House Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs
Inquiry into the draft Disability (Access to Premises - Buildings) Standards
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24 March 2009
Organisations to Comment on Public Building Access for People with Disabilities Public hearing in Sydney on 25 March 2009
The House Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee will hear from the Australian Human Rights Commissioner, Mr Graeme Innes, at a public hearing in Sydney this Wednesday. The draft Premises Standards, are intended to make public buildings more accessible but the Australian Human Rights Commission argues that the Standards can be strengthened while still ensuring that the benefits outweigh the costs.
The Commission also argues that the Standards “legally and conceptually do not impose any additional regulatory obligations on those responsible for buildings, other than those already required by the Disability Discrimination Act.”
The Committee Chair, Mark Dreyfus QC MP said “The Committee will hear from individuals and groups affected by the Standards. We look forward to exploring the issues raised at the hearing to ensure that the Standards achieve their intended purpose and do not unjustifiably impact on any particular sector,”
“The response to the Committee’s inquiry is impressive. Clearly accessibility of public buildings is an important issue for many people in the community.” he added.
The Committee will also hear from representatives of the property, hospitality and disability sectors and the NSW Government.
Details of the hearing:
Date: Wednesday 25 March 2009
Time: 9:15 am – 5:00 pm
Location: Australian Human Rights Commission
Level 8, Piccadilly Tower, 133 Castlereagh Street, Sydney
9.15 am – Vision Australia
9.45 am – NSW Disability Discrimination Legal Centre
10.30 am – Physical Disability Australia
11.00 am – Australian Human Rights Commission
12.00 noon – Spinal Cord Injuries Australia
12.30 pm – Lunch
1.00 pm – Mr Peter Conroy
1.30 pm – Property Council
2.15 pm – Disability Council NSW
3.00 pm – Break
3.20 pm – Australian Hotels Association
3.50 pm – NSW Government
5.00 pm – Close
Full program details are available.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the public hearing.
Accessibility: Please contact the Committee Secretariat for information about accessibility at public hearings.
Additional media information
For interview, contact the Committee Chair, Mr Mark Dreyfus QC, MP on (02) 6277 4305 (Canberra) or in his electorate on (03) 9769 1955; or Mr Dreyfus’ media adviser, Tim Lisle-Williams on 0431 178 280.
For background information, including the full terms of reference, please visit the inquiry website at www.aph.gov.au/laca or contact the Committee Secretariat on (02) 6277 2358.
Related link
- Printable version of this media release (PDF 31KB)
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