Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I, and also on behalf of Senator Steele-John, move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes with deep concern that:

  (i) so many disabled Australians are subjected to violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation,

  (ii) disabled women are subjected to violence at significantly higher rates, more frequently, for longer, in more ways and by more perpetrators compared to the rest of the population,

  (iii) the death of Ms Ann Marie Smith was horrific, but Ann Marie's case is not unique, with hundreds of disabled lives taken as a result of violence, abuse, and neglect—her treatment is an example of why the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of People with Disability (the Royal Commission) is so important to bring the reality of the situations that disabled people find themselves in every single day to light, and to ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes are brought to justice, and

  (iv) Ms Smith's death and the failures that contributed to it are the product of individual, community, systemic, and cultural ableism that perpetuates violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation of disabled people—this must be acknowledged and actively addressed to prevent these situations from occurring in the future;

(b) notes that Ms Ann Marie Smith's death has had a profound impact on the South Australian community, particularly the disabled community; and

(c) calls on:

  (i) the Federal Government to urgently address the systems which consistently fail disabled people, and

  (ii) the Federal Government to work with the community to confront the ableist attitudes which perpetuate violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of disabled people in our communities, and

  (iii) the Royal Commission to conduct a full and thorough investigation into Ann Marie Smith's death.