Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In my maiden speech to parliament I raised the issue of disability, specifically children with learning and development disorders. I rise today to address these concerns again, because disability is an area of great concern to me. I believe one of the most important issues surrounding disability is inclusiveness. I am talking about the ability for people with disabilities to be afforded equality of opportunity with all other members of society have. Providing people who have physical, mental and multisensory difficulties with educational opportunities is paramount for their development and transition into the workforce. As I said in my maiden speech, education is the great enabler. It is my profound belief that all people with disabilities should be so enabled.

During my association with William Rose School, in Seven Hills in my electorate, which caters for children with a sensory disability and an additional disability, I have been profoundly affected by the school’s remarkable young people, its staff and its parents and carers. These young people have displayed to me the great talents and potential that all children have. During a visit to the school’s celebration day last December, I was deeply moved by the progress of one young boy in particular. This student is suffering from a degenerative eye disease that has consequently resulted in him progressively becoming blind. He showcased a brand new talent that he had learnt at a very young age in a very short period of time: this young boy had learned to read braille.

William Rose School is a fine example of excellence in disability education. This is due to the school’s extremely hardworking staff, including its assistant principals, Ms Mariane Youness and Ms Leonie Donaldson, and their incredible principal, Mr Trevor Townsend. During a visit to the school last week for the official opening of its new $1 million facilities funded under the BER, Trevor endorsed my belief in education as the great enabler. He was even kind enough to cite my maiden speech. The talents of all those at William Rose are inspirational reminders of the great potential that people with disabilities possess and of what the power of education means in practice, especially when people like the staff at William Rose are providing it.

Education provides the stepping stones that allow people the dignity of work, and this is the second aspect of our obligation to people with a disability. The benefits of transitioning people with disabilities from welfare into the workforce are not lost on me. Due to my involvement with the Endeavour Foundation, an organisation also operating in Seven Hills in my electorate, I appreciate the need for disabled people to enjoy the same employment opportunities as everyone else. In a visit to the foundation last year I was able to witness firsthand the benefits of enabling disabled people the opportunity to enter the workforce. In Seven Hills the Endeavour Foundation provides supported employment to over 100 people with a disability. This excellent work must be encouraged and replicated to ensure that all people are provided with the opportunity to enter the workforce.

In anticipation of the Productivity Commission’s findings on the National Disability Insurance Scheme, a public policy focus on the topic of disability is even more appropriate. As the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, the Hon. Jenny Macklin, said in 2009:

We know that social insurance is a feature of the disability systems in other developed countries which have better outcomes than Australia on a range of indicators—including employment for people with disability.

This new scheme could potentially signal a new and improved chapter for disability in this country.

In finishing, I would like to mention the potential that exists in the National Broadband Network to enhance inclusiveness for people with disabilities. In 2007 the OECD published The digital inclusion perspective, which analysed how, particularly, high-speed broadband has the potential to markedly improve the lives and life chances of all people with disabilities. That is another reason that I am such a vocal advocate for the NBN, and I note the potential for social inclusiveness for people with disabilities can never be measured in an economic analysis.