Corcoran, Mr M.

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. K.L. Vincent:

That this council notes the contribution to the South Australian community of Maurice Corcoran AM and—

1. Acknowledges the ongoing commitment of Mr Corcoran to ensuring that public transport is accessible to all; and

2. Congratulates Maurice Corcoran on being given the Lesley Hall Leadership Award at the 10^th National Disability Awards

(Continued from 1 March 2017.)

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (17:40): I rise to support the motion of the Hon. Kelly Vincent, acknowledging the contribution of Mr Maurice Corcoran AM, particularly in relation to his efforts in ensuring accessibility to public transport. I would like to acknowledge his presence in the gallery.

At the outset, I would like to endorse the comments of the Hon. Ms Vincent and the Hon. Mr Gazzola in their speeches on this motion. Mr Maurice Corcoran is known to a number of us and has been known to a number of us over many years. When I worked for the Hon. Robert Lawson, a former member of this chamber who was the minister for disability services, Mr Corcoran was a frequent visitor to our offices, so it was quite some time ago that I met Maurice. He has been on this task for a significant period of time. I think Ms Vincent's and Mr Gazzola's speeches outline that very well.

One of the other areas in which Mr Corcoran has been very active, which South Australia has made some progress on, has been the implementation of disability action plans, which are very important. I think we still have some way to go on that front, but he certainly kickstarted a lot of the debate in South Australia. I know that the Hon. Ms Vincent and Mr Corcoran are great supporters of universal access principles, which will be of great benefit to all South Australians if we can get those principles embedded into the design of a whole range of areas in which everyone will then be able to access services in South Australia.

Mr Corcoran's story is reasonably well known in terms of his injury in the South-East some time ago, which left him a quadriplegic. He certainly did not take the issue and just decide that that was going to be the end of it. He saw it as an opportunity and has become a very strong advocate in that time. He has been commended, receiving an AM and also receiving the award which is in the title of the motion, that being the Lesley Hall Leadership Award, which was provided on the occasion of the 10^th National Disability Awards.

Some of his achievements in the transport area have been to upgrade the City South tram stop, which many of us would have used, and train stations with new platforms and accessible buses. I think it is fair to say that a number of people benefit from those upgrades, not just people who use wheelchairs but people with other mobility issues such as people who use devices such as sticks or walking frames. It is also important for people who are pushing prams that those changes have been made. Clearly, prams have wheels, and by using two feet you can get around many more spaces than you can if you are using wheels or a mobility device. Those things have been really important.

It is also really important to acknowledge Mr Corcoran's contribution in the role of the Principal Community Visitor, both in the area of mental health and in disabilities. These come under different statutes of legislation. I read both of the most recently available annual reports from 2015-16, and I note Mr Corcoran's comments that the legislative framework that enables visitations for disability services are not as robust as the legislative provisions in the Mental Health Act.

I would like to thank him for not just the role that he plays in those very important areas of advocacy for people who are often unable to express themselves, or may not even understand the rights they are entitled to, but for highlighting it in very thorough reports. As an independent statutory officer, he is to be commended for providing very thorough reports. I note his comments in the 2015-16 disability report, that the regulations:

…have been in place…for three years but are not as effective or as robust as the legislative provisions that are contained in the…Mental Health Act…because they do not provide the same coercive powers to visit facilities without notice but this has not impacted on the CVS in fulfilling its role and I am pleased to report that we have not been prevented from visiting any facility.

That is important to note because I think, particularly with the NDIS, there are going to be a whole range of new services that may well be provided, and I think we need to ensure that the Principal Community Visitor has access to all of those into the future. That is an area that we probably need to review as a parliament.

In relation to his role as the Principal Community Visitor for mental health services, equally, that is a very thorough report, and I would like to also acknowledge his role in that. He said in the annual report for mental health:

I especially want to acknowledge the many patients and families who have raised issues with us and trusted us to follow up and advocate on their behalf. This takes considerable courage, especially when individuals may feel vulnerable due to their specific circumstances.

He has also gone on to report his frustration in relation to reporting particular matters to local health networks and that there has been considerable delay in investigative reports being returned from the public mental health services. I say this, and I am not trying to politicise the motion in any way, but I think that the significant role Mr Corcoran has played in the exposure of the problems with Oakden services does need to be acknowledged.

