Dr Ben Gauntlett appointed as Deputy Commissioner to the NACC
AHRC honours Dr Ben Gauntlett’s impact as Disability Discrimination Commissioner as he steps into his new role at the National Anti‑Corruption Commission.
The President of the Australian Human Rights Commission Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM today warmly congratulated the Disability Discrimination Commissioner Dr Ben Gauntlett on his appointment as Deputy Commissioner of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).
“Dr Gauntlett commenced his term as Disability Discrimination Commissioner in May 2019. In that time, he has been an outstanding voice for the rights of the 4.4 million people in Australia with disability,” she said.
“He has been a champion for increasing meaningful employment opportunities for people with disability, increased access to accessible housing for people with disability, greater community awareness of disability rights and disability discrimination, and strengthened legal and policy frameworks to protect disability rights.”
Shortly after Dr Gauntlett joined the Australian Human Rights Commission in 2019, he represented the Commission in Australia's second, and their periodic reviews, under the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Since that time, he has contributed to a wide range of policy areas such as the review of Disability Employment Services, the operation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the development and implementation of Australia's Disability Strategy 2021-2031 and the creation of the National Disability Data Asset.
Dr Gauntlett's term as Commissioner coincided with the incidence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had and continues to have a profound effect on people with disability and chronic medical conditions of all ages in Australia. Throughout the pandemic he was deeply committed to ensuring people with disability were treated with dignity and respect no matter what their life circumstances, and this continues today.
Dr Gauntlett has also led the Commission's engagement with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability and had significant engagements with the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
Emeritus Professor Croucher said: “Dr Gauntlett's background as a barrister, his deep respect for upholding the law and his commitment to public service make him an ideal appointment to the NACC.
“On behalf of my fellow Commissioners and the staff at the Australian Human Rights Commission, I'd like to thank him for his distinguished contribution and the legacy he will leave behind when he starts his term at the NACC.”
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