On this page, we talk about the ways the laws in Australia protect your
Rights are rules about how people must treat you:
- fairly
- equally.
Your rights
The laws in Australia give you the right to take part in your community.
This means people must treat you fairly:
- in your home
- at school
- at work
- in public places.
You have the right to make decisions about your life.
This includes decisions about:
- where you live
- who you live with
- how you spend your money.
You also have the right to be safe from
Violence or abuse is when someone:
- hurts you
- scares you
- controls you.
This includes being safe at home.
The laws in Australia also give you the right to:
- learn and go to school
- find a job and earn money
- get healthcare
- find and use the support you need.
You also have the right to ask for a different healthcare worker to give you their opinion about a health issue.
For example, if you think you have a different health issue than your doctor says you have.
You also have the right to ask for a different person to support you.
This includes:
- support workers
- healthcare workers, like doctors and nurses.
The laws also give you the right to decide:
- when you go outside your home
- where you go in the community.
For example, you can go to the shops or a park when you want.
Who is at risk
People do not always respect the rights of other people.
This can happen more often for some people than for others.
It can happen because of a person’s
Your gender is what you feel and understand about who you are as a person.
You might think of yourself as a man or woman or something different.
You can choose the words that are right for you.
People whose rights are more at risk include:
- women with disability
-
people with disability.
A gender diverse person is someone:
- who feels like they do not fit the idea of being a man or a woman
- whose gender given to them when they were born does not match the gender they are.
These people are also more likely to experience
Discrimination is when people or services treat you unfairly because of a part of who you are.
Violence and abuse are never okay.
Discrimination is never okay.
They are against the law.
We wrote a PDF document about your rights in Easy English.
You can find out more on the WWDA website.
Other resources you can use are sets of cards to help you talk with the people who support you.
You can find out more on the Council for Intellectual Disability website.
Laws about different types of violence and abuse
Violence and abuse are against the law in Australia.
It is also against the law for someone to say they will hurt you.
Australia does not have any laws about violence and abuse that happens to someone because of their gender.
But we know that women and girls with disability are more likely to experience violence and abuse from:
- friends
- carers
- strangers.
is against the law.
Domestic and family violence is when someone close to you hurts you, such as:
- your partner, like a boyfriend or girlfriend
- a member of your family
- someone who takes care of you
- someone you live with.
Each state and territory has its own laws about domestic and family violence.
You can watch a video on YouTube about domestic and family violence.
You can visit the YouTube website to find out more.
You can find out more on our page about domestic and family violence.
Violence and abuse that is against the law
Some types of violence and abuse are always against the law.
It does not matter what you have with the person who uses violence or abuse.
Your relationship with someone is how you are connected to them.
It is always against the law if the person:
- physically hurts you, like hitting or slapping
- says they will hurt you
- behaves in a way that makes you feel unsafe, like breaking objects.
It is also against the law for the person to stop you from:
- using health services
- going to school
- finding a job.
is also against the law.
Financial violence or abuse is when someone:
- takes your money
- stops you having a say in how you spend your money
- makes you pay for other people's things.
You can find out more on our page about financial violence and abuse.
Getting help
You can get help if someone does not respect your rights.
This includes if you experience:
- violence or abuse
- discrimination.
You can report someone to the police if they have:
- hurt you
- told you they will hurt you.
You can call a helpline.
Helplines are phone numbers that will connect you to people who:
- care about what you are going through
- can give you good advice.
We have a list of helplines on our website.
You can find out more on our page about helplines.
Example story
We wrote a story to show an example of what your rights are in Australia.
The story we wrote is about a person called Eve.
The story and the people in it are not real.
We made them up to explain your rights in Australia.
Eve’s story
Eve needs support to do day‑to‑day tasks, like reading and writing.
Her mum is her carer and support person.
Eve’s mum takes Eve’s disability support payments.
And does not let Eve spend her own money.
Eve’s mum:
- shouts at her
- calls her names.
Sometimes Eve’s mum hits her when she gets mad.
This is not okay.
This is against the law.
Eve decides to talk to someone outside her family so she can learn how to be safe.
Eve calls 1800RESPECT.
1800RESPECT is a phone service for people who are experiencing violence and abuse.
The person at 1800RESPECT explains to Eve what her options are.
