Disability enews | Issue 6

Issue 6 | 11 February 2014.  View original format.

Thank you

We’d like to thank everyone who sent us submissions in response to the Issues Paper released late last year. All up we’ve received around 80 submissions, and these will help guide our thinking as we work towards the next consultation document – the Discussion Paper. Submissions are available for public viewing on our website.


If you missed out on this opportunity to contribute to the Disability Inquiry, don’t panic! At the end of May we will be releasing a Discussion Paper calling for submissions again. Between now and the Discussion Paper, we will also be continuing with face-to-face consultations with key stakeholder groups.

Auslan, Easy English and other languages

Last year the ALRC developed Easy English versions of information about the role of the ALRC, how people can engage with our work, and the Disability Issues Paper.

We also translated two documents, “The Law Reform Process” and “Making a Submission” into 20 different community languages.

We are very pleased to announce that we can now offer three key documents – “The Law Reform Process”, “Making a submission”, and “Communicating with PWD” in Auslan. They can be viewed via our website, or our YouTube channel. Thank you to the Deaf Society of NSW for their assistance with this project.

AHRC launch

On 5 February 2014, the team attended the launch of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Report, Equal Before the Law: Towards Disability Justice Strategies. The Report focuses on the interaction of people with disability and the criminal justice system.

Consultations and presentations

The team will be undertaking consultations with a number of stakeholders in Melbourne and Perth in February and March.  The team will also be presenting at a range of meetings and conferences over this period, including a meeting of the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia Disability Committee, the Imagining Social Equity Conference organised by the Melbourne Social Equity Institute and a meeting of the Australian Guardianship and Administration Council.