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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-07-06 Daily Xml
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Touched By Olivia Foundation

Ms DIGANCE (Elder) (15:35): Today, I want to talk about an amazing concept in playgrounds. These playgrounds accommodate all levels of ability, and they also accommodate children who are in wheelchairs and those with disabilities and different levels of mobility. I am talking about play spaces courtesy of the Touched by Olivia Foundation. It was some time ago that the City of Marion flagged with me their intention to build one of these playgrounds to facilitate a truly inclusive play space. The idea instantly captured my imagination. This will be the first inclusive play space to be built in South Australia.

The Hon. T.R. Kenyon interjecting:

Ms DIGANCE: I do like a good playground, you're right. Already in Australia there are 19 Livvi's Places, as they are commonly known, with many more in the planning. The home for Livvi's play space will be Hendrie Reserve, just behind the Marion Outdoor Swimming Centre.

The City of Marion is a progressive council driven by passionate and dedicated staff always looking for ways and solutions to accommodate, include and improve the lives of all its residents. I applaud their efforts. Just recently, along with the mayor, I opened a nature play space that includes water play, sand play, experiential play, and a drawing wall with many other attributes. It is favourable not only to children but also to the adults who gather there.

This play area has become so popular, and the word has travelled well past the immediate neighbourhood of how exciting and engaging it is for children and their accompanying adults. In coming months, we will see in the local area another innovative play space and open space built for the community in Jervois Street. This has been long awaited by the community, who have for such a long time not had any close proximity to open space where they can meet and where their children can play. I welcome that as well.

The Touched by Olivia Foundation was founded by two very brave and resilient parents. In November 2006, John and Justine Perkins tragically lost their baby daughter, Olivia, at just eight months of age to a very rare illness. In their darkness and in their grief, these two inspiring parents decided that their daughter's death would indeed become a legacy, so the Touched by Olivia Foundation was founded and came to fruition. The ultimate goal of the foundation is to provide and create healthier and happier lives for children, and it is driven by the core platform of creating inclusive play spaces for everyone. The foundation has plans to see these playgrounds available right across Australia.

In one of my previous lives, I was a professional working and intervening with babies and children, and I know the importance of play. Play is important, and it is through play that children learn how to be part of society. It shapes their sense of self and it helps them to form meaning. Play is a fundamental part of childhood. It is important, and it is recognised by the United Nations, and in the UNCROC is written the child's right to enjoyment and play and simply to be a child.

It is also recognised that for children to grow up emotionally stable they must not be denied space and freedom, they must be encouraged to overcome risks, and they also must be provided with the opportunity to make friends with children of their own age and with others. Inclusive play is primarily about children and young people having equal access to and equal participation in local play and leisure opportunities, and this is where Livvi's Place, as the play space is called, addresses this and provides a unique environment for children of all ages and abilities to play side by side.

The extensive research that the Touched by Olivia Foundation has been through has actually created this truly inspirational world-class facility. There are six principles that guide this inclusive play space, and they are that everyone can play, everyone has access to nature, everyone has access to the total experience, is connected with community, can play independently and form friendships. I really welcome this particular space to my local electorate, and I know those with children with all ranges of abilities and disabilities will certainly welcome this as well, as we see children on roundabouts and children in cubby houses and children really experiencing what they most deserve.

Time expired.

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