All of us deserve to feel safe and have equal opportunities in life, no matter our background, ability, gender or sexuality. However, for many people in NSW discrimination and exclusion is an everyday reality.
The pandemic exposed deep racism and discrimination against communities, including multicultural communities and people of colour in NSW. Many people with disability who were already facing discrimination were - and continue to be - forced into further isolation or disconnection from community.
We saw specific communities subject to targeted lockdown provisions and police intimidation and individuals subject to hateful racist attacks and vilification. And we saw Liberal National governments denying residents without citizenship equal assistance and support during this time.
We saw specific communities subject to targeted lockdown provisions and police intimidation and individuals subjected to hateful racist attacks and vilification. And we saw Liberal National governments denying residents without citizenship equal assistance and support during this time.
The Greens will continue to tackle racism, sexism, and ableism - and are committed to ensuring full equality for the diverse LGBTIQ+ communities across our state. We will take urgent action to combat discrimination and the severe impact that it has on First Nations peoples, refugees, multicultural communities, gender diverse people, and disabled people. And we will ensure that the diverse NSW community is fully represented in our social and political institutions.
The Greens will work to eliminate violence against women, reform the anti-discrimination act and enact a human rights charter to ensure no one is stopped from asserting their rights and dignities.
The Greens are committed to full equality - no excuses.
Disability
There are over 1 million people in New South Wales with a disability. Just like everyone else, they have a right to be supported to live full and active lives – but significant barriers still remain in our society.
Disabled people continue to fall through the cracks and are often denied the same rights as everyone else. Successive Liberal and Labor governments have perpetuated and exacerbated the discrimination of disabled people, often denying them access to inclusive education, meaningful employment, adequate services, and the support they need. The current government has shown that even in a crisis it relegates people with disability to an afterthought.
The Greens know that an accessible and inclusive society benefits everyone. That’s why we will continue to fight so hard in the NSW Parliament for accessible housing, transport and education, and full inclusion for disabled people in every aspect of our community.
The Greens plan includes:
- Ensuring society is accessible by mandating minimum accessibility standards in all new residential builds, fast-tracking and extending public transport accessibility upgrades, and prioritising accessibility in public planning and development
- Prioritising democratic inclusion for people with disability by introducing live Auslan interpretation in Parliament and at all scheduled government press conferences, resourcing the NSW Electoral Commission to expand electoral inclusion measures, publishing Easy Read versions of all publicly available Government information and resources, and mandating proper consultation with the disability community on all policy and legislation that may affect people with disability
- Ending state-sanctioned ableism by recognising disability discrimination in the Anti-Discrimination Act, addressing unemployment of people with disability through public sector employment programs, funding individual and systemic disability advocacy services, and moving responsibility for disability inclusion into the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
Read more about our Disability Accessibility and Inclusion policy here
Anti-Racism
Everyone should be able to live without experiencing discrimination or racism but sadly this is an everyday reality for many people in NSW.
The Greens will take urgent action to combat discrimination and the severe impact that it has on First Nations peoples, refugees, multicultural communities, people who are not citizens including international students, and people of colour.
The pandemic exposed deep racism and discrimination against many individuals and communities in NSW.
We saw an increase in anti-Chinese and anti-Asian actions which saw individuals subjected to hateful racist attacks and vilification.
We also saw specific communities subject to targeted lockdown provisions and police intimidation and individuals subject to hateful racist attacks and vilification. And we saw Liberal National governments denying residents without citizenship equal assistance and support during this time.
For too long the impacts of invasion and colonisation have gone unaddressed - and the Greens have a plan to deliver First Nations justice.
The Greens will act to end racism and hate speech and the growing threat of far-right extremism in our community. And we will ensure that the diverse NSW community is fully represented in our social and political institutions.
The Greens plan includes:
- Making essential and public services available to all those living in NSW, including refugees and asylum seekers
- Ensuring that community organisations and community leaders are included in decision making concerning their communities
- Developing a hate crimes database that encourages reporting and action on hate speech, racial hatred and racial discrimination
- Making anti-racism training mandatory throughout the public service and all government funded bodies
- Properly resourcing free and accessible interpreting and real time translation services for all government announcements
- Establishing a NSW Human Rights Act or Charter
- Acknowledging Jan 26th as Invasion Day and a day of mourning for First Nations peoples and the need to change the date of Australia Day.
LGBTIQA+
We should all feel safe and have equal opportunities in life, regardless of our sexuality, gender identity or sex characteristics.
Community and activists in NSW led the way in demanding LGBTIQ+ rights and equality. The 78ers stood their ground and since then laws and attitudes have progressed but there’s still more to be done to strengthen the rights and protections of LGBTIQ+ people.
The diversity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people and their specific needs as disadvantaged communities, should to be recognised.
People who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and asexual face discrimination in NSW which has damaging long term impacts that must be addressed. It is unacceptable for those in the LGBTIQ+ community to be denied work due to their sex, sexuality or gender identity or the access to the community, health and social services they need.
The Greens will improve our laws and funding for the LGBTIQ+ community - to get all the discrimination out of our laws and policies in NSW - and work with community to change attitudes so that no one faces discrimination and disadvantage.