Anthony Byrne (Holt, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On numerous occasions in this place, I have taken the opportunity to speak about inspirational people in my electorate who make a difference—people who themselves have overcome great personal adversity and, through enormous courage and sacrifice, are helping others do the same. In that spirit, I wish to pay tribute to another one of these individuals—a constituent of mine, a young man who lives in Narre Warren, Dale Sheppard.

Dale’s life was changed forever in the briefest of moments when he was 18, when his bicycle collided with a motor car as he was riding home from work. The accident left Dale a quadriplegic. Dale was deemed to be uninsured at the time as he was riding a bike, not driving a car. But through his consistent and relentless campaigning Dale’s accident resulted in amendments to the Victorian Transport Accident Act that ensured that people who found themselves in circumstances similar to Dale’s would in fact be covered by this act, which is an incredible achievement.

Many people facing these enormous challenges at such a young age, and having battled to change important legislation, would be tempted to sit back and be understandably overwhelmed by the circumstances of this terrible accident and its painful legacy, which is that Dale has been left in a wheelchair. But he has not done so. That is not the path that Dale took. Dale now runs a successful consultancy business that employs four people, Access Solutions National, having started his company from scratch. This company assists individuals with a disability, addressing access issues and taking on an advocacy role for a significant number of our fellow Australians. Dale’s company is now a leading Australian company, based in Narre Warren. His reputation in this field is so strong that he has recently been asked to work with large corporations such as Qantas and the Melbourne Airport Corporation to advise on making planes and facilities more accessible for those with a disability. That is what I call making a difference.

Even though he is only 31, Dale has achieved a great deal in his life, but the relentless desire to help others that still drives Dale has resulted in another project, which is a proposal to build a retreat for those with a disability, those who are homeless, ex-prisoners and those fleeing sexual servitude and degradation. This retreat will be a safe haven for these people, a place for people who have not had the same opportunities as the majority of us have. They will experience activities like canoeing, travelling on a flying fox and four-wheel driving in some of Australia’s best state forest areas. Dale aims to partner with Chisholm TAFE to provide these individuals with courses such as horticulture, cooking, administration and recreation type programs. The aim of pairing these experiences with strategic partners like Chisholm TAFE will ensure that people who go to the retreat can build on the skills they develop there to expand their opportunities and improve their lives.

Dale is an incredible and inspirational individual—just a fellow who came into my office. He is a guy who is making a difference, and in this place we should celebrate people like Dale who have the courage and the capacity to change people’s lives. (Time expired)