Disability

People with disability, their families and carers, should be able to actively participate in policy, service planning and delivery.

Principles

The Australian Greens believe that:

  1. All people have a right to independence, self-determination and choice in their lives. Disability policy and law is a matter of human rights, as well as individual health and well-being.
  2. People who experience physical, intellectual, cognitive or psychiatric disability, and their families and carers, to actively participate in all levels of policy, service planning and delivery and evaluation, including their own.
  3. A healthy, functioning society embraces diversity and removes barriers to provide for equitable access and participation by all.
  4. It is a responsibility of governments to ensure substantive equality and equal opportunity, to promote attitudinal change, and to provide funding to ensure this in all areas including education, health, housing, mobility, employment, transport and sport, cultural and social engagement.
  5. The inclusion of people with disabilities and valuing their contribution should be an important part of Australian culture and society.
  6. There must be adequate, ongoing, fully indexed funding for high quality, lifetime care and support for people with a disability, which is sufficient to meet their needs, regardless of how or where the person acquired a disability or where they live.
  7. People with disability should have meaningful and ongoing input into the planning of government services.
  8. Disability services should be individualised, self-directed, age-appropriate and culturally appropriate.
  9. Society should be free of harassment, abuse, vilification, stigmatisation, discrimination, disadvantage or exploitation on the basis of disability.
  10. Government has a responsibility to display ongoing leadership in fulfilling its obligations under international disability rights instruments. 

Aims

The Australian Greens want:

  1. Full opportunity for people to participate in all aspects of life, including education, training and employment, regardless of ability, taking account of specific needs.
  2. An ongoing and fully funded national disability insurance scheme that provides life-time care and support to people living with disability, regardless of how they acquired their disability or where they live.
  3. Access for people to appropriate facilities and support in order to undertake their chosen activities regardless of ability.
  4. Strong and well-funded individual and systemic disability advocacy services.
  5. Sustained funding for disability sector organisations with a focus on developing innovative and inclusive models of service.
  6. Access to free legal advice and advocacy where disability limits the individual's capacity to put their case forward.
  7. Community education programs to promote public awareness of human diversity, disability, and to prevent discrimination affecting people with a disability.
  8. A guaranteed and adequate income for people with a disability and their carers to cover living, medical, transport, equipment and accommodation costs and support services.
  9. Greater national legislative protection for people with a disability including giving the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) greater powers in discrimination complaints, and the ability to initiate complaints to enable systemic change and lessen the onus on individuals to make complaints.
  10. The retention of a full-time Disability Discrimination Commissioner position at the Australian Human Rights Commission.
  11. To actively implement the articles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disability and other international disability rights instruments.
  12. Implementation of stronger national access standards.
  13. Adequate funding for high quality, culturally, linguistically and age-appropriate care for people with very high or complex care needs, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people in remote and rural areas with disabilities.
  14. Sufficient respite care services and facilities, in-home and emergency support, crisis accommodation and a range of accommodation options.
  15. Accessible and affordable housing that enables people with disability to have flexible and appropriate options that allow them to live in and as a part of the community.
  16. Alternative accommodation for young people with disability living in residential aged care facilities.
  17. Pathways that support school leavers with disability to make the transition from school into meaningful employment, educational and vocational programs or other community-based activities.
  18. Improved pay, conditions, support and career structures for people with disabilities.
  19. Improvements in workforce conditions for disability support workers, supported by improved award wages and conditions, access to training and fair pricing for support services.
  20. National leadership on addressing abuse, neglect and violence towards people with disability and appropriate complaints and redress processes.
  21. The extension of anti-vilification laws to include vilification on the basis of disability.