Greens SA

Below is the full response from Greens SA.

 

Thank you so much for writing to the Greens SA and for sharing with us your Election Commitments for the upcoming State Election. We appreciate the opportunity to share with you some of our policies and priorities, and thank you for the time that has been put into the documents you have sent us and for your ongoing advocacy. 

We do note, however, that while the Greens SA will not hold Government following the 2022 State Election, we will likely hold the balance of power in the Legislative Council – particularly if we elect our 2nd Legislative Council (Upper House) candidate, Yesha Joshi. This would also put us in a strong position to negotiate with whoever is in Government for better outcomes for disabled people in South Australia in line with the commitments we are making to you, and to push necessary and important reforms. 

Please find our responses to your questions below: 

 

Advocacy 

Do you commit to significantly increasing state government investment in independent individual, systemic, and representative advocacy in South Australia? 

 

Yes. The Greens know that significant barriers still remain in our society and that disabled people continue to fall through the cracks, often being denied the same rights and support as everyone else. We are committed to increasing funding and support for independent individual, systemic, and representative advocacy in our State, and we know that we can fully fund such endeavors by making big banks, developers, and miners pay their fair share of tax. 

But working with our Federal colleagues, we want to do more – and the Greens have a plan to ensure that disabled people are at the centre of decision-making, policy and planning through a $30 million increase in Commonwealth funding for disability advocacy organisations over four years. 

 

Transport 

Do you commit to investing in the transition of South Australia’s taxi fleet to fully accessible vehicles by 2032? 

 

The Greens support the transition of South Australia’s taxi fleet to fully accessible vehicles. The unreliability and difficulty in obtaining an Access Taxi is unacceptable, and the current number of Access Taxi licences is too low to provide adequate service to South Australians living with disability.

 

Housing 

Do you commit to making the accessibility standards in the National Construction Code 2022 mandatory in South Australia? 

 

The Greens will commit to updating the National Construction Code 2022 to account for low-level mandatory accessibility standards for new residential construction projects. South Australia is in the midst of a housing crisis, with market rates soaring and a serious lack of accessible social housing options. The consequences of locking vulnerable South Australians out of secure housing options are severe. The Greens plan to re-establish the SA Housing Trust, which will build thousands of new quality public homes a year. Ensuring that these homes meet the minimum accessibility standards through an update to the code is a necessary measure to make sure they are equally practically available to all South Australians. 

 

Health 

Do you commit to funding meaningful measures to address the widespread barriers to safe access and inclusion across all South Australia's hospitals and health services so that people living with disability can access these essential services on an equal basis to all other members of the community? 

 

Yes. The Greens want to remove the barriers that stop disabled people from living a good life, fix the systems that are meant to support them, and eliminate the structural discrimination they face. Services and supports for disabled people are a core government responsibility. Government has a responsibility to ensure that suitable services and supports are delivered in all areas. It is also Greens policy to implement comprehensive training and oversight, including disability awareness, to ensure disabled people receive fully inclusive healthcare. 

 

Education 

Do you commit to Inclusive Education in South Australia through signing an Inclusive Education Policy Statement, developing an Inclusive Education Strategy, funding the implementation of Inclusive Education Initiatives in schools, and not establishing any new special schools or units? 

 

Yes. In line with the Australian Greens Education policy, we want to provide schools with all the necessary funding and resources needed to ensure disabled students to be educated in an inclusive setting alongside their peers in accordance with their rights under Article 24, General Comment No. 4 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We strongly support signing an Inclusive Education Policy Statement and subsequently developing and funding an Inclusive Education Strategy. 

The Greens also want to provide all teachers and administrative staff with access to the ongoing training and supports they need to implement inclusive education practices. The implementation and provision pathways of this training would be developed in close consultation with academic experts, inclusive education peak bodies, and teaching unions. Further, we want to eliminate segregated education in all schools and educational facilities, and to implement system-wide inclusive education by no later than 2030. We do recognise, of course, that this must be supported by a comprehensive rights-based transition plan developed in consultation with the community. This would ensure that disabled students’ needs and rights will be met and protected in all stages of the transition to an inclusive education system that benefits all students. 

 

Justice 

Do you commit to implementing all recommendations in the South Australian Law Reform Institute's report Providing a Voice to the Vulnerable: A Study of Communication Assistance in South Australia?

 

The justice system is often inflexible and insensitive to the needs of the community. This is an impediment to the course of natural justice and to the participation of people living with disability. Communication partners play an invaluable role in making sure this participation can occur. Expanding the definition of a communication partner to include family members and community figures will increase the number of situationally appropriate CPs and ensure that engagement with the justice system is achieved on the best terms possible. The Greens support the adoption of all recommendations from SALRI’s report on providing a voice to the vulnerable to ensure the equitable access and exercise of justice. 

 

DAIP Implementation 

Do you commit to funding grants for the implementation of actions under Disability Access and Inclusion Plans (DAIPs) for both state agencies and local councils in South Australia? 

The Greens absolutely support and commit to funding grants for the implementation of actions under DIAPs in both state agencies and local councils. 

 

If you have any questions or would like any further clarification on any of our positions as outlined above, please let us know. We hope that the information we have provided is of use to you and your members. 

 

Yours sincerely, 

Tammy Franks MLC 

Greens SA Parliamentary Leader