If elected Labor will appoint a full-time disability discrimination commissioner to the Australian Human Rights Commission, opposition leader Bill Shorten has announced.
At the same time, Labor will axe the human rights commissioner position previously held by Liberal candidate Tim Wilson, dubbed the “freedom commissioner”.
Shorten said: “Discrimination against people with disability is still far too common in Australia. People with disability face discrimination in the workplace, when accessing services and in the community.
“That’s why Australia needs a dedicated disability discrimination commissioner – because people with disability deserve a powerful voice to advocate their interests.”
In March Guardian Australia revealed the government had begun to advertise for disability, aged and human rights commissioners but will not confirm how many commissioners will be hired and sit on the AHRC.
A spokesman for attorney general, George Brandis, told Guardian Australia that despite the call for expressions of interest no decision had been made “regarding the division of roles between commissioners”, whose appointments are expected to start in July 2016.
The move comes after the Coalition abolished the stand-alone disability commissioner role and merged it with the age discrimination commissioner in July 2014.
Shorten said “it says everything about the priorities of the Turnbull government that they appointed a ‘freedom commissioner’ and a commissioner for windfarms, but not a full-time disability discrimination commissioner”.
Shadow disability reform minister, Jenny Macklin, said “in the horror 2014 budget, the Liberal government cut funding for the AHRC and sacked Graeme Innes – Australia’s longest-serving disability discrimination commissioner and a powerful advocate for Australians with disability, their families and carers”.
“A Shorten Labor government will right this wrong,” she said.
“Unlike the Coalition, Labor will ensure this position is a full-time role, so that the commissioner is solely dedicated to speaking up for people with disability.”
Innes told Guardian Australia Labor’s announcement was “a very pleasing decision and I congratulate them on doing it, because people with a disability have been significantly disadvantaged for the two years we haven’t had a dedicated commissioner”.
“The key issues facing a full-time commissioner are employment, because people with disabilities are employed at a rate 30% less than the general population, and the level of poverty facing people with disabilities.”
He said it was important a disability commissioner had lived experience of disability so he or she would understand “the daily discrimination all of us experience in areas of public life”.
Innes cited as an example a recent dispute with Uber after two drivers refused to take his guide dog, which was resolved after Uber apologised, disciplined drivers and paid compensation.
Innes said the human rights functions had been performed by the AHRC president “apart from when Tim Wilson held it – it was clearly a spot for a politician in waiting”. “If there are only two positions – and there is only funding for two – they should be separate age and disability discrimination commissioners.”
Australian Federation of Disability Organisations chief executive, Matt Wright, said the a separate disability commissioner was needed because 31% of complaints to the AHRC were from people with disability.
“It’s very difficult to combine [the disability role] with another specialty area, so it would do the role justice to have a single person focusing on disability issues,” he said.
“We have a very poor record on disability issues such as employment and that many people with disability are locked away in institutions and not integrated into the community.”
- This clarification was added on 28 April 2016: the statement attributed to the attorney-general’s spokesman was made in March, at the time the government advertised the positions.
