Submission into the NSW Human Rights Bill 2025 Inquiry
14 July 2026
People with Disability Australia welcomed the opportunity to comment on the NSW Human Rights Bill 2025 and the need for a strong Human Rights Act that protects and promotes the rights of people with disability in New South Wales (NSW).
Although Australia has agreed to seven international human rights treaties, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), people with disability in NSW continue to experience discrimination and poorer outcomes than people without disability in many areas of life.
People with disability are much more likely to experience violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.
These experiences can be even worse for people who face multiple forms of discrimination, including First Nations people with disability, women with disability, LGBTQIA+ people with disability, and people with disability from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
The human rights protections that currently exist in NSW are limited. They have not stopped people with disability from experiencing discrimination, violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.
The main problem is that the rights set out in the CRPD and other international human rights treaties are not automatically part of NSW law. They must be included in NSW legislation before they can be enforced.
Without a Human Rights Act, governments can make decisions without properly considering people’s human rights. In most cases, people in NSW also have no clear way to challenge a breach of their human rights or seek a legal remedy. This is why NSW needs a Human Rights Act.
PWDA has previously called for a National Human Rights Act. A NSW Human Rights Act would complement national legislation by protecting rights in areas that are the responsibility of the NSW Government, such as many public services and infrastructure.
Our goal is to see both a National Human Rights Act and a NSW Human Rights Act that clearly recognise the rights of people with disability and embed the rights set out in the CRPD.
