Australia — The
Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, and the Minister for
Education, Science and Training, Dr Brendan Nelson, today
announced the release for public information of the final
draft of Disability Standards for Education which are set
to remove discrimination against students with a
disability.
"The release of the
Standards represents a significant step towards
removing discrimination against students with
disabilities, and bringing certainty for education
providers about their obligations under the DDA," Dr
Nelson said.
"The Standards will benefit
approximately 200,000 students with disabilities who
are enrolled in our educational institutions every
year.
"The Standards clarify what
students can reasonably expect from their education
providers, so that they can make the most of their
educational opportunities and be assured of a more
secure future."
The Attorney-General will shortly
introduce legislation to amend the Disability
Discrimination Act (DDA) to ensure that the Standards are
fully supported. The Standards will be formulated and
tabled by the Attorney-General as soon as the legislation
is passed.
The Standards will cover government
and non-government providers in all sectors - pre-school,
school, vocational education and training, higher
education and adult and community education.
"People with disabilities
face barriers in their education which simply do not
arise for other students," Mr Ruddock said.
"The Standards, when
implemented, will assist in removing these barriers
and enabling people with disabilities to participate
in education and training to the same extent as the
rest of the community."
The Standards have been developed
in close collaboration with stakeholders, including
through consultations with government and non-government
education providers, the disability sector and the
public.
The Standards and the accompanying
Guidance Notes and Regulation Impact Statement are now
available at: http://www.ag.gov.au/DSFE
and http://www.dest.gov.au/research/publications/latest_additions.htm.
Media Contacts:
Charlie McKillop (Mr
Ruddock)
(02) 6277 7300 or 0419 278 715
Ross Hampton (Dr Nelson)
(02) 6277 7460 or 0419 484 095
Virginia Cook , Dept Of Education,
Science And Training
(02) 6240 9531 or 0412 971 323
