News

Commission – General

Envisaging a Fairer Australia: Everyone, Everywhere, Everyday

I would like to begin by acknowledging the Kaurna peoples on whose land we meet this evening. I also thank Katrina Power for her warm welcome to country.

Commission – General

"I'm the boss, so that's the way it is!"

I would like to begin by thanking the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) for inviting me to address you today, and to thank you for your attendance.

Disability Rights

Site navigation

About six weeks ago I had a dream in which I was about to give this presentation. As I was walking up to the lectern, I suddenly realised that I had forgotten to include anything about the National Arts and Disability Strategy. Not only had I forgotten to include it in my notes, but I couldn't remember a single thing about it. I started to imagine boos and hisses from the audience, projectile tomatoes, and (the presenter's worst nightmare) loud snores. But then, in the dream, I somehow knew that I could end it all by waking myself up. And that's what I did.

Disability Rights

Equal employment opportunity for people with disabilities: how to move from the theoretical to the actual

I congratulate EOPHEA for organising this discussion. Although, of course, your focus is primarily on employment in the university environment, the conference program is clearly designed to address equal opportunity issues of much more general significance. I have approached my own paper in the same spirit: I hope it will be particularly relevant in your own context as equity practitioners in higher education, but I have taken the opportunity to raise issues of wider relevance.

Disability Rights

The Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport: where are we?

I'd like to start by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Ngunnawal people, in whose language Canberra means meeting place as you probably know.

Disability Rights

Site navigation

Thank you Attorney General, and Minister Carr, and Parliamentary Secretary Shorten, for the invitation to participate in this launch of the Premises Standards. And thank you Ms Rein for your support of this important event. And its appropriate that the launch takes place in this building- one of the few in Australia with braille on its walls. Sadly, though, Qantas wouldn't let me bring my ladder on the plane, so I still haven't been able to read what it says. However, Google tells me that some quite subversive messages were put there.

Disability Rights

Site navigation

There are around 400 million people with disabilities in the Asia and Pacific region. Over 40 per cent of these people are living in poverty. These people are prevented from accessing entitlements that are available to other members of their society such as health, food, education and employment.

Disability Rights

Getting it right - a baker's dozen

Read a speech that highlights the importance of the design and construction of buildings and to ensure equal access to people with a disability.

Disability Rights

Australian Institute of Building Surveyors Conference

I would like to start by thanking Bill Burns and the NSW AIBS for this invitation to address your annual conference on an issue that over the next few years is going to see significant changes in the way we design, construct and manage the buildings we use for work, education, entertainment and service delivery.

Disability Rights

"Healthy Solutions for Children: Making the Right Choice"

I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we stand, the Eora People, and pay my respects to their elders both past and present, and in particular, Aunty Gloria.

Disability Rights

Local Government - gatekeepers to a more accessible community

I also acknowledge Ms Jenny Merkus, President of the Local Government Community Services Association of Australia (LGCSAA). I would like to congratulate Jenny and other members of the conference planning committee who have put together a varied and exciting program of speakers. I also acknowledge Mayors, councillors and distinguished guests and speakers who have travelled from around Australia to be here.

Disability Rights

Deafness Forum Annual general meeting

Thank you for this opportunity to address your AGM. These events are important times for community organisations such as yours as they provide an opportunity to celebrate your achievements, refresh your organisation and recognise the hard work of staff, your Board and the membership in general.

Disability Rights

CAPTIONED FILMS LAUNCH

A picture paints a thousand words, but most Australians gave up watching silent movies in the first half of the last century. However, for 1.7 million Australians who are Deaf or hearing impaired this is a historic day. For them it marks the beginning of access to the soundtracks of movies - access that most of us have enjoyed for all of our lives.

Disability Rights

Disability discrimination legislation and its implementation (1997)

When I was invited to prepare this paper, Andrew Byrnes encouraged me to concentrate on drawing out strategic thoughts from the Australian experience which might be relevant in Hong Kong , and perhaps in other countries also. That is what I hope to do, rather than spending much time simply reciting that experience or the terms of Australia 's legislation.

Sex Discrimination

Ausyouth Conference 2001

The creation of Ausyouth is an initiative that clearly picks up on the real-life needs of today's youth, an initiative that has the potential to foster the building blocks of a progressive caring society, and from a human rights perspective, it's an initiative that addresses some of Australia's obligations with respect to international instruments, to which we as a nation are committed.