A woman with disabilities is taking Qantas to court over its refusal to allow her assistance dog onto its flights. Qantas says the dog hasn't been trained to their approved standards, but her lawyers say it's a clear case of discrimination.
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00:00 Go! Go, go! Yes!
00:04 Strike is a three-year-old border collie.
00:06 Good boy!
00:08 And for most of his life, he's been an assistance animal
00:11 to his owner, Rachel, who lives with disabilities.
00:14 Good boy.
00:15 I can't imagine my life without him now.
00:17 He's changed my life significantly.
00:20 And, yeah, I've done things now that I never dreamt of being able to do
00:23 before I had him.
00:25 That includes air travel.
00:27 Rachel and Strike have been on plenty of flights in the last two years,
00:32 travelling on Virgin and Rex for Rachel's work.
00:35 He alerts to medical issues before they're detectable.
00:39 So it just gives me a chance to be able to address them
00:42 before they become an issue.
00:43 But he also does a lot of other things, even just helping with anxiety.
00:48 But Strike isn't allowed on Qantas flights.
00:51 That's because he wasn't trained by the accredited agencies
00:55 specified under Qantas's rules.
00:58 He is, however, recognised and funded as an assistance dog
01:01 by the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
01:04 It doesn't matter what I supply to Qantas,
01:06 they're refusing to acknowledge his status as a qualified assistance dog.
01:10 Rachel is now taking the airline to court,
01:13 accusing the national carrier of breaching disability discrimination laws.
01:17 Qantas is making its own rules, which we say is arbitrary and unfair
01:21 and inconsistent with what is required and allowed under the national laws.
01:26 The airline has told the ABC it recognises the important role
01:29 that properly trained assistance dogs perform for travellers
01:32 with specific needs, and it carries many on board each year.
01:37 But Rachel says there are many more like her.
01:40 We're hoping to achieve policy change so that it's easier
01:43 for other handlers like myself to be able to access flights with Qantas.
01:48 A leap of faith.
01:50 Good boy!
01:52 [BLANK_AUDIO]