Post by horace on Feb 1, 2011 11:21:18 GMT 7
Here is a draft letter, for Banjo or others to improve upon, and send to Senator Mitch Fifield (I have not sent it):
Dear Senator Mitch Fifield,
We are a group of Disability Support Pensioners, "who wish to have the right to travel and live where they please". At the moment many of us have chosen to gather at the website "dspoverseas.proboards.com", where we are trying to allow the voice of Disability Support Pensioners to be heard. Usually disabled people are not listened to by the wider society, they are expected to sit down and be quiet, and take whatever is given to them.
We would like to thank you for your actions as Shadow Minister for Disabilities, Carers and the Voluntary Sector and Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate, in delaying and frustrating the passage of the Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Budget and Other Measures) Bill 2010.
This is a cruel piece of legislation that will destroy the lives and families of hundreds of Disability Support Pensioners who have chosen to travel and live overseas. I am sure you have read the submissions to the Senate Community Affairs Committee in regard to this legislation
www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/clac_ctte/fahscia_2/submissions.htm
But this is just the tip of the iceberg, there are hundreds of families and lives that will be disrupted and destroyed.
This legislation violates the human rights of disabled people, it violates Article 18 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: "Article 18: Liberty of movement and nationality
1. States Parties shall recognize the rights of persons with disabilities to liberty of movement,
to freedom to choose their residence and to a nationality, on an equal basis with others.."
Senator Fifield, you may have read the report of the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee on the
Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Bill 2010 [Provisions] and Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2010 [Provisions].
This report was presented to the Australian Parliament on the 28th of January 2011.
www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/legcon_ctte/human_rights_bills_43/report/report.pdf
This report has important implications for the Disability Support Pensioners who are planning to challenge the legislation about the overseas portability and residency restrictions on the DSP. Page 15 of the report states:
"1.13 Australia is also a party to optional protocols to ICCPR, CEDAW and the
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which allow individuals to take
a complaint about human rights breaches to the relevant United Nations committee
once domestic remedies have been exhausted."
Senator McLucas claims that you are "playing politics"
with this legislation.
www.janmclucas.fahcsia.gov.au/mediareleases/Pages/coalition_playing_25112010.aspx
Well, whatever political games are being played, we would like to encourage you, as long as it delays and derails the legislation. And we can assist you with the playing of politics.
One of the more prominent members of the website, "Ruddthedudd", appears to be a very loyal and longstanding Liberal voter, and is a strong supporter of Tony Abbott. As well as being a Disability Support Pensioner who lives in Asia with his family, wife and two children. He is the author of Submission Number Three to the Committee, which you should re-read. You should give him credit for being a very loyal supporter of the Liberal Party, and respect his point of view.
Also, many of us have visited your website,
www.mitchfifield.com/
An interesting and entertaining website.
Particularly entertaining is the section entitled "Mitch TV".
However, I watched a few of the TV interviews, but I did not see you making public comments about the Disability Support Pension.
Dear Senator Mitch Fifield,
We are a group of Disability Support Pensioners, "who wish to have the right to travel and live where they please". At the moment many of us have chosen to gather at the website "dspoverseas.proboards.com", where we are trying to allow the voice of Disability Support Pensioners to be heard. Usually disabled people are not listened to by the wider society, they are expected to sit down and be quiet, and take whatever is given to them.
We would like to thank you for your actions as Shadow Minister for Disabilities, Carers and the Voluntary Sector and Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate, in delaying and frustrating the passage of the Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Budget and Other Measures) Bill 2010.
This is a cruel piece of legislation that will destroy the lives and families of hundreds of Disability Support Pensioners who have chosen to travel and live overseas. I am sure you have read the submissions to the Senate Community Affairs Committee in regard to this legislation
www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/clac_ctte/fahscia_2/submissions.htm
But this is just the tip of the iceberg, there are hundreds of families and lives that will be disrupted and destroyed.
This legislation violates the human rights of disabled people, it violates Article 18 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: "Article 18: Liberty of movement and nationality
1. States Parties shall recognize the rights of persons with disabilities to liberty of movement,
to freedom to choose their residence and to a nationality, on an equal basis with others.."
Senator Fifield, you may have read the report of the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee on the
Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Bill 2010 [Provisions] and Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2010 [Provisions].
This report was presented to the Australian Parliament on the 28th of January 2011.
www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/legcon_ctte/human_rights_bills_43/report/report.pdf
This report has important implications for the Disability Support Pensioners who are planning to challenge the legislation about the overseas portability and residency restrictions on the DSP. Page 15 of the report states:
"1.13 Australia is also a party to optional protocols to ICCPR, CEDAW and the
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which allow individuals to take
a complaint about human rights breaches to the relevant United Nations committee
once domestic remedies have been exhausted."
Senator McLucas claims that you are "playing politics"
with this legislation.
www.janmclucas.fahcsia.gov.au/mediareleases/Pages/coalition_playing_25112010.aspx
Well, whatever political games are being played, we would like to encourage you, as long as it delays and derails the legislation. And we can assist you with the playing of politics.
One of the more prominent members of the website, "Ruddthedudd", appears to be a very loyal and longstanding Liberal voter, and is a strong supporter of Tony Abbott. As well as being a Disability Support Pensioner who lives in Asia with his family, wife and two children. He is the author of Submission Number Three to the Committee, which you should re-read. You should give him credit for being a very loyal supporter of the Liberal Party, and respect his point of view.
Also, many of us have visited your website,
www.mitchfifield.com/
An interesting and entertaining website.
Particularly entertaining is the section entitled "Mitch TV".
However, I watched a few of the TV interviews, but I did not see you making public comments about the Disability Support Pension.
