Motions

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (11:35): I move:

That this house recognises 3 December as the International Day of People with Disability and celebrates the achievements of those with a disability and recognises the contribution they make to our communities.

It gives me great pleasure to move this motion. Today is the last day of the parliament for this year, so it is a fitting day to make sure that we do remember that tomorrow is the International Day of People with Disability—or Persons with Disabilities, as is the new title.

The background to the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is quite a long one now. The United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities was first celebrated on 3 December 1992, and it is a celebration held right around the world now in many countries. The theme for this year's international day is 'Achieving 17 goals for the future we want'. This is all part of the United Nations trying to build a sustainable and inclusive society.

The number of people in Australia with a disability is almost half a million, according to the NDIS figures. Here in South Australia, we are expecting about 33,000 people to come onto the NDIS, and that does not completely represent people with a disability, if you look at the categories under the United Nations classification of people with a disability. The need to make sure we celebrate the day is so important because what we are really looking at is the ability of people who have some limitation, some challenges in their life, to overcome those challenges. As parliamentarians, we need to make sure we are getting the best we possibly can for those people who are faced with challenges every waking day.

The 17 sustainable development goals the United Nations has listed for this year's targets are no poverty; zero hunger; good health and wellbeing; quality education; gender equality; clean water and sanitation; affordable and clean energy; decent work and economic growth; industry, innovation and infrastructure; reduced inequalities; sustainable cities and communities; responsible consumption and production; climate action; life below water; life on land; peace, justice and strong institutions; and partnerships to achieve the goals. One of those goals, in particular, is very close to home here—that is, life below water.

Recently, a couple of South Australians received recognition and awards during the 2016 National Disability Awards in Canberra, and one of those, Maurice Corcoran, received the Lesley Hall Leadership Award. I am sure that Maurice is well known to everybody in this place and certainly to people who have anything to do with the disability sector. Maurice has been an advocate for people with disabilities for many years. In 2006, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his sustained service to people with disabilities and for contributions to the development of national standards for accessible public transport.

Maurice played a role in the development of the National Disability Strategy and has worked tirelessly to break down barriers, increase recognition and challenge issues facing people with disabilities. He is passionate about access to public transport for people with disabilities, and from 1994 to 2000 he was the national disability representative on the national task force on accessible public transport standards and the federal Attorney-General's steering committee on accessible public transport. Maurice has received national awards from the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission for his work on developing transport standards, and he is still working very hard for all the people in South Australia, particularly those with disabilities.

The United Nations goal 14 was 'life below water', and this year another South Australian who received an award at the National Disability Awards was Peter Wilson. I have got to know Peter Wilson over the last 12 to 18 months. He is one of the most passionate fellows I have ever met.

Pete had a motorbike accident a number of years ago and he has overcome his disabilities. He is also a passionate scuba diver, and because of his hard work, determination and sacrifice—because he has put a lot of his own money into developing a particular project for South Australians which is a unique project in the world, being copied nationally now with Peter's input—Peter won the Excellence in Inclusive Service Delivery Award for his Determined2. Initially, it started as Determined2 Dive and now it is Determined2, so it is determined to do lots of things.

Pete started out with this idea of getting people who have disabilities—and in some cases severe disabilities, high-level quadriplegics, for example—into swimming pools, into water, where they could put on wetsuits and scuba gear and go diving. This sounds almost impossible for somebody who has severe high-level quadriplegia, but with the cooperation of the Royal Adelaide Hospital and many other people, Peter has had numbers of participants come into this program, and as a result of what he has done he was one of the award winners at the national awards.

I am going down there very shortly actually. To my shame, I have not done it already, so I am going down very shortly to the Adelaide aquatic centre to participate in one of Peter's sessions where he takes people into the water. I do not think I am speaking out of turn to say that the Hon. Kelly Vincent is one of the people who participates in this program. Along with his other workers, Peter takes people with all forms of disabilities into the swimming pool with their scuba gear on. If you want to go onto their Determined2 website, have a look at some of the videos.