I think it is fair to say that he was a regular complainant or regular reporter of problems there, and he certainly fulfilled his duty. I think we are all very disturbed about what has taken place in those services and are grateful for the fact that he has been persistent in raising these issues with the government. Clearly, he is carrying out his role very comprehensively in this space.

Perhaps I could have amended the motion to also acknowledge the work that he has done as the Principal Community Visitor. It is a very important role and he does it very effectively. With those few words, I commend the motion to the council.

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (17:49): Can I begin by thanking those who have spoken in support of this motion: the Hon. Michelle Lensink for the opposition and, of course, the Hon. Mr Gazzola—I think I am right in saying that—for the government side. I also thank them for their words in acknowledgement of the very important work of Mr Maurice Corcoran, work that has, of course, taken place over many decades.

Members of this chamber are probably already aware of the enormous debt of gratitude that we owe to Maurice for having played a large role in making public transport vastly more accessible than it previously was in this state. While there is still some way to go—and I know Maurice is as keenly aware of that as I am—the fact that we have any at all is largely thanks to Maurice and his advocacy.

After pursuing that course of action, Maurice was moved into a position of national coordinator for the Disability Discrimination Act standards project. In this role, he coordinated a range of consultations and the disability sector's input into a range of Disability Discrimination Act standards, such as the education standard 2005 and access to buildings and premises 2002. I would note that, following on from my recent chairing of a committee into education and students with disabilities, I think it may be time to revisit the education standard and maybe we could put Maurice on to that when he has some spare time—although I do not expect that to be any moment soon.

His next career move took him to the South Australian Public Service as a senior policy officer within disability. In this role, he was responsible for coordinating the South Australian government's disability strategy, which was, I think rightly, titled 'Promoting independence: disability action plans for South Australia'. As the Hon. Ms Lensink pointed out quite well in her contribution, when we invest in making things accessible, be it public transport, be it the City South tram stop or be it education, we are actually making it accessible for all, whether they have prams, walkers or even just a shopping trolley or lots of shopping bags. That focus on promoting independence and that shift in thinking from what is wrong or what can people not do to what can they do with the right supports around them, including infrastructure, is really important. Maurice is also to be thanked for the voice that he has lent to that shift as well.

Most of us would be familiar with Maurice in recent times for his work as the Principal Community Visitor. While the motion I have put forward does not specifically reference that work, I think it is very important to acknowledge it, especially because when I first put this motion before the chamber (some 10 months ago, I think I am right in saying), we, or certainly I as a crossbench member of this chamber, were not aware of what was about to unfold in the coming months in relation to the SA Health Oakden mental health facility for older persons.

How much members of this government, including former ministers, knew about the horrific human rights abuses that were taking place at Oakden, we will never fully know, but without a number of voices, including that of Maurice Corcoran as our Principal Community Visitor and his team of excellent community visitor volunteers, we may never have uncovered the true and full extent of what occurred there and therefore never put forward the solutions that are now unfolding. For that alone, if nothing else, I think we owe to you, Maurice, an eternal and vast debt of gratitude. Thank you.

It is thanks to his persistent, dogged and comprehensive work as community visitor that older South Australians, particularly those with severe mental health challenges and dementia, have now been relocated to a more suitable care and support facility. There is still much to be done in that project, and indeed in the way that we care for older persons more generally, but this is certainly a massive step forward and one that may have not taken place without the hard work of Maurice.

Of course, his role as community visitor expands far beyond that, and every day he is working and uncovering cases of abuse, neglect and mistreatment, even cases where food standards may not be high enough in resident facilities. That is certainly an issue that we have worked together on quite constructively, and I look forward to continuing to do so.

These everyday issues may not always make the papers or the media in the way that issues like Oakden unfortunately—or fortunately, depending on how you look at it—has, but they are issues that are equally as important because people with disabilities who are reliant on government support need to be able to rely on government to ensure that those supports are of the highest possible standard.

For all this work he has done in those many and varied sectors, we owe Maurice a great debt of gratitude. He is very deserving of all the awards he has received over his career, including the Lesley Hall award, which this motion makes particular reference to. I am sure there will be many more awards to come. With those few words and, again, with thanks to Maurice for his contribution and the best of luck for his bright future, I commend the motion and thank all those who have contributed to it.

Motion carried.

Sitting suspended from 17:55 to 19:47.