PWD E-Bulletin: Disability and Decision – Federal Election 2010 |
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16 August 2010 Welcome to this very special
E-Bulletin, providing you with all the information you need to know to
participate in the upcoming federal election, which will be held on Saturday 21 August 2010. Included in this edition are links to
the PWD election platform
(what we want from the next Australian Government); links to all the major
parties and their policies relating to disability; information on how to
vote; and recent coverage on disability and the election in the media. Many of the stories in this E-Bulletin
will link up to information on the PWD webpage. We will be regularly updating
our webpage throughout the election campaign to provide you with the latest
news, policy releases, political commentary, accessibility announcements or
anything else we think might be of interest to you. Remember to regularly check www.pwd.org.au to make sure you are fully informed for this election! To be added to or removed from our mailing list, or to change your email address, please email pwd@pwd.org.au or contact PWD on one of the numbers listed at the end of this bulletin.
We hope you enjoy this edition. Happy
voting! Contents
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Welcome“To
all Members of PWD, I urge you to make your vote count in this upcoming
election. People
with disability must show a united approach on disability reform, as for far
too long people with disability have been treated like burdens on
society and allowed only tokenistic input into realising their human rights. Please
read all the information available from both sides of government, as well as
the minor parties, before casting your vote. This will make your vote
count. We
have no intension of swaying anyone in the direction of either party, as I
believe all our members are capable of making an informed decision on which
Party may best cater for their needs. I
know we all have our own personal issues, but at the same time we must
consider all people with disability regardless of their color, creed, or type
of disability; we are all equal and have the Right to Equality. Now
is the time for us to go forward and show we are capable of making our
opinions count; we have been pushed aside for far to long, so let us show the
rest of Australia how determined and resilient we are in persevering for a
better quality of life under the United Nations Convention on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which has been ratified by the
Australian Government.” |
Why Vote?It is absolutely important for all
Australians, but particularly Australians with disability, to vote in any
local, state or national election. This is because your vote affects the
composition of the governing bodies that make the decisions which affect the
lives of all Australians. As people with disability, we already
represent a minority voice in Therefore it is essential that you vote. The Federal Government makes decisions
about issues that affect all Australians. Its responsibilities include, but
are not limited to:
the national economy;
defence;
foreign policy;
immigration;
social services including pensions and family support;
trade and commerce;
post-secondary education; and
Medicare and health funding.
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How to VoteThe 2010 Federal Election is on Saturday 21 August 2010. Voting
takes place between 8am and 6pm at polling places around the country. Where
you will be on Election Day determines how you can vote. If you are in your local area you can
vote at any polling place in your electorate. The locations are advertised on
the Australian Electoral commission (AEC) website
and in major newspapers the Friday before Election Day. If you are in your home state or territory but outside
your electorate, you can vote at any polling place. This is called an absent
vote. If you will be in another state or territory you can
only vote at special interstate voting centres. Locations
will be advertised at the time of the election. Alternatively, you could cast
an early vote before you leave home or you can apply for ballot papers to be
sent to you. If you are not able to vote on election day you may be
eligible to vote at an early voting centre or to apply for a postal vote.
Remember, if you do apply for a postal vote, ballot papers can’t be sent to
you until the candidates for the election are finalised. For
more information on how to vote, please visit the AEC at www.aec.gov.au The Australian Electoral Commission
(AEC) has a range of information and services available to support voters with a
disability to ensure their vote in the 2010 federal election
on Saturday, 21 August 2010. A new initiative at the 2010 election,
telephone voting, is now available in 125 locations across Essential election information,
including the ‘Your Official Guide to the 2010 Federal Election’ delivered to
households across Australia, is also available online in a range of accessible formats,
including large print, e-text and audio and in Braille and other formats by
calling 13 23 26. Polling places with disabled access
are shown at www.aec.gov.au including
identifying those that are fully accessible or accessible with assistance.