The people who have been confined to wheelchairs for many years in some cases are able to experience freedom when they become weightless in the pool and then are able to move under their own power. Some almost walk again. It is quite a moving experience to see what Peter has done. To see that his specially designed immersion therapy program is now being recognised nationally, and being talked about internationally, is something we should all be proud of in South Australia.

The need to continue to provide all efforts we can in this place to support people with disabilities is something I think everybody recognises. I remember standing on the stage at Novita with Premier Weatherill a couple of years ago and saying that if you cannot be bipartisan about disabilities, what can you be bipartisan about? It should really be multipartisan because I think every party, every individual and every Independent in this place is a strong supporter of allowing people with disabilities to achieve their maximum goals.

The changes that are coming up with electronic implants and wi-fi implants to overcome spinal lesions provide such an exciting future for people with disabilities; that is why we need to make sure we celebrate days like tomorrow on the International Day of People with Disability and recognise the fact that there are still challenges for them and still challenges for us. This is an important day, and I hope that tomorrow morning as many members of this place as possible can be out the front here at 10am for the start of the march down to Victoria Square.

There is a celebration at Victoria Square with the various groups that are involved with the disability sector. Peter Wilson and Determined2 will be down there. If you have a chance, go down and have a look. It is a great thing, and I hope that every member in this place does what I think they will do and have done in the past and that is continue to support people with disabilities.

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (11:43): I join the member for Morphett in recognising the 24^th International Day of People with Disability and its importance in promoting awareness and action in our communities to support the dignity, rights and wellbeing of people with disability. The international day, celebrated on 3 December each year, is a United Nations sanctioned day to raise awareness and celebrate and recognise the achievements and contributions of people with disability in all aspects of political, social, economic and cultural life. It also raises awareness about disability issues more broadly across the community and ultimately supports the development of an inclusive Australian society.

Each year, the United Nations announces a theme to provide a focus for considering how to address barriers to inclusion in society, including those relating to the physical environment, information and communications technology, and attitudes. This year's theme, 'Achieving 17 goals for the future we want', reflects the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which include 17 sustainable development goals. The sustainable development goals are broad in order to drive global development with a focus on promoting mainstream inclusion of people with disability. Themes relevant to the disability agenda include:

the achievement of inclusive and equitable quality education and the promotion of lifelong opportunities for learning;

the creation of full, productive and equitable employment;

ensuring inclusive, safe and sustainable towns and cities; and

the promotion of the importance of social, economic and political inclusion of all members of the global community.

Building on the principle of leaving no-one behind, the new Agenda for Sustainable Development emphasises a holistic approach to achieving sustainable and equitable development for all citizens. The 2016 international day coincides with the 10-year anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to which Australia is a signatory. In the past decade, we have seen major disability reform in Australia, including the development in 2010 of the National Disability Strategy 2010-2020.

The strategy aims to ensure that mainstream services, programs and infrastructure are responsive to the individual requirements of people with disability, as well as improving outcomes in specialist disability services. The state Labor government is committed to implementing the NDS to ensure equitable access and inclusion for all citizens. The Department for Communities and Social Inclusion is playing a key role in facilitating the implementation of the strategy and is leading the introduction of disability access and inclusion plans across state government departments, statutory authorities and local government.

These plans align with the national strategy and aim to improve outcomes for people with disability across a range of areas, including education, employment, justice, health and community inclusion. Organisations are urged to be creative and incorporate best practice and innovation rather than simply complying with relevant legislation and standards. Examples of the good work we are doing in South Australia include the ongoing improvement of our public transport services, with the bus fleet now 88.5 per cent accessible.

In addition, a comprehensive review of way-finding and information provision at the Adelaide Railway Station has resulted in new signage, the display of access information on station monitors and the provision of sighted guide assistance. The Office for Recreation and Sport has been active in promoting equity in sport through a YouTube video, entitled 'Inclusion—where do I stand?', and inspirational posters. These resources are designed to break down the perception that including people with disability is just too hard.

