Australian Human Rights Commission CRPD information concerning Australia – 11.03.13 with the Handbook on National Human Rights Action Plans available from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. 19. 3.4 The Action Plan contains specific actions to address the human rights of people with disability and indicates that ‘[a] key priority for the Australian Government will be continuing work on implementing the National Disability Strategy.’6 The Commission noted in its submission to the Consultation on the exposure draft of the National Human Rights Action Plan that it may be possible to update the National Human Rights Action Plan in relation to people with disability when the initial annual report to the Council of Australian Governments on implementation of the National Disability Strategy became available (then scheduled for February 2012) (section 3.6 below).7 Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) 20. The Disability Discrimination Act provides that it is unlawful to discriminate, directly or indirectly, against a person with a disability in the protected areas of public life, including employment, education, the provision of goods, services and facilities, and accommodation.8 It further provides that it is unlawful, in certain circumstances, to fail to make reasonable adjustments for a person with a disability.9 In addition, it is unlawful to discriminate against an associate of a person with a disability.10 21. The Disability Discrimination Act also provides for the appointment of a Disability Discrimination Commissioner. The present incumbent is Commissioner Graeme Innes AM.11 22. Disability is defined broadly in the Disability Discrimination Act.12 The definition of disability includes ‘the malfunction, malformation or disfigurement of a part of the person’s body’ and ‘a disorder, illness or disease that affects a person’s thought processes, perception of reality, emotions or judgment or that results in disturbed behaviour’. The Disability Discrimination Act covers a disability that presently exists, previously existed but no longer exists, may exist in the future, and is imputed to a person. 23. If a person is discriminated against because of a disability that exists, previously existed, may exist in the future, or is imputed to him or her, however that disability was caused, that person may lodge a complaint with the Commission.13 On an annual basis the largest number of complaints received by the Commission have consistently been in the area of disability (average 951 per annum over the last 4 years), with the majority of these complaints in the protected areas of employment and the provision of goods, services and facilities.14 The Commission notes that these statistics indicate that there remains substantial disability education and awareness to be undertaken in the broader community in addition to government, business and service provision. 24. March 1st 2013 marked the twentieth anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act. The Commission marked the occasion with the launch of Twenty Years: Twenty Stories by Governor-General, Ms Quentin Bryce AC CVO.15 This collection of twenty short films demonstrates how the lives of 6