Each polling place also has at least one wheelchair access table top voting
screen. At the polling place, if anyone needs help to vote, polling place staff are trained to assist or the voter can have a family
member of friend assist. Anyone that makes a mistake filling in their ballot
paper should ask a polling official for a replacement ballot paper and start
again. People who are deaf, or have a hearing
impairment or speech impairment can use the National Relay Service (NRS) to
call the AEC. TTY users phone 133 677 and ask for 13 23 26;
Speak and Listen (speech-to-speech relay) voice only users can phone
1300 555 727 and ask for 13 23 26. Having Trouble Voting? It is absolutely important for people
with disability to vote. However, many people with disability are faced
with barriers in trying to vote. You can make the Australian Electoral
Commission (AEC) aware of these barriers by emailing info@aec.gov.au PWD also wants to know your
experiences of voting in this election, whether good or bad. This will
help us continue our advocacy to make the electoral process accessible to all
people with disability. If you have a good news story or face any
problems during the electoral process, please contact Dean Price by email deanp@pwd.org.au
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PWD’s Election PlatformPWD’s platform for the 2010 Federal
Election outlines five key issue areas for people with disability that need
to be addressed by the next Australian Government. The actions outlined at the bottom of
each issue area are the important and urgent steps that must be taken in
order to achieve a socially just, accessible and inclusive community, in
which the human rights, citizenship, contribution, potential and diversity of
all people with disability are respected and celebrated - the vision of PWD. We are urging all parties to commit to
addressing each of these issues, and taking the recommended actions.
The actions are by no means exhaustive, but provide a basic framework within
which parties can elaborate. The five issue areas are:
In the weeks before the election, we
will be sending out press releases to the media and to all the relevant MPs
to highlight the issues which we have identified as being of key concern. |
PWD Media ReleasesOver the course of the Federal
election campaign PWD will be sending out a stream of media releases, calling
on parties to create visionary, meaningful policies to create positive change
for people with disability. We will also issue releases holding
politicians responsible for when they create policies which aren’t fully
inclusive and within the CRPD framework. We have already released the
following, which are available on the PWD website:
13 August: PWD calls on the next
Federal Government to close all institutions housing people with disability
12 August: Making
Rights Real - Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
10 August: People with disability
want a fair go – not "goodies"
10 August: Mental Health -
Recognising the rights of people with Psychosocial Disability
4 August: Disability and Decision
2010 - The Coalition Needs to Get it Right!
27 July: Tackling the Barriers:
PWD welcomes Government initiatives to make our community accessible
26 July: Creating Tomorrow’s
Leaders: PWD welcomes Government Initiative Keep checking the PWD website for
further releases and media alerts! |
The Parties and their PoliciesAustralia First Party (NSW)
Incorporated Australian Democrats Australian Fishing and
Lifestyle Party Australian Greens Australian Labor
Party Australian Sex Party Building Carers Christian Democratic Party
(Fred Nile Group) Citizens Electoral Council of Communist Country Liberals ( Democratic Labor
Party (DLP) of Family First Party Liberal Democratic Party Liberal Party of National Party of Non-Custodial Parents Party
(Equal Parenting) One Nation Secular Party of Senator On-Line Shooters and Fishers Party Socialist Socialist Equality Party The Climate Sceptics |
Recent Media StoriesAbbott flags welfare review –
Sydney Morning Herald Greens going mental and dental
– Real vision buried in the
ballyhoo – Australian Labor, Coalition pledge to assist veterans – SBS
World News Andrew Peacock under fire for
'handicap' remark – Australian Local mums join campaign trail
– Gympie Times Fund the severe mental
illnesses – Australian Qld wants disabled to vote
from home – Sydney Morning Herald Coalition's incentive to hire
older workers – Daily Telegraph Boost housing, welfare body
says – Sydney Morning Herald Disability funds 'first step'
– Northern District Times Disability access does matter:
Shorten – Sydney Morning Herald Abbott slips up while decrying
waffle – Age Minds put on the line –
Courier Mail Band-Aid for broken mental
health system – Sydney Morning Herald PM's mental health message hits snag – Sydney
Morning Herald Mental health a second-term
priority, says Gillard – Age Coalition to remove thousands
from jails – Sydney Morning Herald Disabled offered $3M
leadership training – Sydney Morning Herald Win for the deaf as cinemas
agree to captioning – Sydney Morning Herald |
About PWDPeople with
Disability Australia Incorporated (PWD) is a national disability rights and advocacy
organisation. Our membership is people with disability and organisations made
up of people with disability. Individuals and organisations committed to the
disability rights movement can join PWD as associate members. PWD was founded in 1981, the
International Year of Disabled People, to provide people with disability with
a voice of our own. We have a cross-disability focus and represent the
interests of people with all kinds of disability. As a non-profit, non-government
organisation we increasingly depends on membership fees, public donations,
bequests and fundraising activities to maintain our commitment to improving
the lives of people with disability. PWD is a deductible gift recipient so
donations of $2 or more are fully tax deductible. Your tax deductible donation will mean
we can continue to maintain our services. If you are interested and would
like to support PWD please visit www.pwd.org.au/donate.html
For information about membership,
email pwd@pwd.org.au or
contact us on one of the numbers listed at the end of this E-Bulletin. |
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