The arts have always strived to be inclusive, as exemplified by the Adelaide Festival program improvements to ensure performances, venues and services are accessible to the broadest possible audience. The Festival provides audio versions of event information, large text programs, Braille maps, website information about interpreted performances, assisted hearing and audio described performances, relaxed performances, touch tours, battery recharging points and Companion Card provisions.

DCSI developed a free mobile phone appropriate, called BlueBays, to identify and share information about accessible parking spaces. This tool was developed as a response to community feedback that the provision of parking information would help people plan their journeys with greater confidence and independence. BlueBays won the South Australian Spatial Excellence Award 2016 in the people and community division. These steps towards a fully accessible South Australia are only a snapshot, and I would like to acknowledge the ongoing commitment of all the other agencies in progressing their plans to ensure that the design of all premises, services and information is accessible.

Local government is also highly committed and active with this agenda. Local government representatives are engaged with the development and promotion of the NDS, and the Australian Local Government Association recently launched a new resource to promote cultural change and provide practical information and examples of good practice in social inclusion. The Disability Inclusion Planning—a Guide for Local Government provides valuable information and ideas not only for local councils but also for businesses aiming to broaden their customer base.

The international day also provides an opportunity to celebrate individual achievements. With 20 per cent of the population identifying as having a disability, this represents a wealth of talent and skills. There are many South Australians whose accomplishments are worthy of mention, but this year there are a few I would particularly like to acknowledge. Congratulations to Paralympian Karni Liddell, who was named the 2016 Patron of the International Day of People with Disability. Karni competed at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics and the 2006 Sydney Paralympics, winning swimming bronze at both. I would also like to congratulate the nine South Australian athletes who achieved exceptional success at this year's Rio Paralympics.

Two South Australians were also honoured at the 10^th National Disability Awards as part of the International Day of People with Disability celebrations for 2016. Maurice Corcoran AM won the Lesley Hall Leadership Award for his advocacy work for people with disability for over 30 years. In 2006, he was made a member of the Order of Australia for his sustained services to people with disability and contribution to the development of the national Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport. Maurice also played a key role in the development of the National Disability Strategy and has worked tireless to break down barriers, increase recognition and challenge issues facing people with disability.

I would also like to commend Determined2 for winning the Excellence in Inclusive Service Delivery Award for the immersion therapy program, which allows people living with disability, injury or a medical condition to enjoy a controlled scuba diving experience and freedom of movement in a weightless environment. There is much to be celebrated at this year's International Day of People with Disability and much still to be achieved. I look forward to continuing to work together as a state and a nation to continue improving opportunities and lives for people with disability.

Mr DULUK (Davenport) (11:51): I just want to make a short contribution with regard to this motion:

That this house recognises 3 December as the International Day of People with Disability and celebrates the achievements of those with a disability and recognises the contribution they make to our communities.

The International Day of People with Disability has been celebrated annually around the world since 1992. It is important that we acknowledge this day and join in those celebrations recognising the achievements of those with a disability and the contribution they make to our communities. I welcome this year's theme, 'Achieving 17 goals for the future we want'. The theme reflects the adoption of 17 sustainable development goals to address the three dimensions of sustainable development (environmental, economic and social) and form a key part of the United Nations' global development agenda.

Closer to home, it is an opportunity to reflect not only on the contribution that those South Australians living with a disability make to our community but also on the support we provide those living with a disability to ensure that they are able to participate in, and make a wonderful contribution to, our society. Unfortunately, when we reflect, at times it is not a particularly good record when it comes to supporting those with a disability. The state government continues to fail to meet the community needs of some of the most vulnerable members of our community, and disability representation in South Australia is quite poor. Of course, we all know about the lack of disability services in so many key areas.

Organisations representing disabled persons receive little to no government funding. A quick look at the unmet needs data illustrates the frightening neglect of those living with a disability in this state, with services lacking in disability respite care and disability accommodation, especially for younger people with a disability, who are regularly placed in aged-care facilities as there is not enough supported accommodation available to them. People in this house will know that I have a particular interest in epilepsy. It is a key disability that affects many South Australians. The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines a person with a disability as someone who has:

…a limitation, restriction or impairment, which has lasted, or is likely to last, for at least six months and restricts everyday activities.

