Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I believe in an Australia where everyone belongs and everyone can be understood, including deaf people. Next week is the National Week of Deaf People, which is a celebration of the Australian deaf community. The deaf community is rich in culture, and Auslan is a beautiful language; often, hearing people don't recognise this. The National Week of Deaf People is an opportunity for the hearing community to be better understood.

Married couple George and Sharon Szczepanik are both deaf and live in the heart of Swan. I'm good friends with their daughter Anne whose first language, growing up was Auslan. It is my privilege to know them and have them as wonderful community members. Next week we will have a Deaf Connect interpreter for a mobile office I'm hosting with Cassie Rowe, the member for Belmont in WA. The mobile office opens at 10.30 am on Monday at Centenary Park. I would love to see the Swan deaf community come out. I also note that tomorrow Deaf Connect and Deaf Australia are hosting a parliamentary breakfast to acknowledge the National Week of Deaf people. I look forward to meeting the Brent Phillips, the Deaf Connect Chief Impact Officer.

It's time for people to become more aware of the local deaf community, recognise their achievements and, most importantly, include them. In fact, my favourite memory is of a City of Perth community concert and watching Auslan interpreter Dianne Prior dance while she translated.