Disability discrimination
Media and commentary about our test cases and policy work to secure equal access to services and public spaces for people with disability.
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Stranded: disability discrimination complaint highlights Jetstar failure to provide assistance to wheelchair user
Sydney man Tony Jones has lodged a disability discrimination complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission after Jetstar refused to help him transfer from his electric wheelchair to a Jetstar aisle chair, in contravention of Jetstar’s own policy. As a result, Mr Jones was left stranded at Sydney airport, unable to travel on the flight…
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Voting rights for blind and vision impaired people: iVote complaint lodged with Australian Human Rights Commission
Blind Citizens Australia has lodged a discrimination complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission against the NSW Electoral Commission (NSWEC) and NSW Electoral Commissioner to ensure blind and vision impaired people can cast a secret, independent and verifiable vote at the 2023 NSW State Election. The action follows the decommissioning of the iVote online voting…
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Blind advocates allege NSW’s removal of online voting system is a breach of human rights
Ellen Tilbury, a senior solicitor at PIAC, said it was crucial to Australia’s democracy that all members of society were able to fully participate in the electoral process. “For people who are blind and vision impaired, iVote, the electronic assisted voting platform, enabled them to do that really for the first time independently and secretly,…
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We should all be able to fly, by Heike Fabig
PIAC represented Heike Fabig in a disability discrimination complaint against Jetstar.
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Public statement
Air travel can be challenging for customers travelling with electric wheelchairs. When flying with Jetstar in 2019, a customer, Bodhi, communicated his need to remain in his electric wheelchair up until the departure gate and to receive his electric wheelchair at the arrival gate. Instead, Bodhi was required to transfer to a Jetstar wheelchair at…
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Disability discrimination case highlights challenges faced by airline customers travelling with electric wheelchairs
A legal claim against Jetstar relating to the accessibility of airline travel for customers who use electric wheelchairs has recently resolved in the Federal Court. Bodhi Boele relies on his customised electric wheelchair for independence and safety. When flying with Jetstar in 2019, Bodhi communicated his need to remain in his electric wheelchair up until…
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2SER interview: iVote scrapped by Electoral Commission
Last month, the New South Wales Electoral Commission announced that the iVote online voting platform, which was introduced by the Government in 2021, will be discontinued for the 2023 State election. iVote provided people who have trouble getting to a polling booth with a way of voting from home. It was a game-changer for the…
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2SER interview: NSW Anti-Discrimination Act
Anti-Discrimination Law may not be as high-profile as Transport or Education, but it’s a critical way that we ensure our society functions harmoniously and that everyone is treated fairly. When the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act was considered ground-breaking. It prohibited racial discrimination and was the first State or Territory anti-discrimination law to cover sex and marital…
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Mental health and who has the right to insurance
PIAC Senior Solicitor Ellen Tilbury on ABC RN Life Matters.