Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - NGO Shadow Report
Australian CRPD Shadow Report
To endorse this report send an email to responses@disabilityrightsnow.org.au
Leading Disabled Persons Organisations in Australia have partnered to form a project group which has compiled a Shadow Report on Australia's implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
The overall aim of the Shadow Report is to make recommendations to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. These recommendations will provide the basis for the United Nations recommendations to the Australian Government regarding Australia's implementation of the Articles of the Convention. The main focus of the Shadow Report will be reporting the extent to which Australia has implemented its obligations under the CRPD and to provide recommendations for future action by the Australian Government.
The project group gratefully acknowledges the pro bono support from DLA Piper Australia in providing a team to draft the report and assist with facilitating consultations in each State and Territory in Australia as well as the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs in funding the consultations and drafting of the report.
May 2011
Over the last 3 years a number of disabled persons, advocacy and human rights organisations have been developing the NGO Shadow Report on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). You can download a copy of the Australian CRPD Shadow Report here.
Many of you are familiar with the shadow reporting process, having participated in the nationwide consultations and contributed data and submissions to inform the drafting of the Shadow Report. The United Nations CRPD Committee will be considering Australia’s performance under the CRPD in 2013. The aim of the Shadow Report is to provide information on the extent to which Australia has implemented its obligations under the CRPD and to provide recommendations for future action by the Australian Government. It aims to assist the CRPD Committee in their observations and recommendations to the Australian Government regarding Australia's implementation of CRPD.
We sincerely thank all individuals and organisations that provided information through the consultation and feedback processes that formed the basis for the Shadow Report. We have done our best to comprehensively encapsulate all issues of concern within a report length that would be acceptable to the CRPD Committee. Consequently, we will not be making changes to the substance of the Shadow Report but will provide an update to the Committee in 2013 with any necessary additions.
We would be pleased if your organisation would consider endorsing this Shadow Report in whole or in part. The more organisations that endorse the report, the more weight it will have with the CRPD Committee. We would also be grateful if you could distribute the Shadow Report through your networks for broader endorsement.
The Shadow Report will say “This Shadow Report is endorsed, in whole or in part, by the following non-government organisations”. Therefore, organisations do not need to support the whole report in order to endorse it. To make your endorsement, please provide the details of the name of your organisation and send endorsement in whole or part to To endorse this report send an email to responses@disabilityrightsnow.org.au by June 29, 2012.
Please also note that we are seeking additional resources to provide the report in alternative formats including Braille and Easy English. If you require these formats or have any queries please contact To endorse this report send an email to responses@disabilityrightsnow.org.au
Project Group on the Shadow Report on the CRPD:
• Joanna Shulman, Australian Disability Rights Network, Redfern Legal Centre
• Therese Sands, People with Disability Australia
• Ken Wade and Rebekah Horvath, Queensland Advocacy Incorporated
• Lesley Hall, Australian Federation of Disability Organisations
• Fiona Given, Disability Discrimination Legal Centre
• Andrea Simmons, Disability Advocacy Network Australia
• Rosemary Kayess, Australian Human Rights Centre