Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of sharing with the House the feats of the Olympians in Fisher who represented Australia in Rio last month. Today, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the Federation Chamber to another amazing athlete who spent some of her formative years training at the University of the Sunshine Coast Paralympic training facility.

Last week, 17-year-old Lakeisha Patterson opened Australia's gold medal account at the Rio Paralympic Games, winning the women's 400-metre freestyle S8 final. She set a new world record, a Paralympic record and the Oceania record and sliced 0.11 seconds off the previous world record time. On Monday morning, Lakeisha backed up her gold medal performance to win silver in the women's 100-metre freestyle S8 final. Yesterday, Lakeisha placed fourth in the 100-metre backstroke final.

Lakeisha Patterson has cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability in childhood, with one in 500 Australian babies diagnosed with this condition. There are approximately 34,000 Australians living with cerebral palsy and there is no known cure. While cerebral palsy affects people in different ways, it most commonly affects body movement and muscle control.

Lakeisha first took to the pool at the age of three as a means of treatment for muscle stiffness and to help her sleep better at night. While the swimming sessions did indeed help, they also introduced Lakeisha to a joy she may not have otherwise known. In 2014, Lakeisha got a late call-up to the Australian Commonwealth Games team for Glasgow. She was the youngest swimmer on the team at just 14 years of age. She broke through to win a bronze medal in the S8 100-metre freestyle final.

Lakeisha Patterson is a remarkable young woman who deserves the admiration and respect of us all. Although her nickname is Lucky to her friends and family, she has faced many challenges on her road to Rio. Escaping from domestic violence as a young family, Lucky, her mum and her sisters faced dire financial challenges. Lucky's mum told me the story of how, when Lakeisha was young, the family could not even afford a dining room table, so Lakeisha went out and bought one for 20c at an op shop and told the family that this was now their dining room table.

Lakeisha and her Paralympic athletes continue to teach each and every single one of us— (Time expired)

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