Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Hansard source

Today I speak to and on behalf of people with disability. I ask all Australians to think about what this pandemic is like for them. They've watched COVID-19 rip through aged-care homes, wondering, 'Are we next?' Melbourne woman Ricky Buchanan explained it well to the Disability Royal Commission, which helps the rest of us to understand. Self-described as bedridden and disabled, 45-year-old Ricky has severe chronic fatigue syndrome such that she can't walk more than 20 steps a day. She's tried to lighten her fear of the pandemic by listening to the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra online. Like many with disabilities, she has wondered whether COVID will come to her through the workforce who work in aged care and are also coming through and working in disability. Workers often work in both aged care and disability services. Ricky tells of a friend who waited nine days to get a COVID-19 test at home. The service providers for her friend pulled all the services until she showed a negative test. This meant that she had no care. She had to lie in bed and survive on muesli bars. Ricky and her friend deserve better. The COVID-19 plan of the federal government didn't mention disability once. Let's remember people with disability and the millions of their family members who love them. Have their fears respected. Ricky Buchanan and her friend deserve better. All Australians deserve better.

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