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Make a Donation Becoming a Disability Rights Defender Volunteering and student placement Becoming a financial memberPeople with Disability Australia (PWD) joins the growing call for changes to Australia’s anti-discrimination laws following the Federal Court’s decision last Friday, which has left Jetstar’s discriminatory two wheelchair policy intact and a passenger with disability, Ms Sheila King with $20,000 to pay in court costs.
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Fact and Fiction in King v Jetstar Airways
“A Federal Court decision last week has demonstrated a significant bias against people with a disability when seeking enforcement of Commonwealth disability discrimination legislation. In finding that Jetstar was entitled to discriminate against passengers using wheelchairs because of an unproven cost, the court failed to recognise the cost of exclusion to people with a disability, effectively rendering anti-discrimination laws useless.” - Naomi Anderson, published 16 January 2012
The City of Sydney is currently exhibiting a draft policy which will allow residents and businesses to put planter boxes on the public footpath and undertake gardening on nature strips located outside their properties within the City of Sydney local government area. The City of Sydney is seeking feedback from the community on the policy until 13 February 2012.
This is an opportunity for PWD members to comment on the policy and draw attention to potential issues around footpath accessibility.
Copies of the draft policy are available in Braille and Large Print formats at City of Sydney Neighbourhood Service Centres (locations listed on the City's website) and at the One Stop Shop at Town Hall House. Organisations or individuals who would like their own Braille or Large Print copy of the draft policy can contact Mark Driver by phone: 02 9265 9385, email: mdriver@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au or by mail: Mark Driver, Park and Recreation Planner, Level 12 Town Hall House, 456 Kent Street, Sydney 2000.
Further information and copies of the draft policy can be downloaded from the 'On Exhibition' section of the City of Sydney Council website.
We encourage people with disability to review the draft policy and provide feedback to City of Sydney Council.
For further information on how PWD works with local government to encourage open and accessible consultation, contact Sam French samanthaf@pwd.org.au or Ph: 9370 3100
Australia for All have recently published a research paper on inaccessible transport in Australia. The paper, Travel Limited: A Report into Inaccessible Transport in Australia, details the results of a survey conducted in 2009 by Australia for All, which looks at non-compliance amongst the Transport Industry Companies.
Click here to read this report on the Australia for All website
PWD is excited to announce that we're once again taking part in the Sydney Mardi Gras! We'll be marching, shouting and wheeling our way through the city to promote the sexual right of people with disability in the most fabulous way possible.
To see the amount of fun we had last year, with an entry that ended up winning the Judges Prize at the Mardi Gras Awards!
Click here to view these photos on the PWD facebook page.
This year we’re hoping to do the same thing, only bigger and better than ever and we’d love you to join!
Our theme: "Sexuality and Sex/Gender Diversity do not end with disability”.
Some info for the event:
- The Parade will take place on Saturday March 3, from 7.45pm-10pm, though you will need to be available from about 5:30-6pm (I’ll confirm times closer to the date);
- Participants will be provided with PWD T-shirts;
- More information will be sent out closer to the event, with a formal Briefing Meeting for all participants the week before.
For more info or to register your interest, please contact Daphnee on daphneec@pwd.org.au or call 02 9370 3100 or 1800 422 016 (Freecall).
For more information on the 2012 Sydney Mardi Gras Parade, visit www.mardigras.org.au
Daphnée Cook
Communications and Membership Development Manager
The NSW Consumer Advocacy Group (NSW CAG) are conducting a survey on how consumers make complaints about mental health services. This survey has come about because many people using mental health services have told NSW CAG that they want it to be easier to raise issues.
Do you have ideas of what needs to be changed? NSW CAG want to hear about your experiences. You can share your thoughts by filling in the online survey at: www.surveymonkey.com/s/MHcomplaints
The E-Bulletin is a source of PWD's internal news and developments in the disability sector at the state, national and international levels. It goes out to members and interested others regularly by email.
| Aboriginal Disability Justice Campaign (ADJC) | |
| Australia Network for Universal Housing Design | |
| NSW Disability Advocacy Network | |
| Sexual Assault in Disability and Aged Care | |
| Touching Base |
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National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline |