Butterfly upon the road: Human rights and disablement - Victorian Human Rights Oration

23/11/2004

Renowned social and disability activist, Dr Rhonda Galbally AO will deliver the fourth annual Victorian Human Rights Oration on United Nations Human Rights Day, Friday 10 December.

Dr Rhonda Galbally AO has a long list of credits to her name, but is probably best known for her role as Chief Executive Officer of the ground breaking Victorian Health Promotion Foundation, the world's first organisation to use a dedicated tax on tobacco.

She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Our Community, a pioneering on-line organisation - the only Australian one stop-gateway offering practical resources, support and linkages between community groups and networks, business and government.

Her address will focus on human rights for all people, including people with a disability with an opening address by the Attorney-General, The Hon Rob Hulls MP.

Dr Galbally said that the demands of people with disabilities were still seen as special pleading.

"People with disabilities are not asking for special rights, but the same rights that the rest of the community takes for granted," she said.

"The voice of people with disabilities has to be heard as we feel acutely injustices that people without disabilities would be inclined to overlook."

"Human rights are rights we all have, by virtue of being human, they are rights to those conditions and resources that are fundamental to life and dignity."

Helen Szoke, Chief Executive of oration organiser, the Equal Opportunity Commission, said the Victorian Annual Human Rights Oration commemorated Human Rights Day and the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations in 1948.

"This was a set of universally accepted and observed basic human rights - rights that everybody in our society, regardless of race, position, disability, political persuasion or other characteristic, should enjoy."

"I could not think of a more appropriate person than Rhonda Galbally, who has focussed her life's work on making a difference for a more equitable society, to deliver the fourth annual Victorian Human Rights Oration."

Dr Galbally said that Australia lagged behind a number of other western countries in terms of systemic change to address the rights of people with a disability.

"The UK has set a five-year target to make all public services accessible to people with disabilities, specific targets also exist to guide the recruitment of people with disabilities into the civil service."

"Even more powerful are the regulations in countries such as France, Germany and Italy that require employers to recruit people with disabilities, and, failing this, to pay a contribution into a fund to promote employment for people with disabilities."

"It's not about integrating disabled people into a non-disabled word; it means redefining society according to the perspectives of all people, not just the non-disabled."

Dr Rhonda Galbally is chair of the Disability Advisory Council Victoria and the Royal Women's Hospital. Her stories are told in her recently published book: "Just Passions - The personal is political".

Victorian Human Rights Oration
The Butterfly upon the Road: human rights and disablement
12 - 1pm (Lunch provided)
Friday 10 December, 2004
Free Registration
Dianne Williamson
Tuesday 7th December 2004
Ph. 03 9281 7106

Media Enquiries: Julia Davies Media and Communications Coordinator Equal Opportunity Commission Victoria Ph. 9281 7150/0408 126 396