Epilepsy is a disabling condition. Federally, the Department of Social Services recognises epilepsy as a disability when it cannot be controlled with medication. Across Australia, epilepsy is recognised as a disability in every state bar one: our own state. Sadly, for those living with epilepsy in South Australia, our state Labor government is the only state government in Australia that does not recognise epilepsy as a disability.

Epilepsy can be debilitating. There can be regular seizures, sleepless nights and the inability to work full time, to care for themselves or their children, and an eternal fear of the unknown. Every part of your life and that of your family is impacted when you are living with epilepsy. I have previously raised the importance of recognising epilepsy as a disability. If we were to recognise it as a disability in South Australia, it would give those living with epilepsy access to additional support services through the NDIS, access that would provide considerable relief, especially to families with school-age children who live with chronic epilepsy. The lack of support from the South Australian Labor government is felt every single moment in the lives of those living with epilepsy and their families.

I urge the state government to do more for people living with epilepsy and for the more than 20 per cent of South Australians who indicate that they have a disability. This government's record in protecting and championing our most vulnerable members of society has been very poor. South Australians should not have to wait another 18 months before that can all change; I would like to see the government step up to the plate now and recognise epilepsy as a disability and ensure that our disability services in South Australia are adequately funded. I strongly encourage the Minister for Disabilities to take urgent action to address the endemic failings of the disability services in this state.

Finally, on a lighter note, I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate all our Paralympic athletes, in particular those who competed at the Rio Paralympics this year. Their persistence, dedication and ability to overcome adversity is a testament to their character and a wonderful example for us all.

I had the pleasure of attending the welcome home parade for our Paralympians from Rio, celebrating the achievements of these outstanding athletes. I was fortunate to meet with Brayden Davidson, our gold medallist in the long jump, and young Liam Bekric, who competed at his first Olympic Games at the age of just 15. They are both truly remarkable young men. I wish all those participating community events, including tomorrow's Disability Pride Parade, an enjoyable celebration.

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (11:56): I also rise to support this very worthy motion. In so doing, I reflect on a part of my life when I worked with people with disabilities. For about eight years of my life I worked primarily in the workers compensation field. As part of that work, we provided services for people who through birth or accident or disease were referred to at the time as traditional clients.

One of the most satisfying elements of that particular work was assisting people to gain a greater degree of independence or, better still, entry into the workforce, and in some cases the open workforce. We assisted a number of people to get supported employment with mainstream employers. It was deeply rewarding to see the transformation in a person's life when they were able to achieve that sort of outcome.

Not long before I was elected, I had the pleasure and honour of meeting two people in my electorate with a profound disability. They are twins Cyanne and Zia Westerman. Recently, I was able to provide some assistance for the twins and, in order to provide that assistance, I received some information about what it is like to live their life. As an able-bodied person I can stand up here and talk about policy, about the gaps in policy, the current unmet needs, but I think it is more important that the words of two people with a deeply lived experience be read into Hansard to give people an insight into the daily challenges that some people in our community face. Cyanne and Zia sent me some words; they call it 'A simple day in the life of Cyanne and Zia'. These are their words:

Cyanne and I share a distinct feature. We are redheads. You may have seen us zooming around the shops or sitting at a cafe drinking coffee with our wonderful carers. The people who are close to us know we have a bright outlook on life with a great sense of humour. They also know the type of disability we have. However for those of you who don't know, we live with a condition called Limb-girdle Muscular Dystrophy type 2i. It is a rare physical condition that affects the muscles.

Living with Muscular Dystrophy isn't hard it is the relying on other people to live a life that is the most hardest and frustrating of all. Cyanne and I don't like telling people the ins and outs of our private life, but in the last couple of years we have begun to share our world. How will things change for the better if no-one knows your story? No-one will know the daily struggles; one that everyone overlooks because it is the most simplest for them but the most troubling for us.

