House debates

Wednesday, 22 October 2014

Constituency Statements

People with Disability

10:12 am

Photo of Jill HallJill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Wheeling and Able is a charitable not-for-profit organisation which organises holiday accommodation in units that are fully accessible for people with disability. There are two particular units, one in Forster and one in Corlette. This is an outstanding organisation that creates an opportunity for people with disability to experience what it is like to have a holiday, and for them and their families to have accommodation that is set up ready for them and that caters for all their needs.

This weekend, on Friday night, Go Wheeling is holding its annual event, which is a basketball competition for able-bodied people in wheelchairs. Liesl Tesch is the ambassador and, as everyone would know, Liesel is a disabled basketballer who played for Australia and has been very successful in the Australian wheelchair basketball team. Friday night's event is a wheelchair basketball event that is about encouraging able-bodied people to compete. As I mentioned, it is on Friday night and is a two-hour event between six o'clock and eight o'clock, and it will be held at The Forum at Newcastle University on the Callaghan Campus. The competition is set up with four teams of five players. It is a round-robin competition and, at the end, one of those teams will be the Go Wheeling champion. This is a fund-raising event and also an awareness-raising event to show that wheelchair basketball is a fantastic event and a very interesting event to watch.

It works in a fundraising capacity where sponsors sponsor a wheelchair and gold coin donations are paid by spectators and supporters. There will be a raffle on the night. On the whole, it will be a fantastic event. Anything that creates opportunity for people with disability to enjoy a holiday, to be able to get out there and experience what everybody else in the community experiences is to be commended. I would like to congratulate Wheeling & Able for the fine work that they do in the community and for making this possible.