to found a family and to reproductive freedom
- The right to freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
- The right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- The right to work
WWDA’s Submission gives an overview of each of these rights in the context of gender and disability, and clearly demonstrates that the human rights of women with disabilities in Australia are not currently sufficiently protected and promoted.
WWDA’s Submission has been widely disseminated and has been sent formally to the members of the Standing Committee of Attorney’s-General (SCAG) - the national ministerial council made up of the Australian Attorney-General and the State and Territory Attorneys-General. SCAG provides a forum for Attorneys-General to discuss and progress matters of mutual interest, and seeks to achieve uniform or harmonised action within the portfolio responsibilities of its members. WWDA has called on the Standing Committee of Attorney’s-General (SCAG) to give thorough consideration to the issues raised in WWDA’s Submission, particularly those areas where there is a patent and urgent need for law reform.
WWDA’s Submission to the National Human Rights Consultation is available from the WWDA website. It can be accessed at in either a PDF version (780 KB) or a Word version (580 KB). Alternatively, if you would like a copy emailed to you, please contact
In June, the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) lodged its submission to the National Human Rights Consultation, formalising its key recommendation that the Australian Parliament should enact a national Human Rights Act.Commission President, Catherine Branson QC said, “Australia needs a system of government which makes sure that all people, no matter who they are, what they do, or where they live, have a safety net to protect their fundamental human rights, and a Human Rights Act would assist achievement of this aim”.President Branson said a Human Rights Act would work to prevent human rights problems before they occur because:
- Parliament would be asked to consider human rights when making new laws;
- the Australian Government would be required to respect human rights when developing policy, making decisions and delivering services;
- federal courts and tribunals would have to take human rights into account when interpreting laws;
- if a federal court found that a law was inconsistent with human rights, Parliament would be notified and required to respond; and
- individuals whose human rights were breached would be able to seek remedies.
In over two decades of experience consulting with people in Australia about their human rights concerns, Human Rights Commissioner, Graeme Innes said the Commission has clearly heard that people care about their fundamental human rights and think that there should be better protection of these rights.“Human rights should be considered every time a government law, policy or other decision is made,” Commissioner Innes said. “A Human Rights Act would not only help promote the development of a culture of respect for human rights in Australia, it would also introduce greater transparency and accountability into our system of government.”
The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)Submission to theNational Human Rights Consultationis available from the AHRC website at:
Alternatively, if you would like a copy emailed to you, please contact
2.WWDA Policy Paper: 'Parenting Issues for Women with Disabilities in Australia'
WWDA’s Policy Paper on ‘Parenting Issues for Women With Disabilities’ was published in May 2009. The Paper canvasses issues relating to parenting for women with disabilities in Australia, and stems from the identified concerns of the members of Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA), along with the dearth of Australian research in the area.
The right to found a family and to reproductive freedom is clearly articulated in a number of international human rights treaties to which Australia is a signatory. Yet, for many women with disabilities in Australia who are parents or seeking to become parents, these fundamental human rights are not achievable.
Instead, as WWDA's Policy Paper demonstrates, disabled women experience a range of barriers and restrictions in realising their rights to full reproductive freedoms, particularly their right to found and raise a family. These economic, social and environmental barriers and restrictions are many, varied, and entrenched - yet remain largely ignored in Australian family related research, legislation, policies, and services. WWDA’s Paper covers a range of themes and issues, including:
- discriminatory attitudes and prejudicial assumptions
- lack of access to information, services and support
- dependence versus Independence
- service providers lack of knowledge & understanding of disabled women’s maternity needs
- lack of/inequitable access to assisted reproductive technologies
- removal and/or threat of removal of babies/children by authorities
- lack of research and data
The paper examines parenting, gender & disability within a human rights context and highlights the obligations of the Australian Government in relation to the many human rights treaties and instruments it has ratified and endorsed. WWDA's Policy Paper includes a number of key recommendations to the Australian Government, in particular the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA), which is the Australian Government's principal source of advice on social policy.
WWDA’s Policy Paper on ‘Parenting Issues for Women With Disabilities’ is available from the WWDA website. It can be accessed at in either a PDF version (400 KB) or a Word version (350 KB). Alternatively, if you would like a copy emailed to you, please contact
3.WWDASubmission to the Feasibility Study into an Independent Disability Equipment Program
On 16 February 2009, Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, announced that his Department would undertake a feasibility study into whether a disability equipment program that is independent of telecommunications carriers should be established. A discussion paper was prepared around the Terms of Reference for the study, and outlined some of the key issues relating to the supply of specialised telecommunications equipment to people with disabilities. In April, WWDAcompleted its Submission to the Feasibility Study into an Independent Disability Equipment Program.
WWDA’s Submission supports the establishment of an Independent Disability Equipment Program and argues that its operation will enhance the lives of persons with disabilities and improve the establishment of an inclusive Australian society.
