Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - Opening Statement

Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 10th Session

Opening Statement – Commissioner Graeme Innes, Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission

Good afternoon Committee members, and thank you for the opportunity to appear before you.

Australia is a developed country which places importance on human rights issues.  Our Government has participated in the development of many United Nations human rights treaties, including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

In relative terms, Australia does reasonably well at protecting, respecting, and fulfilling human rights.  This is to be expected in view of the country's economic capacity, and the importance placed on human rights.  Accordingly, the comments of the Australian Human Rights Commission today and tomorrow will be focused on areas where there could be improvement.

The Commission is the National Human Rights Institution of Australia.  We have good working relationships with civil society and government, and share information as a basis for cooperation and progress in protecting, respecting and fulfilling the human rights of people with disability in Australia.

The Commission administers the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth).  This Act makes disability discrimination unlawful in a range of areas of public life, and aims to promote equal rights, opportunity and access for people with disabilities.  As Disability Discrimination Commissioner, my role includes education and awareness raising, and advice to government on the application of its laws and policies to people with disability.

Today I am participating in the interactive dialogue as a part of the Australian delegation, but with an independent role and the right to speak independently.

The Commission has provided information to the Committee.  This submission was drafted in response to a request for information from the Committee, and after a substantial amount of information was already before the Committee from Government and Civil Society.  Accordingly, our submission focused on recent work, and areas where there could be some improvement.

The Commission welcomes the opportunity to appear before the Committee, and thanks the Committee for inviting the Commission to submit information pursuant to Rule 51 of the Rules of Procedure.  In view of the importance of the role of organisations operating pursuant to the Paris Principles in the implementation of human rights treaties, the Commission looks forward to future cooperation with the Committee, and is available, subject to capacity to provide input to the Committee's important work.  Given Australia's geographical location, we encourage the Committee to investigate the use of technology, for example video-conferencing and Skype, as a means of facilitating cooperation with national human rights institutions.

The Australian Government has outlined significant recent areas of achievement.  These include our National Disability Insurance Scheme, accessible public transport, access to premises, access to services and facilities.  Further, our Parliament has recently inquired into forced or coerced sterilisation of people with disability, and inquiries into capacity and security and restraint have recently been announced.

However, there is less evidence of progress in other areas.

• access to justice for people with disability
• violence against women with disability in institutional settings and also involuntary and coerced sterilisation, and
• employment of people with disability.

The Commission has provided briefing notes on these issues, and I would be happy to comment on them at the appropriate time.  I am also available to answer questions of the Committee members on these and other issues, both in session and out of session.

Once again, thank you for this opportunity to appear before the Committee.