Our daily life is a timed schedule from the moment we open our eyes in the morning to the moment we close our eyes at night. It is not our choice to live this way, but it is the only one if we want to get out of bed in the mornings. The disability system seems to think that it is okay for people with disabilities to have the same timed schedule every day for the rest of your life. Our amazing mum has fought for the care we have today, even though it is still not enough.

At 7am, we have two carers come in to get us out of bed, go to the toilet, showered and dressed. Telling you that sounds easy, of course it is, because it is just words. We have had many carers turn away because it is too hard or confronting for them, never mind what it does to our emotional state. Our carers have a no lift policy so that entails lifters like you see at the hospital and the aged care homes. It took me years to finally accept the fact that I have to use these things for the rest of my life. I know what it is like to walk and not to have to deal with lifters and carers–a normal life, I should say–so adjusting to a whole different side of life was extremely hard. I still struggle to adjust on some days.

It takes nearly an hour each for Cyanne and I to get ready in the mornings. This also depends if we need to wash our hair and which carers we have. Then at 10am we go to the toilet. We do this two more times a day at 2pm and then at 6pm, including when we go to bed at 9.30pm. The simple task of going to the toilet takes, what, 2-5 minutes? Well, for me it is roughly 25 minutes. And that is a huge chunk out of my day, especially when you add all the times up of showering, going to the toilet and going to bed. Who the hell can pee on a timed schedule? I don't drink a lot during the day because I don't want to spend the next hour or two needing and waiting to go to the toilet. I don't get to enjoy spending late nights watching movies or writing because the carers are here at 9.30pm to put us to bed. I have tried asking the system to have carers 'on-call' from certain times during the day/night, but I am not allowed to because of all the red tape, as they say.

The service provider, where my carers are employed from, say they need two weeks notice if we want to go anywhere. How can one live a life two weeks advanced? You simply just can't. What angers me is that they organise carers in a days notice or that we have to keep reminding them that they have forgotten to put the times on the roster for when we want to get out. They then complain that we make 'too many changes to the roster' and then I feel like I am the bad guy for trying to live a normal life. It is not my fault for constantly pointing out their mistakes. Leaving the house is no simple task. We have to basically reschedule our whole day just for a couple of hours of being out in society. I can't stay out for too long because there is nowhere for us to go to the toilet due to the lack of facilities and equipment that we need.

So what happens when the service provider forgets to cover someone's shift? Well, no-one turns up. We either lay in bed frustrated as hell or we sit in our wheelchairs busting to go to the toilet waiting for that second worker to arrive. We have to ring the service provider and wait for them to find someone to come in if they are available. It may take 10 minutes or 45 minutes. It doesn't matter. We have to wait. This screws our whole day because we can't get that missing time back. We can't simply say, 'Oh, only one carer turned up let's skip going to the toilet today.'

We have the same female carers that return to our home, as it is a lot to train and teach new people, and I don't just let anybody see me naked. In the past we have basically been told to shut up and accept whoever comes through the door and that we should be thankful that we have any care at all or go to in aged care home to get 24 hour care that we need, but of course our mum was there to make things right. A lot has changed since then and we have people that are more respectful of our rights, but we still have a long way to go. Having carers come and go every day is extremely hard because they are in our personal life with no privacy of our own. It is also heart-breaking when they move on because you sometimes don't hear from them again or if they do keep in contact it is just not the same because you don't see them everyday. Meeting new carers is challenging because you don't know if they are going to stay or find it too hard and leave without any warning. We have had people say, 'See you tomorrow,' but they never return. It is never easy.

Every aspect of our lives is either a struggle to make people understand our situation or a fight to try to make people see that we need the help, not just because we want it. Take our two electric doors at home for an example, we had to pay a couple thousand each because the disability system sees the doors as a luxury.

I could go on because this is really worth reading. The challenges these two fantastic people face are amazing, but they get out there and live life to the full nonetheless.

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (12:07): I would like to thank all members for their contributions because I know that every member in this place will do everything they can to support people in South Australia with disabilities to achieve the maximum of their ability.

Motion carried.