Article 23 of the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child states that “A child with a disability should enjoy a full and decent life, in conditions which ensure dignity, promote self reliance and facilitate the child’s active participation in the community….”

The Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Act) took effect on 1 March 1993 and provides uniform protection against unfavourable treatment of people with a disability in Australia. The Act codifies the conduct expected of all Australian citizens by imposing sanctions on expressly vilifying conduct and otherwise unacceptable behaviour.

Since the introduction of the Act the state governments have adopted further prescriptive restrictions encompassing a prohibition on discrimination on the basis of gender and religious convictions, for instance.

The Disability Discrimination Act provides the Access to Premises Standards and from that, the Building Code of Australia has been revised to encompass those provisions as a Construction Code inclusive of requirements for providing accessible paths of travel.