Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises the important work being done in Australia to support people with disability;

(2) celebrates the winners of the Tenth National Disability Awards 2016; and

(3) notes that International Day of People with Disability was on Saturday 3 December 2016.

The coalition government recognises the important work being done in Australia to support people with disability. Who would have thought that we would have over four million people in Australia with a disability? Why do Australians try to take such good care of those with a disability? Firstly, we have a responsibility to the United Nations, because we are a party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. I am not sure, however, that the people I meet who are heroes for those with a disability are compelled for that reason. I believe they look after them because they have the most beautiful and compassionate hearts. Almost 2.7 million Australians care for someone with a disability, a medical condition, mental illness or someone who is frail due to age.

Some of our local heroes in the role of disability carers and advocates include Lynn and Frank Condello at the Yattah nursery, looking after their granddaughter. They also include Annette Pham who is the mother of Liam, a teenager who is profoundly disabled. She is an amazing advocate for the changing-places toilet. Most of us never even consider how hard it would be to travel with a young adult who needs to be lifted from a wheelchair to be changed or toileted. Shawn and Gina Burns and their son Mack were told Mack would never be able to communicate, but due to their dedication he is able to give answers by foot tapping. They have been working for years to increase awareness of the need for inclusivity. John and Rebecca Nevin, who hold fundraising nights called Drawtism, are raising awareness for children with autism.

These are just a few of the examples of the brilliant work done by friends, family and advocates in Gilmore. We have many support groups, families and organisations for potential employment, giving structure, care and work experience for those with a disability. Yumaro, in Moruya, is a standout operation for Gilmore. Their CEO, Mark Brantingham, and his superb team are at the centre of operations, where they rightfully showcase their business enterprise, their client training and their great family-inclusive atmosphere. Next time you buy cleaning cloths from Bunnings you can rest assured you are supporting this amazing disability enterprise. We have Slice of Life, we have Flagstaff and we have Greenacres, all ensuring that adults with a disability have a full and meaningful life.

In 2016 we celebrated the winners of the 10th National Disability Awards and I was proud to see the dementia project delivered by Kiama Municipal Council named winner of the Excellence in Community Partnerships Award. Kiama has become a role model in catering for residents with dementia. The award is well deserved; it is a partnership between Alzheimer's Australia and the University of Wollongong. Simple things like changing signs and making them easier to read and understand makes the world of difference for people with dementia. The result? It is easier for people to stay in their homes and in the communities they know and love. Another local hero, Brendan Auslebrook, captains the Jervis Bay Wild cruise that provides access for those with a disability to go dolphin watching. Jackie Kay is the Sailability champion and Culburra Men's Shed builds the boats for her group. We truly have a terrific community helping those less fortunate.

On a formal note; there is a 10-year national policy framework for all levels of government to improve the lives of people with disability; the National Disability Strategy 2010-2020 is Australia's overarching framework for improving the life outcomes of Australians. One of the key already commenced directions of this strategy include efforts to increase employment opportunities for people with disability and to assist them to remain in employment;    development of the NDIS;    implementation of recommendations arising from reviews into disability standards for accessible public transport, education and access to premises.

We all recognise the National Disability Insurance Scheme is a critical policy, and delivery of services has bipartisan parliamentary support. The NDIS is one of the largest social and economic reforms in Australia's history, and it is the result of the enormous dedication of many people all over Australia. It supports people with a permanent and significant disability that affects their ability to take part in everyday activities. The transition phase is an exciting period for the NDIS. We have a large number of people joining the scheme during a short period of time, which naturally enough will also give rise to some significant challenges, not only for those with a disability but also for their carers and provider organisations. The most important aspect of this is to work constructively together to ensure the outcome is the best it can be for those with a disability, as it is their quality of living that is most important.

This year, we celebrate the 25th year of the Disability Discrimination Act, originally put together in 1992, which makes it unlawful to discriminate against people with disability in a whole range of areas. An important date for our calendars this year is Sunday, 3 December—the International Day of People with Disability. We should all work out how to showcase these wonderful people, their wonderful carers and all the terrific provider organisations that we have.

Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise to speak on the private member's bill that celebrates the achievements of people with disability in our community. I make particular mention of Paralympian Liesl Tesch, who I had the pleasure of spending some time with on Australia Day this year in beautiful Port Stephens in my electorate of Paterson. Liesl was last week preselected as the Labor candidate for the New South Wales state seat of Gosford. I note that I am joined this afternoon in the Federation Chamber by the member for Dobell. There will be a by-election held soon in Gosford and I know that, if elected, Liesl will do an outstanding job of representing the people of Gosford.

This year, Liesl was the Australia Day Ambassador for Port Stephens and shared with those celebrating our national day what it means to be Australian and what makes Australia great. The message was as simple as it was profound: 'We embrace change,' Liesl said, 'We make things possible.' Liesl has certainly embraced change and made things possible, not just for herself but for thousands of people. She has influenced so many along the way, as she did on Australia Day in my electorate. She was truly magnificent.

In her outstanding career of 24 years as a Paralympian, Liesl has won five medals, including two silver and a bronze for women's basketball and back-to-back gold medals in sailing. Liesl, who was honoured as a Member of the Order of Australia in 2014, has also done so much for other athletes with disabilities. She co-founded Sport Matters, which supports and encourages athletes with disability in developing countries, and is working to establish the national Paralympian Mentoring Program, in which up and coming Australian athletes with a disability will be mentored for three months by Paralympians past and present.

Also, as a high school geography teacher, Leisel has inspired cohorts of young people to embrace change and make things possible. She lists as some of her priorities, if elected to office, education and youth employment. Her closing remarks on Australia Day this year were an encouragement and an inspiration to us all: set yourself some goals and make Australia a great place.

In the area of disability, we Australians have set ourselves some goals, and those goals are encapsulated in the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The NDIS is a new way of providing support for people living with a disability. Created by the Rudd-Gillard Labor government, it is a whole-of-life approach—a major reform of disability services in Australia, designed to provide the right support according to each person's needs and goals. True choice and control is something that we all want in our lives. It is a noble aspiration, and I know it is working for many people.

I was also heartened the other day to catch up with Graeme Innes, another outstanding Australian with a disability, whose contribution I would like to celebrate. Graeme is a former Disability Discrimination Commissioner and now a board member of Life Without Barriers. He was catching the same little plane as me. We call it the 'bug smasher'. I know that the member for Dobell has been on that plane with me before. It is tiny. It flies from Canberra to Newcastle, and it is a fabulous service. I had interviewed Graeme in my past life in radio and was always inspired by him and his ability to embrace change and make things possible—a bit like Leisel, really. Graeme has been a strong advocate of the NDIS as a way of changing lives, not just the lives of Australians with disabilities but the lives of those with whom they interact and love. On the eve of its rollout, Graeme said that all Australians would feel the change that the NDIS would bring. Hundreds of thousands more jobs would be created across the country in support of roles for the scheme, and many people with disabilities would move off welfare and into work.

While I was boarding that little bug smasher of a plane with Graeme, climbing up the very narrow stairs and squeezing down the very narrow aisle, side by side with Graeme and his very well-behaved dog, I was reminded of the determination and the drive that it takes for people with a disability to do what many Australians without a disability take for granted. He is truly inspirational. The NDIS can give that determination solid support. But, as Graeme said when it was launched, it is not without bumps, and they are the bumps that we must continue to smooth out to make it great.

Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Gilmore for this motion, acknowledging those with a disability and those who care for a person or people with a disability. When it comes to the vulnerable and the disadvantaged, Australia is a caring nation and that fact is reflected in the work of this parliament in its efforts to improve the lives of those with a disability. I have tremendous respect and admiration for those who either volunteer or choose a career to care for and support people with a disability. There are many examples of this around the country, including in my own electorate of McPherson on the Gold Coast. I have been privileged in my capacity as the federal member to support organisations, such as Disabled Surfers Association.

In a part of the country where the beach is such a significant part of everyday life, the association members are making sure that those with a disability get to enjoy a day in the water, just like everyone else. I would like to thank the Disabled Surfers Association and its volunteers. It means a lot to those with a disability to get to surf, as well as those in their families who are there supporting them. I would particularly like to acknowledge two of the disabled-arm surfers whom I have got to know over the last couple of years, and that is TJ and Ernie. TJ and Ernie, I thank you for allowing me to grow as a person. I certainly have done that since I had the enormous privilege of getting to know you.

