SUBMISSION

PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION inquiry into the Australian Disability Discrimination
Act of 1992/ Section 6 of a DRAFT REPORT October 2003

“THE PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION SEEKS FURTHER COMMENT ON THE DESIRABILITY OF DEVELOPING AN ACCOMODATION DISABILITY STANDARD, AND THE FORMS OF ACCOMODATION SUCH A STANDARD SHOULD COVER (FOR EXAMPLE, PRIVATE RENTAL ACCOMODATION, SUPPORTED ACCOMODATION ANDIOR INSTITUTIONAL ACCOMODATION).

1. The Victorian State Disability Plan of the years 2002‑2012, was developed over four phases and through these four phases The Principle of Dignity and Self-Determination(Choice) was instituted to its plan which commits the Government to "respecting and valuing the knowledge, abilities and experiences that people with a disability possess, supporting them to make choices about their lives, and enabling each person to live the life they want to live".

2.	The Victorian Government wants disability supports that may in the very near future include a national standard of disability accommodation to focus on flexibility based on a disabled persons accommodation needs such as access to accommodation, affordability, security and comfort zones so that each person can live the lifestyle that they want to lead.

3.	A "uniform national standard" must be relative to these and other matters. Relative in either the relativity to or the relativeness to this flexibility.

4.	This type of relative disability accommodation is said to not exist although the numbers of disabled persons entering the Australian communities appears to be ever increasing with flexible needs directly or indirectly relative to accommodation requirements be they private or public.

5.	This most often is directly associated to income, costs, assets and the length of time of accommodation. The association of these to living as a disabled person is in reality relative to comfortable, affordable, accessible accommodation whether it be private, public or institutional.

6.	With the intermittent rise of advancing the rights of people who have a relative disability justice issue enters the matter of the Principle of Equality AND a definition of poverty from persistent insecurity. These days, this is not in isolation and is Australia wide for approximately 60% of disabled persons.
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7.	There is no doubt that a uniform national disability accommodation standard could cause more efficiency in the justice system if constitutionally allowed to be used by all states of Australia inclusively.

8.	A commitment to the rights of people who have a disability can cause an ever change to our society of freedom and thoughtfulness with a proposed national standard towards disability accommodation a positive step of change.

9.	Many community groups whether they be voluntary or public donated aim to make it possible for people with a disability to use the law to ensure that their individual accommodation rights are recognised and accepted by others.

10.	The Principle of Non-Discrimination in, accommodation requires a society to "set right all forms of discrimination" in accommodation that must use a fair uniform standard, laws, policies and practices.

11.	For this to occur, change will improve, protect and enhance the current status of disability accommodation legislation that appears to not be clear.

	SIGNED: 		......	Ronald John Soreng
			Disabled pensioner
	DATED: 28 November 2003

	AT:	......................	........