The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) has joined with Women with Disabilities ACT (WWDACT) and People with Disabilities ACT Inc (PWDACT) to mark the 2020 UN International Day of People with Disability (IDPWD).
ACTCOSS, PWDACT and WWDACT called on the federal and ACT governments to step up their efforts towards the achievement of an inclusive and accessible Canberra. The three organisations also highlighted areas of the new ACT Parliamentary Agreement relevant to people with disability and urged swift implementation.
“As we approach the end of a difficult year for people with disability, the focus of IDPWD for 2020 should be a clarion call to banish complacency. We need rights-based policy and meaningful access and inclusion for all Canberrans.” said Craig Wallace, ACTCOSS Policy Manager
“The evidence from the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, and our experiences through bushfires and COVID-19, expose shortcomings in planning and implementation of policy. It also highlights the paucity of critical investments in services and infrastructure aimed at access and inclusion.”
Mr Wallace said: “Things must change. As highlighted in our recent feedback to the Federal Government, all governments need to resuscitate the lacklustre National Disability Strategy (NDS). In Canberra, we need actions and investments which address the causes of exclusion and discrimination, as highlighted in our disability issues election brief. The Territory also needs to push ahead to deliver promises and aspirations made in the new Parliamentary Agreement.
“To this end, we attach a summary of commitments relevant to people with disability. We call on the ACT Government to prioritise them and ensure their timely implementation,” Mr Wallace concluded.
“COVID-19 has reinforced the need to develop and implement a Disability Health Strategy, co-designed with people with disabilities focusing on better services, infrastructure and workforce improvements,” Kat Reed concluded.