With over four million Australians living with a disability and 2.7 million people caring for those who need assistance, we know that there is a lot that needs to be done. One of the coalition's election commitments was the establishment of the National Disability and Carers Advisory Council. The council plays an important role in assisting the government to deliver key reforms to improve the lives of people with a disability and assist carers. Council members have been selected from organisations with skills and experience in the disability sector, both government and non-government. Its first meeting group created three working groups in key areas of employment reform, carer reform and the National Disability Strategy reinvigoration.

A priority of any policy reform is to improve the lives of people with a disability, and that is to ensure that they are given every chance to gain employment. We all know how important having a job is to self-esteem, not to mention the ability to support yourself and, in some cases, your family. Sadly, statistics show that workforce participation among people with a disability is just 53.4 per cent, with an unemployment rate of 10 per cent, which is well above the national rate. The Turnbull government knows Australia can do better, and this is a focus of the reform agenda, particularly with our changing economy and innovations leading to new jobs being created that have not existed before. As Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills, I know that many of these opportunities will come from training and qualifications achieved through this sector of education. I am hopeful that vocational education and training can play an important role in delivering on this commitment.

As I mentioned, there are thousands of Australians who are doing extraordinary work every year to improve the lives of those living with a disability and, in doing so, have contributed to recognition of equality and human rights for all Australians. I, too, pay tribute to those who received special recognition for their efforts at the 10th National Disability Awards, with the winners announced at Parliament House late last year. All are very worthy recipients and, for some, the recognition has been the result of many years of dedication in this area.

Australia is making important steps in ensuring that people with a disability are included as valued and contributing members of our community. This is something we should recognise and look to improve every day, but I look forward to Sunday, 3 December this year, when we celebrate International Day of People with a Disability. It will be the 25th time this day has been acknowledged. I join with all members to fulfil the government's aim to increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with a disability, and celebrate their achievements in our community.

I would like to finish with a quote from Robert M Hensel, who has spina bifida but has never been held back by that disability. He said:

There is no greater disability in society than the inability to see a person as more.

Justine Keay (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to congratulate the honourable member for bringing this motion before this chamber and the parliament, as it is important that this parliament recognise the fantastic work done by so many in Australia to support people with a disability. With parents, caregivers, support networks, disability organisations and research institutions, there are so many in our nation who make a contribution towards improving the lives of people who live with a disability. I would also like to congratulate all the finalists and winners of the 2016 awards. There is an amazing cross-section of people who are all working hard and making a difference.

I do note that my electorate, and Tasmania as a whole, did not have a nominee in the 2016 awards. But that is not to say that the Tasmanian community does not make a contribution. In fact, in 2015, we had a finalist from my electorate: the Wynyard Yacht Club, in the Excellence for Community Accessibility category. Led by Chris Symonds, who is unable to walk more than 10 metres unaided due to a rare degenerative condition called Kennedy's disease, the Wynyard Yacht Club has created a Sailability program, an initiative providing open-access sailing experiences to the elderly, children and people with a disability. Chris has invited me to go sailing with him soon, and we shall be sailing on the Inglis River and, might I say, a very small section Bass Strait in the Sailability craft. I will be sure to take some Kwells that day! As mentioned, this club was a finalist in the 2015 National Disability Awards and has won Australian Sailing's Club of the Year and the Australian Sports Commission's Community Club Award. The Sailability program brings people to the club from all over Tasmania and has recently installed a lift to enable greater access to the clubhouse for elderly members and those with a disability. Wynyard Yacht Club has also been nominated to host the sailing events at this year's Masters Games, which will be held in the northwest of Tasmania. The club already possess sailing yachts that allow people with mobility issues to compete, and their recent addition of the lift adds to the club's inclusive environment. The Wynyard Yacht Club, like every other winner and finalist of the National Disability Awards, is an example of what we can do as a nation that prides itself on supporting the development of an inclusive society.

'A nation that prides itself on supporting the development of an inclusive society,' are actually the words of the honourable Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services when she announced the finalists for last year's awards. I am confident that if the honourable member or assistant minister were to have a conversation with any of the previous National Disability Awards finalists and winners then they too would be appalled by this government's move to link funding of the NDIS to cutting payments to pensioners and other vulnerable people in our community. It is not a very inclusive society that plays one vulnerable group off against another to fund the NDIS while at the same time wanting to give big business a $50 billion tax break. I would hope that the disability assistant minister and those on the other side are arguing the case to have this plan reversed.

