Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia (A4) sent yet another letter to Australia's latest Attorney-General. The letter raises concerns about proposed changes to disability discrimination law, and the lack of acknowledgement or response to concerns raised with previous Attorneys General.

by: BRUCE MCDOUGALL
From: The Daily Telegraph
December 24, 2012 12:00AM

SCHOOL teachers are training in martial arts to control disabled children who become violent under a raft of controversial behaviour management techniques slammed by disability groups as "abuse and neglect".

Children with disabilities are also being locked in small rooms or in "fenced areas" as punishment for bad behaviour at school while others are banned from classes unless they have taken "psychotropic medication", researchers claim.

UnitingCare's Social Justice Unit released a report/policy paper Addressing high rates of school suspension. It says ...

The right to education is enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This includes taking measures to encourage regular attendance at schools and to reduce school drop-out rates.

A4's Management Group endorsed the submission that Bob Buckley sent (originally as a personal submission) to the Senate Inquiry into the draft Act.

The draft legislation aims to consolidate a number of existing acts.

Dear Prime Minister

I wish you greetings of the season.

Rachel Browne Sun-Herald journalist

CHILDREN and young adults with disabilities are three times more likely to suffer abuse and neglect than their peers without disabilities, according to a policy paper released on Tuesday.

According to the paper, abuse can often occur in the form of behaviour management.

The paper, prepared by Dr Sally Robinson, of Southern Cross University's Centre for Children and Young People, cited cases of children who had been abused or neglected by school staff.

Previously, Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia (A4) wrote to Attorneys-General about the rights of people with a disability (see http://a4.org.au/a4/node/438). The letter was emailed twice (once each on 4/1/2012 and 5/1/2012) and there was no indication that it did not arrive at its destination.

There was absolutely no response to the letter, so we put in a request using the Freedom of Information process. The response says: