Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Hansard source

If he wishes to make this debate partisan, he will have the opportunity to do that in his own remarks. I was trying to acknowledge the good work of people in our own communities and, I am sure, the member's communities who are actually out there doing it every day, and the carers and parents and families who are doing this job. We should endeavour to do all we can over the years in which this scheme will come into being to ensure that we can assist them in the meantime. I would not have thought that was something inviting an interjection, but I suppose that reflects more on the member opposite.

In my electorate of Cook there are two particular organisations I would like to pay tribute to. They do this work every day of the week, and I would like to recognise in this place the work that they do. Civic Disability Services have served the shire for more than 50 years. Their commitment to providing care and purpose for those with disabilities in our local area is commendable, and they continue to provide those services today in spite of the pressures and costs of operating in a very difficult economic environment. I have had the opportunity to be part of many of their programs and see their work firsthand. They provide people with intellectual disabilities with a job, with real work, which they are paid for as part of a functioning business that is out there making its own way. One of the most inspiring things about Civic Disability Services is to meet the people who have had those jobs for decades. They have had this as a focus of their lives for such a long period of time. It is important that they continue the work that they are engaged with, and it is important that they can continue to be commercially successful and deal with the many challenges that come their way which small businesses understand and face all around this country. They employ more than 100 people. They provide meaningful employment and give purpose to the lives of people with disabilities in the shire because they can provide a commercial service to real commercial clients who expect high standards at an affordable cost, and that is what they deliver.

There is also the Sylvanvale Foundation. It has provided support to people with an intellectual disability not only in the shire but also in greater Sydney for more than 60 years. The foundation provides a wide range of support services and they are dedicated to serving people under the guidance of their now chief executive Jill Deering. Their vision is to touch lives, awaken potential and work in partnership with people that they support. It is the words 'work in partnership' that ring most true in my association with them. We should be taking that attitude of a partnership forward in the way we engage with the detail of this bill and implementing this scheme in this place. This is not about politics; this is all about a partnership between all Australians. The Sylvanvale mission is to enable people with an intellectual disability to achieve their full potential by providing exceptional services that support, inspire and enable people to reach their goals. Sylvanvale provides a wide range of services and initiatives including accommodation designed to help those with disabilities to live as independently as possible, gain confidence in themselves, acquire skills and expand life experiences. They also offer day programs specialising in lifestyle and social skills, in addition to post-school options and community participation initiatives designed to enable people to gain their independence and look after their health and wellbeing. The Transition to Work Program assists young adults with an intellectual disability to prepare them for work once they have finished school by equipping them with the vital life skills to help them in a home and workplace setting. In Jill Deering's own words, 'It is important for people with a disability to have a choice and have control over the services they need.' Sylvanvale provides that partnership, allowing each individual to take an active role in determining their future.

The level of community support for the initiatives before us in this bill is the reason it has been so well received. The expectations, ambitions and aspirations that the people of Australia have for this have been great, and that is why those aspirations and expectations have to be managed carefully. I noticed this when last year, in response to some changes in funding arrangements, Sylvanvale was out of pocket for some $7,800 to continue an out-of-school-hours care program for children with disabilities. The response from our community to this was simply incredible. Not only was that money raised directly from the community, but it was raised many times over. I particularly want to commend the member for Barton who joined with me to raise much of those funds. Around $20,000 was raised in a Pollie Paddle that we conducted on the Port Hacking River together.

That event demonstrated the spirit in which members of this House, in the main, try to work together in their local communities to address the needs of disabled people and the services that they depend on. With great support from organisations like Ace Gutters, TCQ Construction, Crown and Virgin, and Caringbah Rotary this initiative was a great fillip. It was a great encouragement to those at Sylvanvale, because it said to them that their community cared. I hope in the future that this parliament will be able to demonstrate that it cares through the realisation of the intentions of this bill.

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