WWDA’s Submission to the Feasibility Study into an Independent Disability Equipment Program is available from the WWDA website. It can be accessed at in either a PDF version (250 KB) or a Word version (200 KB). Alternatively, if you would like a copy emailed to you, please contact
4.WWDA Submission to the National Broadband Network: Regulatory Reform for 21st Century Broadband Discussion Paper
On 7 April 2009 the Australian Government announced that it was seeking views on options for reforming the existing telecommunications regime to make it work more effectively, particularly during the transition to the National Broadband Network. A discussion paper was released inviting comment from interested parties by June 2009. The Discussion Paper outlined various reform options that the Government is considering to reform the telecommunications regulatory framework.
WWDA completed its Submission to the National Broadband Network: Regulatory Reform for 21st Century Broadband Discussion Paper in April 2009. The Submission is available from the WWDA website. It can be accessed at in either a PDF version (250 KB) or a Word version (220 KB). Alternatively, if you would like a copy emailed to you, please contact
5.WWDA Submission to the Review of Consumer-related Industry Code Processes
On 31 March 2009 the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy, announced a review of the processes used to develop and review consumer-related industry codes made under Part 6 of the Telecommunications Act 1997. Input was invited from interested parties on ways to reform these processes to make them more efficient, effective and responsive.
WWDA completed its Submission to the Review of Consumer-related Industry Code Processes in May 2009. The Submission is available from the WWDA website. It can be accessed at in either a PDF version (270 KB) or a Word version (220 KB). Alternatively, if you would like a copy emailed to you, please contact
6.Violence Prevention Update
6.1.National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children
Throughout 2008, the National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children undertook consultations around Australia to inform the development of a National Plan of Action to reduce the incidence and impact of domestic and family violence and sexual assault on women and their children. In April 2009, the National Council released its report entitled Time for Action: The National Council’s Plan for Australia to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, 2009-2021. The report contains the Council’s recommendations for a National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women, which is to be developed and agreed by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), and will be launched in 2010.
The Australian Government has committed to immediately implement eleven of the twenty high-priority actions requiring an urgent response that were identified by the National Council in Time for Action. The eleven actions include:
- Development of a national primary prevention framework;
- Reducing overcrowding in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities;
- Supporting men who oppose violence against women;
- Building the capacity of the prevention education field;
- Implementing and evaluating educational programs that encourage respectful relationships;
- Implementing reforms as put forward in The Road Home: A National Approach to Reducing Homelessness;
- Establishment of a professional national telephone and online crisis support service;
- Ensuring children exposed to violence do not have their safety or wellbeing compromised;
- Making a reference to the Australian Law Reform Commission to examine the integration of domestic violence, child protection and federal family law;
- Establishing cooling-off places for men in remote communities;
- Funding and delivering a perpetrator research agenda.
As part of this commitment, the Australian Government is funding a new package of actions to reduce violence against women, including for example:
- $12.5 million for a new national domestic violence and sexual assault telephone and online crisis service;
- $26 million for primary prevention activities;
- $3 million to support research on perpetrator treatment and the greater harmonisation of Federal and State and Territory laws;
- Establish a national scheme for the registration of domestic and familyviolence orders; improve the uptake of relevant coronial recommendations; and identify the most effective methods to investigate and prosecutesexual assault cases;
- Develop a multi-disciplinary training package for professionals working in the family law system;
- Examine the inter-relationship of Federal and State and Territory laws that relate to the safety of women and their children;
- Establish the Violence Against Women Advisory Group to advise on the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women.
In May 2009, WWDA wrote to the Federal Minister for the Status of Women (Hon Tanya Plibersek) to reiterate our position that when established, the Violence Against Women Advisory Group must be inclusive of women with disabilities.WWDA has consistently articulated to Government the importance of representation of women with disabilities on such a structure. WWDA has received widespread support for our position on this issue, and this is reflected in the Time for Action Report (p.162):
The National Council also recommends that a national council continue to play a role in providing advice to the Australian Government on ways to reduce violence against women and their children and on the implementation of the Plan of Action. The National Council acknowledges that during its program of consultation, many voices called for representation from women with disabilities on the National Council...... The composition of any future national council is a matter for Government, but the National Council supports these calls for increased representation in the composition of any future council.
WWDA further advocated to the Minister the need for the Violence Against Women Advisory Group to establish mechanisms to consult with women with disabilities on the implementation of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women.
As part of its Submission to the National Council to Reduce Violence against Women, WWDA strongly recommended the urgent need for a national accessibility audit of crisis accommodation services (such as refuges) for women with disabilities. This recommendation was picked up by the National Council in its Time for Action Report, and the Australia Government has ‘agreed to consult with the States and Territories to develop a national response’ to the issue. WWDA will be writing to the Minister to seek clarification on the national accessibility audit of crisis accommodation services, as this was not one of the eleven high-priority actions the Australian Government ageed to immediately implement.
As part of its task to provide the Government with advice on the development of an evidence-based National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, the National Council developed five documents for the Government:
- Time for Action: The National Council’s Plan for Australia to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, 2009–2021;
- A Snapshot to Time for Action;
- Background Paper to Time for Action;
- The Cost of Violence against Women and their Children; and
- An Analysis of Domestic Violence Laws in Australia.
These five documents are available on the Office for Women (OFW) website at:
WWDA also has Word versions of each of the documents, as well as a small number of hard copy large print versions. If anyone would like a copy of any of the documents, please contact WWDA at: