Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last night in the adjournment debate I spoke about the National Disability Insurance Scheme and the need for everyone to take it seriously. Today I would like to talk about some important things that Townsville people are doing. In Townsville we have a man by the name of Garth Brimelow, who was seriously injured in a workplace accident—he fell off the roof of a house—and lost the use of his legs. He has been wheelchair-bound since then. He is a husband. He is a father. He has one of the world's longest white beards. Those people walking into the gates at the Cowboys games will see him sitting there selling the doubles, and being generally a pain in the backside to everyone who goes past!

He wants to raise awareness of the National Disability Insurance Scheme by rolling around Australia. To do that, he needs to get a special wheelchair. It is called a Trekinetic. It costs $6½ thousand. He came to me the other day to speak about it at a clinic we had on Saturday morning. Without wanting to belittle Garth, every time you see him, he talks about disability. Every time he sees me, he says, 'How is that support for the National Disability Insurance Scheme going?' He will not let up. So when the opportunity to raise $6½ thousand came along, and for him to be out of the city of Townsville for at least two months, I jumped at it! Garth is a tremendous bloke but, by jingo, when he gets hold of something, he just will not let it go. I am only hoping that Scott Stidson and a couple of the other boys will go along with him as support, and I am prepared to raise extra money to ensure that happens. The Trekinetic wheelchair will allow him to cross terrain of all sorts. He intends to roll completely around Australia to raise support for the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

I say again that the problem I have with disabilities is that too often we target those people who are born with a disability; we are all just one bad accident away from needing care for the rest of our lives. Those who are 'lucky' enough for it to happen in a workplace accident will get some sort of cover from WorkCover. Those people who are unlucky enough for it to happen on their own time in a car accident, just going home from the football, are left in limbo.

That is what Garth wants to do. He has moved on with his life. He is a valuable member of the community. He is really pushing forward with this, and he wants it all to happen. I would just like to finish up by saying to the people of Townsville that when I call on them I will be asking them for their support and I will be asking them to join me in waving goodbye to Garth out of Townsville for at least two months—and we hope that, if we can deflate the tyres, it might take him a little bit longer than that. He is a tremendous bloke and this is a tremendous initiative and a very, very worthy cause. (Time expired)

Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would simply, on behalf of all members, wish Garth well and congratulate the member for Herbert on his obvious initiative.