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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-06-01 Daily Xml
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Marginalised Community Assistance

Ms THOMPSON (Davenport) (14:49): My question is to the Minister for Human Services. How will the Malinauskas Labor government ensure that youth, people with disability, the LGBTIQA+ people and other marginalised community members are heard by government?

The Hon. N.F. COOK (Hurtle Vale—Minister for Human Services) (14:49): Thank you so much for that question from the member for Davenport, a much-improved version of the member for Davenport that we have in this place.

Anyone who knows me—or, indeed, those opposite and their team who write the government questions for them that they give to us—would know via my social media that I love to get out and about in the community and talk with the community and hear directly from them about what matters to them and how policies, legislation and decisions made in this place actually affect them.

It's a critical responsibility of being a minister to ensure that you engage directly with members of the community. In the past two months, it's incredible how many people I have connected with, from members of the public through to commissioners and CEOs, who say how great it is to have a minister who is meeting with them face to face regularly and building relationships so that they know they will be listened to. While that seems to have been lacking, according to them, over the past four years, we even had reports of former ministers routinely being very rude and also complaints about bullying.

While big organisations and powerful people have many ways to raise their concerns, often there are marginalised groups who do not have that capability, and in a democracy we should all have an equal voice. That's why, as Minister for Human Services, I have committed to and I am establishing three ministerial advisory councils in this portfolio: one for young people, a second for people with disability and a third for the LGBTIQA+ community.

The councils will provide direct feedback and advice to me on legislative and policy matters. We will meet several times a year. How that will happen will be decided by the councils themselves, whether it's in person or online or a combination of both. I am very keen to meet face to face. There are applications on the dhs.sa.gov.au website, with closing dates of 12 June or 19 June, depending on which council they are. We are focused on ensuring that the diversity of voices is heard here in this parliament. I can feedback to our cabinet and to our caucus and provide people with input about how decisions are being made that affect them.

In addition, I have committed to continuing a sector reference group, where I will be again meeting regularly with representatives from providers and from peak bodies—another set of meetings that dropped away under the previous government, and I am committed to continuing those. This group will allow for open and transparent communication and positive construction of policy.

I thank all the organisations who are doing great work in the community to represent marginalised South Australians. To be very clear, my expectation is that every person, regardless of their circumstances, is properly heard, properly represented and properly cared for.

I am pretty sure it was former Prime Minister Tony Abbott who said something to the effect of 'No-one,' such and such, 'is the suppository of all wisdom'. Well, I'm not going to make that mistake, but I will acknowledge that no one person, party or government is the repository of all human knowledge. We must work together, listen to each other and make sure the views of all groups are represented.

To people with disability, young people and those in the LGBTIQA+ community, please head to the website and apply to be a participant in our council.

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