Australian Federation of Disability Organisations

On 27-28 June, Martin Leckey represented AFDO at a workshop on Promoting the Ratification and Implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Australia. The workshop was auspiced by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission in Sydney, and was attended by representatives from peak disability advocacy groups, both national and state based, as well as human rights commissions and disability advisory groups.

The purpose of the workshop was to build the capacity of Australian organisations of people with a disability and disability advisory groups to promote the ratification and implementation by the Australian Government of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and to gain Australia’s signature and ratification of its associated Optional Protocol.

Those attending the meeting were quick to congratulate the Federal Government on being among the first to sign the Convention on 30 March 2007.

The next step is to ratify the Convention; a process that involves the State, Territory and Commonwealth governments. At the conclusion of the workshop, the participants agreed upon a joint communiqué calling on the State and Territory governments to support the Commonwealth as it pursues ratification of the Convention, with the goal of Australian ratification of the Convention by the International Day of People with a Disability on the 3rd December 2008. The full text of the communiqué is available at www.hreoc.gov.au/disability_rights

Phillip Ruddock, the Federal Attorney General, spoke at the Workshop on the Government’s support for the Convention and the steps it is taking towards potential ratification of the Convention.

He explained that a process will now commence to review Commonwealth, State and Territory legislation, to ensure domestic law is consistent with the obligations in the Convention and an analysis of possible impacts, including the results of extensive community consultation, will also be completed and tabled in Parliament, together with the Convention. The Federal Attorney General stated that he will be putting the Convention on the agenda for the upcoming Standing Committee of Attorneys General (SCAG) due to take place at the end of July.

At the SCAG meeting Mr Ruddock will alert States and Territories to the process and timetable for discussions and consultations on the development of the National Interest Analysis.

One outcome of the Workshop was that the participants gave their support to a proposal for AFDO, in partnership with other peak disability organisations who participated in the workshop, to assist in the setting up of a Taskforce to further develop a strategic plan on ratification within the advocacy sector.