Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you for the opportunity to rise on this occasion to speak to the motion of the member for Wakefield. I begin by congratulating the member for Wakefield for moving the motion and also previous speakers because it is with pride that we stand here in a bipartisan fashion to talk about Light it Red for Dyslexia and the importance of the initiative. I would also like to congratulate those organisations that have come together to create this initiative and to support it, particularly Dyslexia Support Australia, the New South Wales dyslexia support group, the Victorian support group, Western Australia and Perth dyslexia support group, Dyslexia SA, the Queensland Gold Coast group, Dyslexia Information for the Canberra Region as well as the New South Wales Clarence and Northern Rivers organisation. All of them have an important role to play in raising the profile, awareness and visibility of the issue and in making sure that people with dyslexia feel that they are supported not just by those people they interact with on a daily basis but also that there is a broader community concern which is achieved by motions such as those moved today.

Being here from the government benches, the government places a very high priority on making sure there is visibility, awareness and education by providing equal opportunities for all Australian students and that goes to people with a disability, particularly those with dyslexia. That is why the government is proud to fund $342,000 this year towards the Australian federation of specific learning difficulties' resource entitled Understanding Learning Difficulties—A Practical Guide that is made freely available to all teachers online across the country to enable them to support those people who need assistance.

The guide has been designed by experts to provide principals and teachers with greater awareness and understanding of the significant impact of a learning disability such as dyslexia can have on students. It also provides advice on a wide range of strategies for use in the classroom to more effectively support and meet the needs of students with learning difficulties. Teachers can access this resource through their education authority's professional development portal and is freely available to everybody, which is one of the key ways that we can not just raise awareness of the issues faced by people with disability but make sure that we support the people who support others. I am proud to be part of the government that is investing a record level of school funding that is growing from $16 billion this year to more than $20 billion in 2020. This means a total funding of $73.6 billion will be provided to government and non-government schools over the period of 2016-17 to 2019-20.

Of course we also need to acknowledge on these important days not just the role of organisations and educational institutions that provide professional support and assistance to people with dyslexia but also to acknowledge the commitment of those people who are carers. They are often family members and parents in particular who give support unconditional love and support to people with dyslexia, who face great challenges in their lives. There are many of these families in the electorate of Goldstein, who, every day, sacrifice to provide support and assistance to people in their lives out of a position of love and compassion because they are acutely aware of the need to make sure that everybody has an equal opportunity in life, particularly school aged children. By doing so, they create an environment in which everybody feels that they have an opportunity in society, and they also hold communities together. One of the things I have always strongly supported is that you build a country from the individual up, coming together to form family, community and, ultimately, country. On days like this, we acknowledge the very important role of carers and families because of the sacrifice they make and because of the contribution they not only have made in the past but will make in the future.

Finally, I acknowledge that there are many locations around this country where there is support of the Light it Red campaign. While there are many such sites across the country, I am particularly happy to say that the Kingston clock face in Moorabbin—which is just outside my electorate—will be lit up red to raise awareness and understanding in my community and to make sure that every Australian feels that there is an awareness and understanding of dyslexia, particularly for the support groups who do so much to support the people in these communities to make sure that everybody can have, and live, a free life.

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