To the Australian Human Rights Commission  
 
Please protect those less fortunate in our community . We have a 
collective responsibility to work to include disabled people in every 
aspect of life.  
 
 I am  objecting to the recent application made by Village Roadshow, Greater Union, Hoyts and 
Reading Cinemas requesting exemption from the Disability Discrimination Act for a period of 
two and a half years.  
   
This means that Australians who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind and vision impaired stand to 
lose their right to complain to the Australian Human Rights Commission about the lack of 
provision of captioning and audio description at any of the 125 cinemas (1182 screens) owned by 
these four exhibitors.  
   
A key element of the Rudd Government’s National Arts and Disability Strategy is to:  
   
Explore opportunities to enhance accessibility and inclusive practices in the film, television and 
broadcast industry. This may include programs in Auslan and efforts to increase captioning and 
audio-description services, particularly for government funded films, and promoting international 
best practice models which support casting artists with a disability. (Focus area 4. Strategic 
development, 9. Film, television and broadcast industry)  
www.cmc.gov.au/publications/nationalartsanddisabilitystrategy 
Luljeta Zyka