Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Justice and Customs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I present a petition on behalf of the Woodstock Parent Action Group, handed to me on 17 November 2008 in Albury. I would very much like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to this group of parents whose persistence in rallying support for the Woodstock Early Childhood Intervention Service resulted in the collection of more than 7,000 signatures in a short space of time.

Woodstock provides support to 33 children aged six and under with a disability, and their families, living in Albury and surrounding rural areas including Lockhart, Urana, Greater Hume and Corowa. Due to an ongoing lack of funding from the federal and New South Wales governments Woodstock has had to turn families away from their service. It is a disgrace, and there is nowhere else for these families to go.

Each signature on this particular petition, which I present to the House today, is an indication of the community’s strength of feeling about this lack of funding for specialist early intervention services for young children in our community with a disability or additional needs. The dedicated staff who work at Woodstock estimate that 260 children in the Albury region do not receive assistance due to a funding shortfall. This is not good enough and I have questioned both here in the House and publicly how and why particularly the New South Wales government has allowed this to happen and how the federal government is standing by and watching but not taking the necessary action.

The lack of government funding that would enable Woodstock to provide sufficient resources to early intervention is against best practice research, which identifies early childhood as the most critical and vulnerable period in a child’s development. Current research into early brain development has demonstrated that the first three years of a person’s life are critical in providing foundations for what will happen over a child’s lifespan.

On many occasions before this petition was presented to me I met with Woodstock, and on 29 September I was pleased to attend a public forum in Albury where I was presented with a badge announcing that I am one of the A team. I now ask the Rudd government if they are prepared to be one of the A team. Given that tomorrow is International Day of People with Disability, there is no better time for governments to consider the needs of people with a disability and to consider the very real need that is represented by this petition. If we are going to promote understanding of people with disability and organisations that assist people with disability, then we need to do so proactively. It is not enough for the minister to stand up in question time, as she did today, without committing to any real action that would assist organisations like Woodstock. We need practical outcomes. I present this petition to the House today with the hope that the views of my local community, the Woodstock Parent Action Group and Woodstock Support Inc., will be properly heard and properly responded to.

The petition read as follows—

To The Honourable Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives

This Petition of residents of 5 local government areas comprising Albury City, Greater Hume, Lockhart, Urana & Corowa Shires in southern New South Wales, brings to the attention of the House, the lack of funding for specialist Early Intervention Services for children with a disability/additional needs aged 0-6 years, in this area.

The undersigned petitioners therefore ask the House to recognise the inequity of this situation, and in doing so, ensure that the matter is addressed through provision of appropriate, ongoing funding for Woodstock Early Intervention, Albury New South Wales.

from 3,245 citizens

Petition received.