Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

DISABILITY SERVICES AND INCLUSION ACT 2023 - SECT 3

    The objects of this Act are to:

  (a)   in conjunction with other laws, give effect to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and

  (b)   provide funding, outside of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, to persons that provide supports and services for the benefit of people with disability, their families and carers; and

  (c)   advance the inclusion and social and economic participation of people with disability; and

  (d)   support people with disability to exercise choice and control in matters that affect their lives, including by participating in the development and review of policy and programs; and

  (e)   promote respect for the inherent dignity, difference and individual autonomy of people with disability and raise community understanding of barriers to the inclusion and participation of people with disability on an equal basis; and

  (f)   protect the rights of people with disability who receive supports or services from persons funded under this Act, including by:

  (i)   setting compliance standards that align with contemporary practice; and

  (ii)   requiring persons providing such supports or services to implement and maintain appropriate complaints management and resolution systems and incident management systems; and

  (g)   promote national consistency, coordination and accessibility of supports and services for people with disability; and

  (h)   support people with disability to access supports or services that:

  (i)   are safe and provided in a way that does not expose people with disability to violence, abuse, neglect or exploitation; and

  (ii)   are locally available (including in rural and remote communities) and provided in a manner that is timely, effective and innovative; and

  (iii)   to the extent possible, are integrated with services generally available to other members of Australian society; and

  (iv)   to the extent possible, provide continuity of support and services for people with disability; and

  (v)   assist people with disability to meet the daily and lifetime norms of other members of Australian society; and

  (vi)   meet the needs of people with disability who experience compound disadvantage, including as a result of being an Indigenous person or as a result of a person's age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, intersex status, ethnicity, religious belief or cultural or linguistic background, socioeconomic status or experience of past trauma; and

  (vii)   respect the privacy of people with disability; and

  (viii)   provide accurate and sufficient information about the supports and services available and the quality of those supports and services; and

  (ix)   increase the independence and wellbeing of people with disability; and

  (x)   provide meaningful opportunities for employment, education and development for people with disability; and

  (xi)   support people with disability to participate in Australian society on an equal basis to other members of Australian society; and

  (i)   in conjunction with other laws, give effect to certain obligations that Australia has as a party to:

  (i)   the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights done at New York on 16   December 1966 ([1980] ATS 23), as amended and in force for Australia from time to time; and

  (ii)   the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights done at New York on 16   December 1966 ([1976] ATS 5), as amended and in force for Australia from time to time; and

  (iii)   the Convention on the Rights of the Child done at New York on 20   November 1989 ([1991] ATS 4), as amended and in force for Australia from time to time; and

  (iv)   the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women done at New York on 18   December 1979 ([1983] ATS 9), as amended and in force for Australia from time to time; and

  (v)   the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination done at New York on 21   December 1965 ([1975] ATS 40), as amended and in force for Australia from time to time.

Note:   The text of a Convention or Covenant could in 2023 be viewed in the Australian Treaties Library on the AustLII website (http://www.austlii.edu.au).