Media Release
Jenny Macklin MP.
Shadow Minister for Families and Payments
Shadow Minister for Disability Reform
Friday, 16 May 2014
The
Abbott Government’s decision to appoint Tim Wilson as a Human Rights
Commissioner has come at the expense of Australia’s first full time
Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes AM.
This
week’s Budget announced a cut of one full time Commissioner from the
Human Rights Commission following the next vacancy in July.
“Senator Brandis couldn’t come clean in December about hisintention
to sack one of the existing Commissioners in order to accommodate his
appointment of Tim Wilson,” Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said.
“We
now know the Government had no intention of increasing funds for the
Human Rights Commission to cover Mr Wilson’s appointment.
“In
Opposition Senator Brandis was prepared to publicly criticise Mr Innes
for advocating on behalf of Australians with a disability. At the time
he blamed the “ideological culture” within the Human Rights Commission.
“To
add insult to injury this Government will return to the same number of
Commissioners before Mr Wilson joined the Commission, and cut $1.7
million from the Human Rights Commission budget.”
“Graeme
Innes, Australia’s first ever full time Disability Discrimination
Commissioner has done an outstanding job under both Liberal and Labor
Governments,” Shadow Minister for Disability Reform Jenny Macklin said.
“Mr
Innes has been an extremely powerful advocate for people with
disability, working hard every day to ensure that people with disability
have access to the same rights and opportunities as all Australians,”
Jenny Macklin said.
Labor thanks Graeme Innes for the remarkable work he has done at the Australian Human Rights Commission over the last decade.
No comments:
Post a Comment