Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the motion put forward by the member for Blair, Mr Neumann. This is an issue that I take particular interest in and I thank the member for raising a matter of such importance. In my electorate I regularly meet with a group of parents and caregivers of people with a disability so that I can better understand the challenges that having a disability or having a loved one with a disability can present. These meetings give members of the community a chance to discuss what daily life involves for their family and how their circumstances could be improved. Many things have been achieved through this group, and one issue that has been brought to my attention is how much red tape people with a permanent disability have to go through to reprove that they have a disability year after year. The process is time-consuming, disruptive and frustrating.

One of my aspirations as a member of parliament is to see government departments imposing less red tape when dealing with people with a disability.

I now have a greater understanding of the need for reform in this area through my experiences with the group of parents and caregivers. I would like to join the member for Blair in commending disability advocates and businesses employing people with a disability. In my electorate of Hasluck, I am fortunate enough to represent many members of the community who are part of such organisations. I am particularly proud to have a member of Disability Advocacy Network Australia in my electorate, and Midland Information, Debt and Legal Advocacy Service Inc., also affectionately known as MIDLAS, in the community.

I would like to congratulate Maria and the team at Friendship Cafe in my electorate on the work they do for the community of Hasluck, where they provide employment pathways and training to young adults with disabilities. The cafe is an excellent example of including and empowering people with a disability, and I hope to see many more initiatives like this in the future. I was honoured to be at the opening of the Friendship Cafe, and I would like to thank the staff for the excellent work that they do.

There are many other wonderful community organisations in Hasluck that I deal with regularly, including the Hills Community Support Group and the Foothills Information and Referral Service. Of course, more work needs to be done. In the 2009 Bureau of Statistics' Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, 78.6 per cent of people without a disability aged 15 to 64 were employed, compared to just 50 per cent of people with a disability.

The group of parents and caregivers that I meet with are always very honest in communicating with me about the challenges they face, and I always appreciate their input. I remember hearing at one particular meeting how parents of school-leaving-age children with a disability were worried about whether or not their children would be able to go on to higher learning. Members of the group were also worried about whether or not their children would be able to find employment and fit in at a workplace.

I believe it is important for us as members of parliament to look at more effective approaches to creating pathways for people with a disability from school to higher education to employment. It is also important that we encourage the general public to give opportunities to people with a disability and to engage them in the workplace. I want to congratulate all businesses that are currently employing people with a disability. Having a job creates not only financial benefits for people with a disability but also a sense of independence, purpose and pride. I encourage more businesses to offer this sense of reward, along with the many benefits of employment, to people with disabilities in our community. In particular, I would like to see a reality check done on the businesses who have the capacity to provide such employment pathways. A particular young lady at a forum addressed the issue of her concern and then burst into tears because she had been applying for a job in a secretarial role but had not been successful. Even though there are job related services to support people with disabilities, she was unsuccessful. At the moment I am working with a couple of companies, hoping to find her a permanent job. The heartache of her circumstances is that her mother is dying of cancer and she has no father to care for her once her mother dies. So she is extremely worried about her own future.

There are many others who would be in similar circumstances, and I would hope that, within the industry and business sectors, there is compassionate consideration of giving people with disability real jobs that provide them with a pathway that is both rich and meaningful, and will enable them to enjoy a fulfilling life. I support the sentiments of the member for Blair and his motion.

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