From:	Young Stella J. 
Sent:	Monday, 7 December 2009 4:41 PM
To:	disabdis
Subject:	Cinema Access

As an Australian with a disability I am alarmed to hear that the major cinema exhibitors 
(Village, Hoyts, Greater Union and Reading Cinemas) have applied for an exemption from 
complaints under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 for a period of two and a half years.
Cinema access in Australia is already a poor state of affairs, and the law is the only means 
available to protect people with disabilities in this country from discrimination.  Taking away 
our right to complain takes away any sense of empowerment that we’ve taken years to muster, 
and firmly cements us as second class citizens.  Taking away our right to complain is sending a 
very loud message that discrimination is ok, as long as you ask first.  I find this thinking 
abhorrent.
Australia is light years behind other developed nations when it comes to the rights of people 
with disabilities.  I urge the Human Rights Commission to help us on our journey forward, not 
set us back even further by granting requests such as this, now or in the future. 
I look forward to a future where cinemas are fully accessible to all people, regardless of sensory 
or physical impairments.  Please don’t delay the start of this journey by two and a half years.  
Let’s begin today.
Kind Regards,
Stella Young