Foresight not oversight
On behalf of the Commission I'm very pleased to receive the C & W Optus Disability Discrimination Action Plan. It's a great way to celebrate this International Day of People with Disabilities.
On behalf of the Commission I'm very pleased to receive the C & W Optus Disability Discrimination Action Plan. It's a great way to celebrate this International Day of People with Disabilities.
I want to talk today about the relationship between the lofty principles of international law on human rights and the practical realities for people with a disability in Australia.
The fact that CEOE is conducting this forum in itself indicates that disability is widely seen by business as presenting significant occupational health and safety (OH&S) issues. And certainly, concerns related to occupational health and safety are widely experienced by people with disabilities as barriers to equal opportunity in employment.
I wrote the title for this presentation almost a year ago when I was first asked to give it. I came back to it two weeks ago to write the actual paper and thought "what does this mean?"
I recently returned from attending a United Nations meeting, where work is progressing on the development of an International Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.
Address By Graeme Innes Deputy Disability Discrimination Commissioner to the Conference Of The Roundtable For People With A Print Disability 22 May 2000
Disability Discrimination Commissioner Dr Ben Gauntlett's keynote speech at the ACCC International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) Conference Dinner in 2023.
I want to start, though, by talking for a few minutes about the broader legislative context under the Disability Discrimination Act and about what all of this is for in terms of achieving access and inclusion.
I'm sure that I'm not the only person with a disability who has experienced the lonely path of advocacy. As we find it necessary to advocate for our right to be able to read the same information as the rest of society, or to enter a building through the same door, or take a guide dog to the same restaurant, we can also find ourselves agreeing with the next line of the song, "two can be as bad as one".
I have called this paper "the right to belong", and it is with this idea that I wish to begin my address to you this afternoon, before discussing in more detail the current state of the law in relation to disability discrimination.
Attorney-General, conference delegates. Before I commence my presentation today I would like to thank Discrimination Alert and Occupational Health News for organising this very important forum to discuss recent changes in law and policy and the impact of these changes on equal employment opportunities for Australians and health and safety in our workplaces.
Introduction Distinctive features of the DDA Definition of disability Standards Limits of standards Action plans Focus of legislation on long term and large scale change Exemptions Complaint processes Courts and the role of anti-discrimination agencies
Comprehensive Area Psychiatrists Special Interest Group Rozelle Hospital Dr Sev Ozdowski OAM Human Rights Commissioner and Acting Disability Discrimination Commissioner May 17 2005
Dr Sev Ozdowski OAM Human Rights Commissioner and Disability Discrimination Commissioner Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission, Sydney, Australia
I have to admit that two months ago when I took the title " The Disability Discrimination Act and the continuing battle for equal rights for people with a disability" for my paper today I was not attaching great importance to the precise words of that title.
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