Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to make a short contribution in relation to one of the amendments that Senator Steele-John has moved. Just briefly, I wanted to draw attention to Australian Greens amendments on sheet 2173 on national assistance animal guidelines. I wanted to put on the record that the coalition very strongly support the recommendation or the intent of this amendment by Senator Steele-John. We know that assistance dogs in many instances provide the kinds of changes in the lives of people with disability that make the difference between them being able to live a largely normal life and not.

I'd like to draw to the attention of the chamber a very good friend of mine who lives with almost total blindness. His gorgeous seeing-eye dog, Eva, makes so much difference to his life. I discussed this issue with him yesterday, and I know Senator Steele-John also caught up with Chris yesterday and beautiful Eva to discuss this issue. People who live with assistance animals, particularly those that make so much difference to their lives, are very keen to make sure that there is a framework in which we can define the level of service that that animal gives to the person and, more particularly, to make sure that it identifies the level of training that that animal has, because it is so important to make sure that these animals that provide this kind of quality-of-life enhancement to people living with disabilities are seen for the value proposition that they are to those people.

Whilst we will support the government in its intention, I believe, to vote against the remaining amendments that have been put forward, I'd like to put on the record that the coalition will be very keen for the government to work with the state and territory ministers through the DRC, or whatever other mechanism it has to make sure that we progress a set of national guidelines, so that we can provide certainty and support to Australians who rely so heavily on assistance dogs.

I commend Senator Steele-John for putting forward this amendment and commend the intent, and I ask the government to perhaps indicate its intention to support the intent of this amendment, because of the extraordinary importance of these animals to the lives of people who live with disability.