Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

The Morrison government is absolutely committed to challenging misperceptions about people with disability and promoting a more inclusive Australia. In this financial year alone, we will be spending around $34 billion on programs and services to support and improve the lives of Australians who live with disability. Today being the International Day of People with Disability, it's timely to reflect on the contribution of the more than 4.4 million Australians who live with disability. It's about celebrating their lives, their achievements and their contributions.

It's also an important opportunity to mark the contributions that people with disability make to the workforce and to focus our attention on making sure that we change the attitudes of our employers, so that they understand that people with disability can be a really strong asset in so many businesses around our country. I would encourage employers, not just today but all year round, to see the ability in disability and to hire based on what people can do and, in doing so, improve the job opportunities for people with disability and understand that people with disability are missing out on jobs because people just don't think this needs to change.

Today I acknowledge the pin that I am wearing and I notice a lot of my colleagues are wearing too. It was designed by Oliver Mills, a 32-year-old man from Adelaide who lives with cerebral palsy, epilepsy and vision impairment. But that's only a small part of Oliver's story. He's also written four books and he's an artist, a poet and a speaker. We cannot overlook these talents and the experiences of people like Oliver and the contribution that they make to Australian society. So today, on the International Day of People with Disability, I encourage everybody—I encourage our communities, our workplaces, our schools—to participate in the International Day of People with Disability. (Time expired)