Submission name: 	Mr Wayne A Nevinson of NSW
This is a transcript of an oral submission, recorded on 21 May 2003, checked and corrected by the participant on 27 May 2003 and 2 June 2003. Statements made by Productivity Commission staff during this recording are shown in italics. The original tape recording of this submission is held on file at the Commission.

To start off with, for many years the concessions for DSP and pensions have been 50 per cent or more. Pensioners get 23.8 per cent of average male weekly income. If you add this to the 50 per cent you get 75 per cent, a shortfall of 25 per cent. The Upper House of NSW was the first to accept this. 

Public Housing should be 15 per cent of the DSP pension or 20 per cent of wages if working full time (currently 25 per cent under NSW legislation).
Pensioners missed out on the Liberal tax cuts which meant pensioners got nothing.
Pensions should go up 25 per cent plus CPI/cost of living.

DSP should be $58 000 due to the cost of having a disability. If two people live in the same house there should be a reduction of $4000 for the second person, then another $4000 for the third person and so on until it reaches $46 000.

The DDA would work better if there was more enforcement of the Act.

The dole should be brought into the 21st century and go up 15 to 22 ½ per cent. Sole parents benefit should be raised to the same scale, whether they are on the DSP or not.

The biggest mistake in the DDA is the key-hole unjustifiable hardship – a small part that makes it unworkable. Let’s make Australia lead the world. Have transport, aircraft, buildings — right of access right across the board — accessible to most if not all human beings and their animals. 

In the rural areas it is a lot worse than the metropolitan areas, due to population Base.

Bring back Legal Aid. Commonwealth 60 per cent, State 40 per cent and you’ll cut the need to sue by opening it up to all to sue.

Pensioners that earn under $40 000 or on DSP at $58 000 should be taxed at a fair rate. People earning over $111 000 should be on a 50/50 rate. There should be a fairer wealth distribution tax on persons of high income and working. I make the pretence working – it’s no good if you’re not working. You have to be working and have a high income. Unless it’s a family business when the shares should be equally disbursed among family members and an equal rate unless it can be shown that the money from the business is creating employment, fair wages for all, population growth, employment, taxes are paid  and a way of life that is fair for all.

I have seen both sides of politics. The best theory of government is a government that is fair to all – a little bit Liberal and a lot Labor.

Let’s bring back a lot of things that were put out by both parties and then sold down the river, that is the only way the DDA will work properly.

After a period of one calendar or financial year with a health care card, you should get free eye care testing, free prescriptions, free doctors visits and free hearing tests. If the $58 000 DSP concept is not taken up.

The DDA defines disability as functional impairment, based on the medical model of a disability. I favour a definition based on the social model of disability.

The Act defines and locates concepts of disability in social conduct as a matter of physical, intellectual, sensory, psychological, neurological or learning impairment. Disability means a disadvantage or restriction caused by contemporary social organisation which takes little account of people who have impairments. The functional or behavioural consequences of these lead to social exclusion and result in less favourable treatment of the person. 

My definition of impairment is lacking all or part of the body’s functional capacity of a limb, organism or mechanism of the human body. 

Things that should be factored into the equation: bank charges over and above medical costs, goods and services tax, discrepancy between metropolitan and country, lack of enforcement in country areas. Commonwealth should fund the taxi voucher system at 85 to 95 per cent of costs, using a plastic card system. 

From call for submissions
Before hearing about this inquiry, were you aware of the rights of people with disabilities? Were you aware of the Disability Discrimination Act specifically?
Yes to both questions.

Do you think there is more or less discrimination now than ten years ago?
The unjustifiable hardship clause makes it hard to enforce the DDA. It is an escape clause. The DDA is enforced in the metropolitan areas but no the bush. There is discrimination in local government in the rural areas.

Have you experienced or observed disability discrimination? Did you make a complaint? To whom did you complain? If you didn’t make a complaint, why not?
I have experienced discrimination, but have not complained, because of the costs and the pressure placed on you as a complainant.

How well do you think the Disability Discrimination Act is working?
The DDA is working slightly. 

Do you have any ideas to make the Disability Discrimination Act work better?
It needs better enforcement, and more information through the press, TV and radio. Two months after the information, move to ‘Prosecutions’. 

The DDA isn’t working effectively. It is similar to the Aboriginal Affairs Act the number of people affected is not there.

END OF TRANSCRIPT OF ORAL SUBMISSION