During the past five months, AFDO has made several policy submissions, including:

1. Response to the Media Access Review Report tabled by government. This submission outlined the importance of continued pressure on industry through clear legislation for media access;

2. Response to the Electoral Reform Green Paper, outlining the need for all people with disability to have the right to vote, and for voting processes to be accessible;

3. Submission to the Inquiry on the Harmonisation of Occupational Health and Safety Laws, which talked about the need for people with disability to be able to hire and work with personal care attendants without being liable for occupational health and safety risks;

4. Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) strategic plan consultation submission, reiterating the need for telecommunications issues faced by people with disability to be a priority;

5. FaHCSIA consultation regarding the accessibility of PDF’s for website use, noting that many different formats have different accessibility advantages and disadvantages for different people with disability. It is important to be aware of the pros and cons of each, rather than making blanket decisions.

We have also identified a list of policy areas where AFDO needs to have a stated position. This is important for two reasons. Firstly, AFDO has representatives on a number of committees who are asked to state AFDO’s position on policies. While our policy documents will not go into great detail, they will give our representatives some guidance about the principles we support. Secondly, policy position papers can be used to educate governments and the general public about the work of AFDO.

At present, policies regarding public transport and health have been drafted. AFDO would like to thank the two policy volunteers who are assisting with work on these policies, Margo Hodge and Riki Domogalski.