Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Karingal has a rich history in the Geelong region, having been established in 1952 when a group of Geelong parents formed a playgroup for their children, each with a disability. Now known as genU, they ensure support and services for nearly 4,000 of the most vulnerable members of our community and employ around 1,500 Geelong locals. In February 2016 the City of Greater Geelong decided to donate land in Ocean Grove to genU for new disability housing. The council—like genU, like those on this side of the House—know that everyone deserves access to safe and stable housing. Knowing that their community is as committed to supporting the vulnerable as they are, the council are taking responsibility and doing what they can to back that commitment with action. In developing this land, genU aimed to ensure disabled young people and their families in the electorates of Corangamite and Corio had access to a vital resource during a time when council had noted a 'desperate shortage of community based accommodation, particularly for young people with disabilities'.

This was a step to be universally celebrated, improving the lives of young people living with a disability. It's hard to imagine anyone who would not celebrate it, and yet the member for Corangamite actually tried hard to stop it from happening. On 16 February 2016 the Geelong Advertiser reported:

Corangamite MP Sarah Henderson hit out at the Geelong council yesterday over a potential giveaway of land worth up to $1 million to local disability services provider Karingal, for housing for young disabled people.

Ms Henderson urged Geelong councillors to defer a decision on whether to bequeath the double block in Ocean Grove for the development of supported disability accommodation, saying the council should focus on its "core services".

This is hard to believe, but it's true. Instead of urging the council on, she actually reprimanded them. She in effect said that it wasn't their place, that they should focus on other issues. Most of the time, being against disability support would be a courageous move for a politician, the kind of courageous move that gets rewarded by the electorate with a short career. But this is the Liberal Party, a party which has now chosen the member for Corangamite as its new Assistant Minister for Social Services, Housing and Disability Services, even though she tried to stop her own local council from taking care of people with a disability through the provision of housing in her own community. How can we trust the assistant minister to champion the development of this critical infrastructure in communities across the country when she works against disability housing for her own constituents? It's clear the council was doing its part to address an important issue and help a local organisation deliver life-changing outcomes. The federal government has gone missing in Geelong on this issue, like it has gone missing on every issue.

Thankfully, the member for Corangamite did not win this fight. GenU did receive the parcel of land from the City of Greater Geelong, and a new youth disability house will open soon, with nine residents to be moved in by Christmas. This is great news for these people and for the electorate of Corangamite, but it's high time people in Corangamite had a member who stood up for their community instead of working against them. (Time expired).