Migration decisions continue to discriminate against people with disability
3 March, 2023
The imminent deportation of a 10 year old Perth boy and his family because of his disability highlights again why Australia’s migration laws need to be fixed.
Perth family facing deportation as son’s Down syndrome diagnosis deemed taxpayer burden – ABC News
Down Syndrome Australia has long been advocating for changes to the migration system for people with disability. We call for the Government to:
- amend the Disability Discrimination Act to remove the exemption of the Migration Act from its scope;
- make waivers of the migration health requirements available for all visas, not just certain classes of visa; and
- remove special education from the definition of community cost in terms of the migration health requirements.
“In addition to supporting and advocating for Aaryan and his family in whatever way we can, Down Syndrome Australia will continue to work towards removing this discrimination against people with Down syndrome and other disabilities. It is simply not good enough for families who are contributing to Australia and who meet all other migration requirements, to be turned away simply because they have a child who has a disability,” stated CEO, Darryl Steff.
Down Syndrome Australia’s Position Statement on Migration can be found here.
More information on Welcoming Disability can be found here.
About Down Syndrome Australia
Down Syndrome Australia was established in 2011 as the peak body for people with Down syndrome in Australia. Our purpose is to influence social and policy change and provide a national profile and voice for people living with Down syndrome. We work collaboratively with the state and territory Down syndrome associations to achieve our mission. More information about the work of Down Syndrome Australia and the contact details for local support and services can be found at www.downsyndrome.org.au.
Contact us
To contact us about this and other issues, please email us at media@downsyndrome.org.au