Families that live with a disability need the NDIS and certainly do not need it treated as a political football. Already it is making an enormous difference to people's lives in my electorate. One such person is Mandy from Smithton, who explained to me the two reasons why the NDIS is important to her and her family, the first being that the old system did not allow respite. Mandy's daughter Sarah suffers from Rett syndrome and epilepsy. The NDIS means that once a month Mandy and her husband can have some respite. Before the NDIS, many low-income families simply could not afford respite even when it was available. Importantly, though, Mandy and her husband know that their daughter would be cared for if something happened to them or if they both became ill. Their minds are at ease. They know that their daughter's NDIS plan is there, with provisions for when they are not around. Sarah would go into a group home but, most importantly, that group home can be in the local area of Smithton. It would be devastating to remove Sarah from her local area, as the locals know her and the area is her home. Mandy is now concerned that without proper funding this may not happen. What will become of Sarah into the future?

It is great we celebrate the people and organisations that are a part of the disability sector. Their passion and commitment to overcome so many challenges should be recognised and they deserve this House's congratulations. But if we are truly to become an inclusive society, the stupid political games have to end and the NDIS has to be delivered in the way it is meant to be.

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

I am grateful to the member for Gilmore for raising this issue again, and for the opportunity to speak about a subject that is very important in my own family. On the substance of the motion, though there is more to be done, the government should certainly be congratulated on its delivery in this policy area. Most importantly of course, the government has committed to repairing Labor's $6 billion black hole in the funding of the NDIS, ensuring that one of the largest social and economic reforms in our history is able to make the life-changing difference that people with disability deserve. The government has also rightly recognised the vital role of unpaid carers in improving the lives of many Australians. This government is investing $166 million in support for carers, including respite care to give them time to participate in education and employment.

The government should be especially commended for the creation of the Carer Gateway online and telephone system. The 24-hour needs of many people who are living with disability can make it very difficult for their carers to get out and access government services. An online portal and phone service is a long overdue and highly effective tool to overcome this challenge. I look forward to the outcome of the co-design process, which forms the next phase of developing future services for carers. This co-design process, along with the government's National Disability and Carers Advisory Council, are examples of the collaborative and consultative approach that we are taking to the development of policy in this field. I am grateful that the voices of people with a disability are being heard.

As a society, we have made a substantial effort in recent years to set aside days, weeks and months to raise awareness about many of the challenges that people face and to celebrate their accomplishments. Many of these causes are deserving, and the intentions behind the creation of these programs are, for the most part, admirable. The National Disability Awards and the International Day of People with Disability are fantastic initiatives, and this House should undoubtedly celebrate them both. However, as the parent of a child who lives with disability, I also want to remind the House that these excellent schemes, seeking as they do to highlight and celebrate, must not distract us from an important reality. In my experience, people living with disability, of all ages, typically do not want a fuss. They prefer to be treated just like everybody else. The people with disability that I have encountered are striving, like all of us, to build the most successful and rich lives for themselves and their families that they can. If they want to be celebrated, it is for the same things that we all want to be celebrated for—our successes and achievements.

Just over one week ago I had the opportunity to attend the Queensland state swimming championships with my wife and my daughter Sarah. I saw an inspiring and truly impressive performance from a young lad named James Fitzgerald. I am grateful to James and his family for letting me tell the chamber a little bit about his swimming. James is 11 years old, but, like most good athletes, he started swimming when he was quite young. For the last five years or so, James has been working on his technique with enthusiastic determination. Like all of us, he began with flotation aids, but for the past two years he has been swimming entirely unaided. He joined a local Queensland club, the Somerset Hills Seals, and decided to take his swimming to the next level.

With the support of his club and his family, James has been working towards being classified, so that he can swim competitively—and 'competitively' is exactly the right word for it. James has cerebral palsy, a condition which mainly affects his legs and means that he needs to use a wheelchair. I can tell the chamber, however, that what James and his family would want us to talk about today is how much James loves his sport. They would want us to talk about how James was cheered home by the crowd at the state championships, and, most of all, they would want us to talk about the fact that at three recent meets James has beaten his personal best on each occasion. That kind of progress and consistency is an achievement that any athlete would be proud of, and, on behalf of all members, I say congratulations to James on your outstanding performances. As we celebrate the International Day of People with Disability, James's story, like those of a great many others like him, remind us of the many ways that people with disability and their families are improving and enriching their own lives.

