Natasha Stott Despoja (SA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise briefly to raise an issue of inequitable access in our very own building, Parliament House, specifically for those people who are deaf and hearing impaired. There have been ongoing problems with the hearing loops in this building. This has meant that deaf and hearing impaired Australians have been denied access to meetings and other events that have taken place here. It is discriminatory and it has to be addressed, especially in a modern, democratic building such as this. Yet, despite repeated representations from Deafness Forum and other groups to the Department of Parliamentary Services, the concerns remain.

Last week, the Deafness Forum attended an event in Parliament House in the theatre on level 1. The venue’s access facilities were not adequately signed, nor were the AV operators aware of the presence of the hearing loop. It was found that the loop did not cover the entire theatre. Of course, proper signage would have helped attendees know where to sit in order to access the loop, and it even would have helped the AV operators. The event, ironically, was an internet relay launch to assist people who are deaf and hearing impaired.

In recent times, the Deafness Forum has, with me and other senators, attended meetings in this place, specifically in committee rooms 1S3 and 1S2. This is the last sitting period. These rooms were booked by us. I asked in advance: ‘Would there be an operating hearing loop?’ When we arrived, no technician had turned the loop on and, when contacted, did not know anything about the loop. As I understand it, only one of these rooms has signage referring to a loop system.

DPS and now the government must explain why this is still happening. Why aren’t enough correct signs—that is, showing the international deafness symbol—being put up? Why are the technicians who are supposed to be maintaining and operating these loops unaware of the existence of the loops and why do they lack knowledge as to what to do with them? Clearly, education on these issues is important.

Following contact from the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission, the Deafness Forum met with DPS over six months ago and, after subsequent emails with DPS, they presumed that these access issues had been fixed. Recent events prove otherwise. When members of the public are denied access to their parliamentarians and events in this place because of a lack of adequate access, then it becomes an issue of discrimination. So I would strongly urge those people to pursue this issue through the Disability Discrimination Act. We should be providing best practice models in this place. We do not have signage here. That is bad enough as it is, let alone the lack of other facilities. So I hope that DPS will pay attention to this. For the next 10 months, I am going to be like a bee in a bonnet on these issues.

On that note, I want to congratulate Senator Coonan on her constructive discussions and negotiations. I am pleased to acknowledge that today we can announce that the government will hold an inquiry, a review, into all electronic captioning in this nation—I am thrilled—and, as a consequence, I will let my motion before the Senate today lapse. Again, I thank the government for their cooperation, and I can promise them that I will be looking forward to the results of that review.

In conclusion, and on a more sombre note, as Americans commemorate the anniversary of September 11, I want to put on record that I found it very difficult yesterday when leaders, including our Prime Minister, referred to September 11 but did not acknowledge the fact that 10 Australians also died on that day. I want to make sure that the Australian victims’ relatives understand that we do not forget that in this place.