International Guide Dog Day 2015: Sydney launch of the ‘It’s time to end Guide Dog discrimination’ campaign

Thank you Graeme for that introduction, and good morning everyone.

I am very pleased to be here. Guide dogs play a vital role in the lives of people who are blind or vision impaired, which is why it is so important to end discrimination against guide dog users.

Last year at the Australian Human Rights Commission we undertook a National Disability Survey, which asked people with disability and their carers what they saw as the most important human rights issues facing people with disability in Australia. Participation in society and access to employment were identified as priorities.

Guide dogs allow people who are blind or vision impaired to be independent and stay safe in the community as they go about their daily lives, going to work, to the supermarket or even to lunch at a restaurant. This kind of discrimination acts as a barrier to people’s full participation in society, and it must stop.

At the Australian Human Rights Commission we often hear stories of people being discriminated against because they are accompanied by a guide dog and it appears that many people are simply not aware of the law in respect of guide dogs.

In one fairly typical case, a restaurant refused to book a table for a person who was going to be accompanied by his guide dog. The complaint was brought to the Commission and conciliated, with the restaurant apologising to the person and agreeing to provide staff with anti-discrimination training and donating a small sum of money to an agreed charity.

It’s unfortunate that a conciliation process is necessary to achieve this type of understanding and that is why campaigns like this, which raise public awareness, are so important.

With disability reform as prominent in Australia as it’s ever been through the development of schemes such as the NDIS, the opportunity to enhance a range of areas that directly affect the lives of people with disability, their families and indeed the entire community is upon us.

Over the next year, the Commission will be conducting a national inquiry to look at the barriers to employment for people with disability, as well as older people, and propose recommendations to increase employment opportunities for those Australians currently excluded from work due to age or disability.

I would be surprised if we don’t receive any submissions indicating the importance of guide dogs for some people with disability, in opening up options for participation in employment.

I congratulate this great initiative and the work of Guide Dogs NSW, and I look forward to following the campaign as it progresses.

Thank you.