People with Disabilities ACT (PWDACT) – Federal Election 2019 position statement
PWDACT calls on the Commonwealth Government to:
- Provide uncapped incentives to State and Territory governments to include all children with disabilities in mainstream schools. When we talk about inclusive education, we do not mean segregated, separate or self-contained programs or classes for students with disability or learning or behavioural difficulties in schools. Our work is guided by a human rights framework including the principles embodied in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
- Ensure data collected by the Commonwealth in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on Students With A Disability (NCCD, https://www.nccd.edu.au/) continues to be made publicly available, and is produced in a format accessible to people with disabilities and parents. This is essential from a transparency perspective, as well as for educators, policy-makers, advocates and planners.
- Conduct a nation-wide review to ensure a properly funded transport network for people with disabilities under the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (Transport Standards). Specifically, we want to know what mechanisms will be in place to fund transport so that any shortfall in State/Territories is not taken from people’s individual National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) packages.
- Amend the national building code to mandate housing accessibility to Gold Standard
- Take a lead role in enabling people with disabilities to obtain finance to own their own homes where banks would not lend to them. Create a federally funded scheme via the NDIS for the Commonwealth to go guarantor (or similar) for people with financial capacity.
- Provide uncapped funding for modifications and adaptive equipment, and a less bureaucratic system to obtain such equipment, to allow people with disabilities to be included in all aspects of society. For example, people who need mobility aids, hearing or visual aids, or assistive information technology should be able to access such equipment easily and relatively stress-free.
- Legislate for mandatory accessibility training for all employers nationally, and require larger employers to appoint an Inclusion Officer in the workplace.
- Commit to implementing the next Commonwealth Disability Strategy in all areas of Commonwealth responsibility. For example:
- a migration policy which does not apply the health check to exclude people with disabilities because of a disability of the individual or a family member.
- Reforms to the Electoral Act to give people who are blind a secret, independent and verifiable vote.
I am happy to discuss any of the above, and welcome contact with my details below.
Rachel Sirr
Executive Officer, People with Disabilities ACT
Rachel.sirr@pwdact.org.au
02 6286 4223
0410 881 775
