disability rights update

Disability Rights update: August 2005

Published 23 August 2005. Other recent editions: June 2005; April 2005; March 2005; November 2004; September 2004; July 2004 . Material from older editions is incorporated in HREOC's annual reports available online.

About this update

This Update from Acting Disability Discrimination Commissioner Dr Sev Ozdowski is a slightly edited version of his regular disability rights project report for meetings of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. It is published as close as possible to Commission meetings, which are generally held 6 to 8 weeks apart. Events are notified first in the What s New section of the Disability Rights home page, so check there if you want to keep fully up to date.

You can subscribe to our email list to be notified when new editions of this update are issued and when other major developments occur, by sending a blank message to join-drupdate@list.humanrights.gov.au

Your comments on any project or issue are welcome, preferably sent by e-mail. Contact us at: disabdis@humanrights.gov.au , or by mail to Disability Rights Unit, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 1042.

Employment issues

An Interim Report was released on 19 August. It will be distributed principally by electronic means. Since its launch on 4 March 2005, the Inquiry has

published five Issues Papers ( Issues Paper 1: Employment and disability: The statistics; Issues Paper 2: Employment and disability: The issues for people with a disability; Issues Paper 3: Employment and disability: The issues for employers; Issues Paper 4: Employment and disability: Commonwealth Government assistance; Issues Papers 5: Mapping of Commonwealth Government Services: Stage One of the Information Gathering Exercise);
received 133 written submissions; and
conducted five group consultations ( Canberra - 15 March 2005: Federal government consultation; Sydney - 31 March 2005: Inter-sector consultation; Melbourne - 7 April 2005: Inter-sector consultation; Brisbane - 22 April 2005: Employer-only consultation; Sydney - 7 July 2005: Employer-only consultation).

Details of these activities have been published on the HREOC website.

I took the opportunity during the August sessions of the United Nations committee on a Convention on human rights and disability to convene a workshop of experts on employment issues to discuss issues identified by the Inquiry to date.

For the remaining period of the Inquiry, I intend that we should focus on implementation of the 'Next Steps' as set out in Chapter 8 of the Interim Report: development of a one-stop information shop (Interim Recommendations 1 and 2); improving the Workplace Modifications Scheme (Interim Recommendation 10); development of a model for providing ongoing support to employers and employers with disability (Interim Recommendations 16 and 17); developing a model for flexible workplaces (Interim Recommendation 18); developing a model for work trials (Interim Recommendation 14); developing a pilot project to identify any risks associated with occupational health and safety laws, disability discrimination laws and industrial relations laws (Interim Recommendation 12); research on international models for increasing participation and employment (Interim Recommendation 4), and research on international models for government procurement policies (Interim Recommendation 23).

The final report of the Inquiry will summarise the outcomes of the 'Next Steps' of the Inquiry and any other feedback received in response to the Interim Report.

Mental Health consultations

A release date is still being finalised for the report of the consultations which we held last year jointly with the Mental Health Council of Australia and the Brain and Mind Research Institute. Thanks are due to our colleagues at MHCA and BMRI and to HREOC staff, in particular our webmaster Jo Kay, for their assistance in preparation for publication of a much larger report than was anticipated at the commencement of this process, which has already had a positive impact in public debate and budget considerations by a number of governments.

Education

The Disability Standards for Education entered into force on 18 August, when 15 sitting days elapsed from the tabling of the Standards. We are dealing with a range of requests for advice from and presentations to education providers and other interested parties.

Health access

I hosted a successful meeting on 29 June looking at access to private health services for people with disabilities. The meeting was initiated by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and included representatives from national disability advocacy groups and medical practitioners with a particular interest in this area. The discussions included follow-up to last years Health Access Forum, the review of the RACGP General Practitioner Standards and research on the Medicare Benefits Payment Schedule. A report on the outcomes of the meeting and follow-up action is being prepared and will be posted on our website as soon as possible.

Access to Premises

I am continuing to liaise with the Attorney General's Department and other members of the Building Access Policy Committee while we await further information from the Australian Building Codes Board on progress with the project of development of disability standards on access to premises. I understand that work is being undertaken on a revised Regulation Impact Statement based on proposals recommended by the Board.

