UNITED NATIONS THIRD COMMITTEE: INTERACTIVE DIALOGUE: SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AND THE CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
Statement by Ms. Emma Hunt, Senior Adviser, Permanent Mission of Australia to the United Nations
23 October 2025
Thank you, Chair.
Australia thanks the Special Rapporteur and the Committee for their important work.
We welcome the focus of the Special Rapporteur's report on children with disabilities and their caregivers, as well as the importance of inclusive and human-rights based care and support systems.
We also welcome the report and the Committee's attention on the gendered dimensions of caregiving, particularly the disproportionate burden placed on women and mothers. It is essential to recognise unpaid care as a barrier to gender equality.
We therefore support efforts to promote shared caregiving responsibilities and ensure all caregivers have access to adequate support, social protection, and mental health services.
We also recognise the importance of inclusive education, early intervention, and assistive technology as key enablers of participation and long-term outcomes for children with disabilities.
Through Australia's partnership with the ATScale Global Partnership, we are expanding access to assistive technology across the Pacific, enabling school-aged children in seven countries to access screening and high-quality devices.
Our National Disability Insurance Scheme also provides tailored, lifelong support for Australians with permanent and significant disability, including children. Australia also provides early intervention for children with developmental delay and disability.
For caregivers, Australia offers support including social protection payments, counselling, respite care, and equipment.
Internationally, Australia's International Disability Equity and Rights Strategy prioritises the care and support economy as central to disability equity and gender equality.
Madame Special Rapporteur and Chair, how can Member States foster a cultural shift that enables more equitably shared caregiving responsibilities within families, particularly considering the gendered dimensions of care?
Thank you.