Vision Australia Submissions
We offer encouragement and support to ensure our young clients can access the mainstream school curriculum.
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ACCC Authorisation for New ATM Partnership
Vision Australia has argued that the proposed partnership between CUSCAL, the National Australia Bank, and the rediATM Network under review by the ACCC, poses deepening disadvantage and a continuing culture of social exclusion in the banking sector for people who are blind or who have low vision.
We have called upon the ACCC to take a leadership position in the protection and promotion of human rights for people with disability, and have asked the ACCC to require better from the Applicants.
ACT special education review
In June 2009 Vision Australia wrote a submission in response to the review into special education in ACT public schools. Vision Australia’s submission supported the investigation into ‘best practice’ methodologies in the learning needs of children with disabilities in the ACT.
The submission highlighted the need for ongoing resourcing, adequate teacher professional development, consultation in the development of Individual learning Plans and access to technology throughout a student’s education.
ACT strategic plan on positive ageing
The ACT Strategic Plan for Positive Ageing aims to develop a co-ordinated approach to ensure that as people age they remain valued, supported and able to participate in their community.
We support the ACT Government’s programs and initiatives to encourage an inclusive society for our elderly citizens. Our submission stresses the importance that these programs and initiatives are also inclusive for people who are blind or have low vision.
Assistance animals review
In responding to the Victorian Law Reform’s inquiry into Victorian legislative provisions for people who use assistance animals such as Seeing Eye Dogs, Vision Australia has called for a stronger legal framework to actively promote the positive rights of people with disability who use assistance animals, to access the community as they so choose and on an equal basis as their sighted peers.
ATM access regime
Vision Australia is of the view, that all banking services, which includes access to ATM’s, need to be fully accessible to people who are blind and who have low vision, and we have strongly put this view to the Reserve Bank of Australia in their Draft Access Regime consultation.
We have called for an exemption for people who use audio enabled ATM’s from paying the bank ATM fees for foreign card holders introduced in March, where banking institutions do not have 100% of their ATM fleet audio enabled.
Chinatown Public Domain Plan
Vision Australia attended consultations in 2009 on the proposed redevelopment of Chinatown in Sydney. The stated intent of the redevelopment is to make it more inclusive and pedestrian friendly, without losing Chinatown's specific essence. Following these consultations, the Chinatown Public Domain Plan was released for comment.
Vision Australia's comments on the Plan include our previously voiced concerns about the dangers of shared zones. We have offered to work directly with the Council as well as made recommendations to help make Chinatown more inclusive for people who are blind or have low vision.
Cinemas request temporary exemptions
The Australian Human Rights Commission received an application on behalf of Hoyts Corporation, Greater Union Organisation, Village Cinemas and Reading Cinemas (the applicants) for a Temporary Exemption under section 55 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) from complaints in relation to the provision of captions and audio description in cinemas operated by the applicants.
Vision Australia submitted that this exemption should only be granted subject to a number of conditions being imposed, to ensure that the industry made a genuine attempt to phase in increased levels of audio description and captioning over the exemption period and beyond.
Disability Parking Permits
Vision Australia endorsed the Federal governments proposed harmonisation of all disability parking permit schemes in Australia, however we strongly argued that legal blindness be explicitly included as an eligibility criterion for all organisational permits, permanent permits and temporary permits.
We further suggested that concession standards adopt a best practice principle around the country and we requested that Vision Australia and other organisations and individuals, have input into the design of the physical permit once a generic permit design has been determined.
Immigration Treatment of Disability
Vision Australia calls upon the Joint Standing Committee on Migration, to recommend the systematic reform of the Migration Act 1958 and its subordinate regulations and administrative policies.
We recommend that this reform be guided by the genuine spirit of the DDA and UN CRPD, and that this includes the repeal of the Act exemption from the DDA under S52, and the removal of Australia’s UN CRPD interpretive declaration on migration.
Vision Australia believes that people who are blind, Deafblind, people who have low vision and people who have a print disability, ought to be afforded the same human rights of the freedom of movement and nationality, on an equal basis as others in the community.
Queensland Seniors' Strategy
The Queensland Government is developing a Queensland seniors’ Strategy aimed at guiding the way the government supports seniors into the future.
Vision Australia supports the aim of the strategy. We see the vulnerability of seniors living with blindness or low vision as a key priority, and our submission highlighted the importance of promoting a culture of dignity and respect for all seniors. We also highlighted the need for accessibility - including access to information as a means of encouraging seniors’ participation.
RTA technical direction on footway parking
The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) is looking to publish technical direction guidelines on footway parking schemes in Sydney. Vision Australia has been working with the Steering Committee on this, and has strongly voiced our objections to cars parking on footpaths.
The hazard caused by these cars, alongside the unacceptable narrowing of the footpath space allocated for pedestrians, presents a dangerous situation for our clients and impacts negatively on their ability to move around the community independently and safely. A clear footpath is the right of all pedestrians.
National human rights consultation
The National Human Rights Consultation sought to gauge the public feeling around whether human rights are adequately protected and promoted in Australia, and how these rights might be better protected in the future.
We have stated in our submission to the Committee that the human rights of people who are blind or who have low vision, such as the right to work, are sorely lacking protection in Australia, and we have recommended that a Federal Human Rights Act be developed to help remedy this deficiency.
NSW Government Stronger Together Consultation
The NSW Government recently invited the community to provide their feedback and suggestions as part of their 10 year plan for disability services, on areas such as planning, modelling and service delivery. Vision Australia has welcomed this invitation.
A particular area that Vision Australia is urging the government to place a greater emphasis on is print disability and alternative format production, which is not being adequately provided by the state funded public libraries. At present, public libraries only provides audio or large print fiction titles.
Towards a Future for Australian Public Information
In responding to the Government 2.0 Taskforce on the future of public access to Australian Public Sector information, Vision Australia has argued that the Australian government must ensure that a culture of accessibility pervades all elements of the Gov 2.0 agenda in moving forward.
We highlighted in broad terms the areas in which it is likely that the Gov 2.0 initiative will require change, and we reminded the Taskforce that these areas must all take accessibility into consideration as a matter of primary concern during there re-conception.
Victorian Parliament Inquiry into Voting Centres
The Victorian Parliament has held an inquiry into the functions and administration of the voting centres for the 2010 State election. Vision Australia has taken the opportunity to further press the point of "access, access, access": access to the ballot, access to the physical environment, and access to all information.
Whilst there is significant movement on accessible voting, electors who are blind or who have low vision, also have a right to access all information produced by the Victorian Electoral Commission, political parties and individual candidates.
More Vision Australia submissions
Other submissions produced by Vision Australia on a range of topics.