Convention on human rights and disability

I attended the 5 th session of the United Nations Ad Hoc Committee working on a draft Convention on human rights and disability in New York from 1-12 August. As on previous occasions together with my role as part of the Australian Government delegation it was possible to work closely with representative of national institutions, particularly the Asia Pacific Forum. I will report further on progress at our meeting. (Mr Innes also attended but as a consultant to the Attorney-General's Department rather than in a HREOC capacity.)

Productivity Commission inquiry

An initial informal meeting was held in July between officers from HREOC and the Attorney-General's Department to commence work on implementation of the Government's response to the Productivity Commission review of the DDA and to identifying any associated amendments to the DDA which might appropriately be pursued as part of the same process. The Department indicated that they found discussions very helpful and would be writing more formally in the near future to seek further input.

Cinema Captioning

The new technology system (DTS) for projecting open captions onto new release feature films is now operating in 10 cinemas throughout Australia. A formal launch of the new system is due to take place later in the year. A number of strategies to encourage other local cinemas to pick up the new system are being developed by the responsible committee and I am confident we will see a growth in the program as local communities establish partnerships to secure the necessary funds. I am also hopeful that discussions with the Film Finance Corporation about captioning Australian produced films will re-commence.

Accessible Tourism

Disability Rights policy staff participated in a workshop on the development of research priorities for accessible tourism recently. The workshop was held as part of a conference on Sustainable Tourism and included a broad cross section of Government agencies, tourism operators and people with disabilities. We proposed a number of possible areas for research and action which are listed in a presentation now available on our website.

Accessible electronic financial services

On 7 July I released a report on a review of the uptake of the Australian Bankers' Association industry standards on accessible ATMs. EFTPOS, telephone and internet banking. The report found that while significant resources are being allocated to improving services customers with disabilities were yet to experience the real benefits of the improvements. The ABA also released an update of its members' progress in addressing the standards and I will continue to work with the ABA , its members and other financial institutions over the next few months to ensure the progress to date continues.

CDS Review

The Second Phase of the review of the Commonwealth Disability Strategy (CDS) has begun after FACS appointed consultants to undertake research, assessment and consultation on the effects of the strategy. While I participated on the Steering Committee during Phase One of this project I was disappointed to find out only recently that the Steering Committee would no longer be operating. I have sought clarification on the actual tasks of the consultants and the ongoing role for my office in this review.

Recent meetings / speeches / media

20 June: Briefings on employment inquiry, Canberra
23 June: Meetings on mental health issues, Canberra
29 June: RACGP workshop on health access, Sydney (Cmr Ozdowski, DepCmr Innes, Mr Small)
1 July: interview Sunday times, Perth re mental health
7 July: CEOE members consultation, Sydney : re employment inquiry (with Ms Lesnie, Ms Ricci)
7 July: Media release: review of accessible banking
11 July: Small towns conference, Bendigo : presentation on rural mental health issues
11 July: Accessible Housing consultation, Sydney (Mr Small)
12 July: Accessible Tourism, Sydney (Mr Small)
13 July: Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Disability Advisory Group, Melbourne : briefing on employment inquiry
14 July: CEOE 20 th anniversary event, Melbourne
14 July: Discussion with Attorney-General's Department of DDA review implementation, Sydney (Dep Cmr Innes, Mr Mason, Ms Toohey, Ms O'Brien)
18 July: Cinema Captioning Committee, Sydney (Mr Small)
21 July: Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Sydney
27 July: Press release on youth mental health foundation
27 July: Meetings re mental health report, Canberra
28 July: Regional radio interview (Townsville) re youth mental health issues
29 July: Press release on improved hotel/motel access for hearing impaired customers
1-12 August: 6 th session, Ad hoc Committee on a Convention on human rights and disability ( New York )
3 August: Briefing by ACCI on employer issues re employment inquiry, Sydney (Ms Lesnie, Ms Ricci, Mr Mason)
11 Aug: Meeting on CDS review, Sydney (Mr Mason, Mr Small)

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