Acknowledgements endorsements Background methodology executive Summary 11 Recommendations 22 Article — general obligations 38

Progress on Advancing the Rights of People with Disability in Australia

23. 
    The Civil Society organisations involved in producing this report acknowledge that over the last 30 years Australia has made much progress in advancing the civil, political, economic and cultural rights of people with disability. This includes:
    
    1. 
       disability discrimination legislation including the development of standards on education, transport and access to premises;
       
    2. 
       access to income security through the Disability Support Pension (DSP) and other income allowances;
       
    3. 
       specific measures and programs to support greater participation of people with disability in education, employment and cultural life;
       
    4. 
       specific measures and programs to ensure people with disability are able to live in the community such as the closure of many congregate care facilities and the introduction of individualised, person centred approaches to support independent living in particular the support for a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS);
       
    5. 
       specific measures and programs to ensure people with disability have greater access to the justice system and are free from violence and abuse;
       
    6. 
       the funding of Disabled Persons Organisations (DPO) and a growing commitment to consulting with them on matters that affect the lives of people with disability;
       
    7. 
       the funding of advocacy organisations and legal centres for people with disability;
       
    8. 
       improved funding for aids and equipment including telecommunications;
       
    9. 
       the introduction of a National Disability Strategy (NDS) to implement the CRPD across all jurisdictions in Australia; and
       
    10. 
        the development and implementation of a Development for All Strategy to inform Australia’s obligations under Article 32.
        
24. 
    However despite these reforms people with disability remain significantly behind people without disability in Australia as well as people with disability in other comparative countries.
    
25. 
    The following provides a snap shot of the current situation of people with disability in Australia.