The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - An Assessment of Australia’s Level of Compliance
One of the country’s top legal minds, Emeritus Professor Ron McCallum, who is blind, has examined the articles of United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to determine how well Australia is doing in improving the lives of its citizens with disability.
In a report to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, Prof McCallum has looked at 30 Articles to the UN Convention that affect Australians living with disability.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - An Assessment of Australia’s Level of Compliance (Auslan)
Video transcript
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - An Assessment of Australia’s Level of Compliance
A well known man, who is blind and very experienced in law wrote this report for the Disability Royal Commission. He is Emeritus Professor Ron McCallum.
The report is called ‘The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: An Assessment of Australia’s Level of Compliance’.
This research was conducted to see if Australia is following the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to improve their lives.
It looked at 30 Articles to the UN Convention that affect people with disability in Australia.
The report found Australia is not upholding all its responsibilities under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The research showed people with disability in Australia were more likely to be unemployed, and our First Nations people with disability experience greater hardship.
In Australia some people with disability are being detained in prisons and hospitals because of their disability. Article 14 of the Convention says this must not happen.
The report said however, that Australian governments have been working on programs to take people with intellectual disability out of hospital and prisons and to be placed with their families or in group homes.
Laws about mental health and guardianship need to be changed to ensure people with disability are supported to make decisions.
Laws need to change to allow people with intellectual disability to vote.
Judges and court staff need more training to allow blind or deaf people to be appointed as jurors.
The research found evidence of exploitation, violence and abuse. This is why the Disability Royal Commission was set up.
Australia needs to do much more to stop inhumane treatment in prisons and mental hospitals; to treat mental health and ensure that First Nation Australians receive appropriate health care.
Article 20 says that governments must ensure that people with disability have personal mobility, but First Nations people living in remote areas have difficulties in getting support to move around.
Australians with disability are mostly unemployed. Some are poor and struggling even with social security pensions and housing for the homeless. However, Australia does have a number of programs to promote employment of people with disability.
The report covers Convention Articles relating to disability, transport, women and girls with disability, children, and emergencies, such as bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic.
To read the report, and for more information, visit our website and go to the Publications section.