Julian Hill (Bruce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank my friend and my neighbour in the corridor, the member for Fisher, for sharing those thoughts and his personal story with us. It is such a worthy topic and is worthy of air time, and there are important issues to discuss. I will be old-fashioned and turn my attention to the words that are actually in front of us in the motion, and start with part (2). Part (2) of the motion is lovely. It calls upon us to recognise and celebrate the winners of the 10th National Disability Awards, and who could argue with that? The awards are there to recognise the outstanding contributions of individuals and organisations in improving the lives of Australians with a disability and in advancing the recognition of equality and human rights for all Australians. The winners include organisations and people who have seen a need and dedicated much of their lives or organisational capacities to meeting it. They highlight the real and meaningful change that can be effected when the barriers to access and inclusion are torn down. Whilst not distracting from people living their everyday lives and the core, important work of government—be it the NDIS, the DSP, employment and whatever else is needed—they serve a role to inspire, motivate and provide positive role models, where, at times, I think it is fair to say that if you look in the broader mainstream media and elsewhere perhaps those role models are not always as evident as we would wish.

I would like to briefly honour the two Victorian winners. Firstly, Nightlife Disability Services, based in Moorabbin—not in my electorate but nearby—were the joint winner of the Excellence in Inclusive Service Delivery Award. They provide consumer focused mobile care and provide high-quality drop-in and on-call services 365 days a year to support independence and choice. Kairsty Wilson, the legal manager of the AED Legal Centre, based in Melbourne, was the joint winner of the Excellence in Justice and Rights Protection Award. Many other winners were recognised for a wide range of contributions.

But I have to say that, aside from part (2) of the motion, the rest of it is, to my mind, fatuous, platitudinous and drivellous. Indeed, it is fudge, which does not surprise us given that the member for Gilmore often likes to remind us of her previous business, packing fudge. The motion notes that 3 December was the International Day for People with Disability—which was three months ago but, nevertheless, here we are—and it notes 'the important work being done in Australia to support people with disability', whatever that is; it says no more.

I would just like to touch on a couple of issues—firstly, the NDIS, a great Labor reform, introduced and fully funded by Labor. When we look at the history of social reforms in this country, such as Medicare, we see that we put it in and build it and those opposite get rid of it. We put in superannuation and needs based school funding. The debate goes on. We know our side of this debate. But the NDIS was fully funded, and your bad fiscal management is not our responsibility. The first 10 years were fully funded in the 2013-14 budget, and we cannot let that lie be perpetuated over and over again. The measures to fully fund the NDIS were supported by those opposite: the private health rebate, the Medicare levy and a range of other savings measures. But despite this we see mounting government stuff-ups on the NDIS rollout, which should be of great concern: failing to resource the rollout, stuffing up the IT rollout, failing to reach agreement with the states on time, reports about the ACT cap on services, and now threats to the very funding base of the NDIS, which, as the Productivity Commission told us when they provided that seminal report to underpin the design of the scheme, had to be predicated on funding from the budget—not funding from special little accounts or taking five bucks here and there off disability support pensioners, but funded as a mainstream core service of government, just like Medicare, at least under Labor.

Secondly, the disability support pension is critical support for people with a disability unable to work. Of course, again, when you look through history, that disability support pension was introduced by Labor in 1991-92. You might say it replaced the invalid pension, which again was introduced and came into effect in 1910 under the world's very first ever elected majority labour government. I checked my facts there, and it was in fact legislated in 1908 under a coalition government with the support of Labor. I do not mean your coalition; I mean our coalition before we won a majority in our own right.

The motion talks of support for people, but that is at odds with what we are seeing, with the ups and downs in the administration of the disability support pension. There will be more to say on that, I expect, in the future, with the public accounts committee report coming out after our disgraceful public hearings, where the department provided no submission—unprecedented—and we heard evidence of the cruel reviews targeting profoundly disabled people in state care, asking them to prove their Down syndrome had not been cured. We heard evidence of the process, the timing and medical evidence which is no longer assessed by a medical doctor but by a bureaucrat—and the list goes on.

Andrew Hastie (Canning, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for those words and also for the mention of fudge. Surprise, surprise! It is Monday afternoon. The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned, and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.