When will the NSW Government commit to protecting people with disability in incarceration from human rights violations?

Today in Parliament, Abigail gave notice of a motion condemning the mistreatment of people with disability being held in detention and urging the NSW Government to take urgent action to protect their human rights in line with international standards.

Abigail said:

I give notice that on the next sitting day I will move:

(1) That this House notes that according to a report entitled “National Forum on Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment of People with Disability in Detention” led by researchers from UNSW Sydney and published in May 2024:

people with disability in Australia are being subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in incarceration,
vulnerable people are being held in solitary confinement, are detained indefinitely, have their medications withheld, suffer physical and sexual assault, and are regularly humiliated,
people with disability are also experiencing demeaning and dehumanising practices in places of detention, including being strip searched and having to beg for sanitary products,
people with disability in incarceration are also being subject to extreme restrictive practices, which goes against their human rights,
it is vital for Australia to take urgent action to build a pathway toward a national action plan to address these human rights violations, including to implement recommendations from the the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and the Disability Royal Commission, and
it is vital for all levels of government to commit to a comprehensive, coordinated and formalised approach to reporting on Australia’s progress, or lack of progress, towards the reduction and elimination of cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment of people with disability in Australia’s places of detention.

(2) That this House affirms that people with disability have a universal and immutable right to agency, safety, bodily autonomy, privacy, education, employment, housing, social support, and healthcare, as described under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). All disabled people deserve to have these rights upheld, and all levels of society including government must promote and recognise these rights across interpersonal, community, and all other settings.

(3) That this House calls on the NSW Government to commit to taking urgent and direct action guided by the disability community and their representatives to protect the human rights of people with disability to live free from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.

20 June 2024

A UNIVERSAL WELLBEING PAYMENT FOR NSW

No matter who you are or what you do, everyone has the right to share in the wellbeing of our country.

But at the moment the essentials so many of us need – a place to call home, food on the table, and everyday essentials like electricity, internet, medicine and water – are simply out of reach.

Instead of supporting us, our government is choosing to prop up huge corporations with massive subsidies, and to give away our collective wealth through record tax cuts for the wealthy. Meanwhile, the rest of us are left to live paycheck to paycheck or trapped in the dehumanising bureaucracy of our existing welfare system.

Now, in the midst of a pandemic, and following quickly on the heels of the bushfire crisis, more of us than ever before are experiencing what it’s like to lose our jobs, be without a home, or worry about where the food for our next meal will come from.

It’s time for us to choose to prioritise the wellbeing of everyone.

And that’s exactly what the Universal Wellbeing Payment will do.

It’s a regular payment made to each of us to ensure our minimum standard of wellbeing. No means testing, no bureaucracy, no strings attached.

It’s the amount you’re owed simply for being a participant in our society.

It means you are free to live your life and contribute to society as you see fit, whether you’re a carer, an artist, a student, a parent, an entrepreneur – you can get on with what you need to do, knowing that you will always be supported regardless of your income.

It means that we’re choosing to structure our economy for the benefit of all of us, not using our collective wealth to prop up the interests of big business and the wealthy few.

It means you will always have what you need to live a good life, no matter what.

The Universal Wellbeing Payment is for everyone. Help us make it happen.

For more information, head to universalwellbeingpayment.com.au

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When will the NSW Government commit to protecting people with disability in incarceration from human rights violations?

A UNIVERSAL WELLBEING PAYMENT FOR NSW

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