The Dignity Party, previously known as Dignity for Disability or Dignity 4 Disability (D4D; known as Dignity for Disabled until 2010), was a political party in the
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
n state of
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
. The party had one parliamentary member,
Kelly Vincent
Kelly Leah Vincent (born 25 October 1988) is an Australian playwright, actress and former politician. She was elected at the 2010 state election for the Dignity Party to the eleventh and last seat for an eight-year term in the 22-member Legisl ...
, elected at the
2010 state election to the eleventh and last seat for an eight-year term in the 22-member
Legislative Council
A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...
in the
Parliament of South Australia
The Parliament of South Australia is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of South Australia. It consists of the 47-seat South Australian House of Assembly, House of Assembly (lower house) and the 22-seat South Australian Legislati ...
. She was not re-elected in the
2018 state election. In 2016, the name of the political party was changed to the Dignity Party to better represent equality in all forms including race, gender, age and sexual orientation.
The party was deregistered in November 2019, after being unable to prove it still had 200 members.
2006 election
The party first ran at the
2006 election under their previous name, Dignity for Disabled, with no successful candidates. Candidates were fielded in the
lower house
A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...
seats of
Unley
Unley is an inner-southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, within the City of Unley. The suburb is the home of the Sturt Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Unley neighbours Adelaide Park Lands, Fullar ...
,
Mitchell,
Mawson
Sir Douglas Mawson (5 May 1882 – 14 October 1958) was a British-born Australian geologist, Antarctic explorer, and academic. Along with Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, and Sir Ernest Shackleton, he was a key expedition leader during ...
,
Norwood,
Hartley
Hartley may refer to:
Places Australia
*Hartley, New South Wales
* Hartley, South Australia
** Electoral district of Hartley, a state electoral district
Canada
* Hartley Bay, British Columbia
United Kingdom
* Hartley, Cumbria
* Hartley, P ...
,
Newland,
Morialta,
Bright
Bright may refer to:
Common meanings
*Bright, an adjective meaning giving off or reflecting illumination; see Brightness
*Bright, an adjective meaning someone with intelligence
People
* Bright (surname)
* Bright (given name)
*Bright, the stage na ...
,
Adelaide
Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
, and
Wright
Wright is an occupational surname originating in England and Scotland. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a ...
, and fielded four candidates in the
upper house
An upper house is one of two Legislative chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house. The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restricted p ...
. Their highest result in the lower house was in
Wright
Wright is an occupational surname originating in England and Scotland. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a ...
as well as
Bright
Bright may refer to:
Common meanings
*Bright, an adjective meaning giving off or reflecting illumination; see Brightness
*Bright, an adjective meaning someone with intelligence
People
* Bright (surname)
* Bright (given name)
*Bright, the stage na ...
at 2.4 percent (506 and 492 votes respectively). Their upper house vote was 0.6 percent (5615 votes).
2010 election

At the
2010 election, renamed Dignity for Disability ran for the
lower house
A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...
seats of
Adelaide
Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
,
Norwood and
Wright
Wright is an occupational surname originating in England and Scotland. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a ...
with similar results. Four candidates again stood for the upper house. The upper house vote doubled from 0.6 percent to 1.2 percent, and after receiving preferences, candidate
Kelly Vincent
Kelly Leah Vincent (born 25 October 1988) is an Australian playwright, actress and former politician. She was elected at the 2010 state election for the Dignity Party to the eleventh and last seat for an eight-year term in the 22-member Legisl ...
was elected to the eleventh and last upper house seat for an eight-year term. Vincent was listed second on the party's upper house ticket, but received the preferences of first candidate
Paul Collier
Sir Paul Collier, (born 23 April 1949) is a British development economist who serves as the Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford and co-director of the International Gro ...
who died of a
brain haemorrhage
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as hemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain (i.e. the parenchyma), into its ventricles, or into both. An ICH is a type of bleeding within the skull and one kind of stro ...
eleven days before the election. Vincent stated she would "probably side with the
Greens on certain issues".
2014 election
Candidates were fielded at the
2014 election in the lower house seats of
Adelaide
Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
,
Dunstan
Dunstan ( – 19 May 988), was an English bishop and Benedictine monk. He was successively Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, Bishop of Worcester, Bishop of London and Archbishop of Canterbury, later canonised. His work restored monastic life in En ...
,
Elder,
Heysen,
Little Para,
Unley
Unley is an inner-southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, within the City of Unley. The suburb is the home of the Sturt Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Unley neighbours Adelaide Park Lands, Fullar ...
and
Waite, and fielded three upper house candidates. Their highest result in the lower house was in
Heysen at 5.2 percent where the
Greens overtook
Labor
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
on Dignity for Disability preferences. Their upper house vote was 0.9 percent.
The candidates in Adelaide and Waite, Anna Tree and Cathi Tucker, were previously
Australian Democrats
The Australian Democrats is a centrist political party in Australia. Founded in 1977 from a merger of the Australia Party and the New Liberal Movement, both of which were descended from Liberal Party splinter groups, it was Australia's lar ...
candidates. Tree ran in
Colton in
2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
and
1997
Events January
* January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States.
