Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Families and Payments) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to talk about a story that was in today's Mercury, a Hobart newspaper, about the closing of Tasmania's Special Olympics branch. If this is indeed the case, it is very disappointing and quite concerning. The article in today's Mercury reveals:

It is feared Tasmanians with intellectual disabilities will be denied access to sports and activities after it was announced the state's Special Olympics branch will be closed next month.

I understand that the branch is to close on 16 December, so the proposed closure is going to take place very soon. It will leave Tasmania as the only state without a Special Olympics office. This is, as I said, very disappointing because Tasmania has a very proud history regarding Special Olympics. In fact, I understand the first mini Special Olympics were held in Tasmania in 1979, and we were one of the first states where a Special Olympics branch office was opened. The story goes on to say:

Special Olympics provide a wide range of sports and programs for people with intellectual disabilities but these events could be hurt by the closure, with direction now to come from Victoria.

Tasmania, again, is to lose out and become a sub-branch of Victoria.

The Tasmanian Special Olympics branch employs one person, Ms Bec Foster, and caters for sports for all three regions in Tasmania for about 130 athletes. It recently organised a school program that had 250 participants state wide—and I also note that the Special Olympics has Australian Governor-General Peter Cosgrove as its patron. I understand that Ms Foster has been told that the reason for the closure was, indeed, financial. The Special Olympics has an issue with its finances, and it has made the decision to cut the branch to save funds.

Ms Foster has said that her major concern regarding this proposed closure was really about the athletes. She does not want the athletes and the participants to miss out on what has been provided. That service will not exist anywhere else. No-one else is going to go into special schools, running programs and things like that. Ms Foster told the Mercury:

''I just don't want there to be a lack of opportunity for people with a disability. That is the main thing that I'm disappointed about.''

Eighty-year-old Geoff Tringrove, who has been coaching basketball for intellectually disabled players at Glenorchy every Tuesday night for the past five years, is also concerned about what the future holds.

''It will affect us of course,' Mr Tringrove said. "Who knows what will happen?

"Who takes over? Who runs it? Or is Tasmania just forgotten per usual? It is really sad."

The story goes on to say that he, Mr Tringrove, and Ms Foster were:

… implementing new programs that would now cease to exist when the branch closes on December 16.

Ms Foster said sports and programs were hugely beneficial not only for the participants but for the families as well.

You can well imagine how important these programs are for the participants and their families. Ms Foster said:

… people gained confidence from being included without being judged, while parents were able to talk to other parents with similar experiences.

"If they go to a mainstream sport, they are a little bit different, but if they come to ours, it doesn't matter what their ability is," she said.

"They come along and participate and we don't care where they are at.

"We just want to see them improve bit by bit. It helps improve their co-ordination and just gives them a lot more confidence…"

Ms Foster went on to say:

"We have a child who has been with us a for a few years. She is actually speaking now. She goes to school and gets involved with so many other things because being involved with sport has given her so much confidence.

"There is no judgment for the parents and they can talk about their own experiences to each other.

"It is about sport, but it is about building a community as well."

I understand Special Olympics Australia was contacted for comment, but as far as I am aware there has been no comment. There are questions to be answered. There are questions that have been asked for in the story. We need Special Olympics Australia to tell us exactly what is going on with this branch.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Brown. It being 2 pm, we now move to questions without notice.