Author: Moira Byrne Garton
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AUSTRALIA
- Moira Byrne Garton
- 17 January 2014
3 Comments
Dr Maurice Newman, chairman of the Prime Minister's Business Advisory Council, last week cautioned the Government against listening to certain interests at the expense of the common good. His criticism of the former Government as 'reckless' for establishing and funding the National Disability Insurance Scheme reveals an upsetting indifference and a lack of awareness of the benefits of such a scheme both to individuals and to society as a whole.
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AUSTRALIA
- Moira Byrne Garton
- 20 November 2013
16 Comments
Dr Maurice Newman, chairman of the Prime Minister's Business Advisory Council, last week cautioned the Government against listening to certain interests at the expense of the common good. His criticism of the former Government as 'reckless' for establishing and funding the National Disability Insurance Scheme reveals an upsetting indifference and a lack of awareness of the benefits of such a scheme both to individuals and to society as a whole.
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AUSTRALIA
- Moira Byrne Garton
- 24 January 2013
19 Comments
I have heard colleagues refer to decisions as 'retarded', personalities as 'on the [autism] spectrum', and behaviour as 'OCD'. I hoped my silence would express my disapproval. Far from mere 'political correctness', seeking to eliminate such terms from discourse is a natural extension of a respectful and inclusive society.
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AUSTRALIA
- Moira Byrne Garton
- 05 December 2012
8 Comments
In 2001, a Pakistani man granted refugee status set himself on fire outside the Australian Parliament House. Visas for his wife and three daughters had been rejected because one daughter had cerebral palsy. While immigration policy has since become less discriminatory towards people experiencing disability, important barriers still remain.
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AUSTRALIA
- Moira Byrne Garton
- 02 October 2012
35 Comments
Following the rape and murder of Jill Meagher in Melbourne last week, many women admitted they too may have risked the short walk from pub to home in the early hours of the morning. Few men would see it as a risk at all; nor would they understand the 'continuum of threatened violence' women encounter with distressing regularity.
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AUSTRALIA
- Moira Byrne Garton
- 03 August 2012
2 Comments
Disability policy is no longer a short-term issue for political point-scoring, it is in the middle of the public policy sphere. While it is heartening that there is general consensus between political parties on the National Disability Insurance Scheme, some state premiers' bickering over funding has fuelled the distress of affected people.
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INTERNATIONAL
- Moira Byrne Garton
- 29 June 2012
6 Comments
Earlier this month a Canadian Supreme Court effectively legalised physician-assisted euthanasia. While there is a general perception that those opposed to euthanasia do so on religious grounds, many people with disabilities oppose euthanasia because they believe it is bad policy that denies their right to live.
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MEDIA
- Moira Byrne Garton
- 19 August 2011
12 Comments
Politicians are always pitilessly represented in cartoons. Just ask Kevin 'Tintin' Rudd and Julia 'Nose' (or 'Bottom') Gillard. Portrayals of Tony Abbott in Speedos are not part of a plot to undermine him. The public is able to recognise cartoons as exaggerated political commentary.
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AUSTRALIA
- Moira Byrne Garton
- 12 August 2011
11 Comments
Julia Gillard this week described access to disability services as a 'cruel lottery', and declared support for proposed reforms. Her response demonstrates compassion and goodwill during a time when many citizens have expressed disgust at Labor's treatment of asylum seekers.
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ARTS AND CULTURE
- Moira Byrne Garton
- 24 May 2011
11 Comments
Upon seeing the steps in front of one big city Catholic cathedral, we looked for disability access. We followed a sign uphill to find the side entrance also had steps. So we made our way to the back of the church, where we discovered a long ramp and a door. We rang the bell and waited. And waited.
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AUSTRALIA
- Moira Byrne Garton
- 03 December 2010
15 Comments
It can be difficult to communicate with a person who does not use speech, to interact with someone who requires high levels of assistance, or engage with someone who lacks control of their sounds or movements. Many such people are simply avoided, ignored and rejected.
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AUSTRALIA
- Moira Byrne Garton
- 02 September 2010
9 Comments
Many of us value our participation in the election and have been excited by the resulting hung parliament. But some adult citizens cannot be placed on the roll at all, with a significant number of
Australians with intellectual disabilities or mental illness disenfranchised.
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