* January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis.
* January 1 ...
, Tucker (then Tucker-Lee) ran in
Kavel in
2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
and
1997
Events January
* January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States.
* January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis.
* January 1 ...
,
Light
Light, visible light, or visible radiation is electromagnetic radiation that can be visual perception, perceived by the human eye. Visible light spans the visible spectrum and is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400– ...
in
1993
The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as:
* International Year for the World's Indigenous People
The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
,
Norwood in
1989
1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
,
Hartley
Hartley may refer to:
Places Australia
*Hartley, New South Wales
* Hartley, South Australia
** Electoral district of Hartley, a state electoral district
Canada
* Hartley Bay, British Columbia
United Kingdom
* Hartley, Cumbria
* Hartley, P ...
in
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
, and federally in
Mayo in
1996
1996 was designated as:
* International Year for the Eradication of Poverty
Events January
* January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
. Tucker-Lee received a 23.2 percent primary vote and a 43.7 percent two-candidate vote in Kavel in 1997.
2018 election
In July 2017, Kelly Vincent launched her bid for re-election alongside a team of upper house candidates announced by the Dignity Party. In October 2017, Dignity Party announced one of their largest ever lower house candidate teams in preparation for the South Australian Election, held on 17 March 2018. She was not re-elected.
Dignity Party Legislative Council (upper house) candidates for the 2018 state election were Kelly Vincent, Diana Bleby, Ryan Mann and Esther Simbi. Dignity Party House of Assembly (lower house) candidates for the 2018 state election were Betty-Jean Price (candidate for
Adelaide
Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
), Anastasia Svetlichny (candidate for
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
), Richard Challis (candidate for
Chaffey), Madeline McCaul (candidate for
Cheltenham
Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...
), Ted Evans (candidate for
Colton), Lucy McGinley (candidate for
Croydon
Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...
), Ben Wilson (candidate for
Dunstan
Dunstan ( – 19 May 988), was an English bishop and Benedictine monk. He was successively Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, Bishop of Worcester, Bishop of London and Archbishop of Canterbury, later canonised. His work restored monastic life in En ...
), Nick Schumi (candidate for
Elder), Emma Cresdee (candidate for
Enfield), Cat Connor (candidate for
Frome
Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills and on the River Frome, south of Bath. The population of the parish was 28,559 in 2021.
Frome was one of the largest tow ...
), Garry Connor (candidate for
Gibson), Cyanne Westerman (candidate for
Giles), Rick Neagle (candidate for
Hartley
Hartley may refer to:
Places Australia
*Hartley, New South Wales
* Hartley, South Australia
** Electoral district of Hartley, a state electoral district
Canada
* Hartley Bay, British Columbia
United Kingdom
* Hartley, Cumbria
* Hartley, P ...
), Cristina Rodert (candidate for
Kavel), Monica Kwan (candidate for
Morphett), Bryan Tingey (candidate for
Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide city centre, Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is t ...
), John Duthie (candidate for
Torrens
Torrens may refer to:
Places South Australia
* Electoral district of Torrens, a state electoral district
* Lake Torrens, a salt lake north of Adelaide
* River Torrens, which runs through the heart of Adelaide
* City of West Torrens, a local go ...
), Cathi Tucker (candidate for
Waite), and Phillip Beddall (candidate for
West Torrens).
See also
*
Disability in Australia
Four million people in Australia (18.5%) reported having a disability in 2009, according to the results of the Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers.Australian Bureau of Statistics 2009Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findin ...
*
Disability rights
The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all disabled people.
It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocates, around ...
*
Human rights in Australia
Human rights in Australia have largely been developed by the democratically elected Australian Parliament through laws in specific contexts (rather than a stand-alone, abstract bill of rights) and safeguarded by such institutions as the indepen ...
*
LGBT rights in Australia
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights in Australia rank Equaldex#LGBT Equality Index, among the highest in the world; having significantly advanced over the latter half of the 20th century and early 21st century. Opinion ...
*
List of political parties in Australia
The politics of Australia has a mild two-party system, with two dominant political groupings in the Australian political system, the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal Party of Australia. Federally, 12 of the 151 members of the lower house ( ...
*
People with Disability Australia
People with Disability Australia Ltd (PWDA) is an Australian national peak disability rights and advocacy organisation. Founded in 1981 and based in Surry Hills, Sydney.
PWDA is a Disabled Persons Organisation (DPO), with an elected board of ...
References
External links
Dignity Party Website{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227072628/https://dignityparty.org.au/ , date=27 February 2020
*
ttp://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2010/04/09/2869102.htm Rise of Kelly Vincent: Stateline SA, 9 April 2010 - video
2004 establishments in Australia
Political parties established in 2004
Political parties in South Australia
Disability organisations based in Australia
Disability rights
Equality rights
LGBTQ political advocacy groups in Australia