INTERNATIONAL GUIDE DOG DAY

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (15:14): My question is for the Minister for Disabilities. Minister, will you advise the council about the recent celebrations to mark International Guide Dog Day 2012?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (15:14): I would like to thank the honourable member for his very important and incisive question. International Guide Dog Day is a special day for those people who own a guide dog or those people involved in raising and training one of these very special animals. I was honoured to speak at this year's celebration, held in Victoria Square on 20 April, where many people and quite a few dogs came out to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of both the dogs and the people involved in their development and training.

I also had the pleasure of handing out awards to a number of businesses that, over the year, went out of their way to make their premises guide dog friendly. People with a guide dog have the legal right to enter all public places and travel on all forms of public transport with their dog. Yet it still amazes me that this right is not as well known as it should be, and time and time again we see instances where people are asked to leave or to vacate premises because they come in with their guide dog.

People with guide dogs are still discriminated against and, to highlight this problem, a number of these businesses across South Australia have gone out of their way to make their facilities, workplaces and schools ambassadors for guide dogs and their owners' right to move freely in the community. Businesses showing leadership in this area include AMF Bowling, Foodland at West Lakes and Flagstaff Hill, the Hallett Cove Shopping Centre and St Pius school.

The government of South Australia recognises our strong relationship with Guide Dogs SA.NT and, through the Department for Communities and Social Inclusion, provides over $1.5 million annually to Guide Dogs SA.NT to assist with case management, brokered services and a number of other projects they provide to their client base. On 20 April, we came together to celebrate this partnership and the great results it has in the lives of people who are blind or suffer a vision impairment.