House debates

Monday, 2 December 2019

Private Members' Business

International Day of People with Disability

10:54 am

Photo of Anne StanleyAnne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

) ( ): I move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges:

(a) 3 December 2019 is International Day of People with Disability; and

(b) the Human Rights Commission estimates the number of Australians with a disability to be around four million;

(2) respects the rights of all:

(a) people with disability in Australia, including having access to services and freedom from discrimination;

(b) persons with a disability to be welcomed as equal and positive contributors to Australian society; and

(c) people with disability to have choice and control in relation to any support services they receive; and

(3) encourages all:

(a) persons with disability as their own self-advocates;

(b) groups and individuals that advocate on behalf of people with disabilities; and

(c) Australians to respect the basic rights of all persons with disabilities.

Tomorrow, 3 December, will be International Day of People with Disability. It is an important day to remember, congratulate and celebrate the achievements of all Australians with a disability and the care and support that their families, friends and professional workers give to them.

Yet one of the most concerning and saddening parts of my job is meeting and assisting my constituents with issues that they are having with the NDIS. In a rich and wonderful country like ours there should be a safety net for people with disabilities. In 1974, Gough Whitlam first brought to the policy table the idea of a national insurance scheme to help people with a disability, and today is the 45th anniversary of his election to this place.

This was not a flash in the pan for Prime Minister Whitlam but a love for our country and a care for those who need it most, yet Mr Whitlam was, in short, provided with a choice: Medibank, which we now know as Medicare, or a disability insurance scheme. While we know the outcome of that choice, Mr Whitlam had identified a need and a policy solution for Australians with disabilities. After the Fraser government amended Medibank, Prime Minister Hawke made Medicare work.

Thirty-nine years on, Prime Minister Gillard introduced the legislation that would establish the National Disability Insurance Scheme. To quote then Prime Minister Gillard, 'This is a reform whose time has come, a reform that will deliver significant benefits to the people with disabilities, their carers, their families and the wider Australian community.' It was an idea that would be set in motion—a sweeping reform that would give Australians with a disability the choice of support and the product they need to have every opportunity of success. It had the support of all in this House. At the heart of the scheme was the empowerment of recipients—that they would retain choice. No more would there be a one-size-fits-all policy. After all, individuals know their lives, their struggles and their successes and should be able to make their own choices accordingly.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme encourages people with disability real success and real change, and it comes from real policy and real action. Success and change will not occur by short-changing those people to the tune of $4.6 billion to prop up the Liberals' bottom line. Success and change will not occur when there is no national disability strategy in place to ensure that support services are coordinated. Success and change will not occur by removing funding for the places that people with disability go to for independent advice on assistive technology, which will be no more by July 2020.

The NDIS has been a success for some of my constituents, but it has been a fraught process for far too many. The NDIS is a safety net. It is a structure that means to support and empower people. I acknowledge the hardworking staff of the NDIA, especially those who support my office and provide advice. But the processes and systems seem to make it impossible for them to consistently provide decisions and funding in a timely manner for those who need it. The modus operandi of this government is to strip, cut and slash funding and services that people need, and this is having a real impact on Australians with disabilities.

The slashes are also having a real and detrimental impact on my electorate of Werriwa. Constituents are consistently complaining there is too much paperwork, reviews are taking far too long and people for whom English is a second language are having extreme difficulty with the NDIS. In fact, one of my constituents came to see me last week. He's a double amputee, and I have spoken about this gentleman previously in his place. He hasn't yet been approved by the NDIS for assistive technology and he is stuck in limbo—and the terrible part is that it's been going on for three years, almost as long as I have been in this place.

This government needs to step up to the plate and make sure the NDIS and its agency have the appropriate resources to deliver the services and support that 4.4 million Australians need. Every Australian, especially on a day celebrating people with a disability, deserves that support. They deserve an NDIA and an NDIS that are properly funded and have processes that work for everyone so that all people with a disability have every opportunity to succeed like every one of their fellow Australians.

Photo of Trent ZimmermanTrent Zimmerman (North Sydney, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Order! Is the motion seconded?

Photo of Milton DickMilton Dick (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I'm happy to second the motion and I reserve my right to speak.

Photo of Trent ZimmermanTrent Zimmerman (North Sydney, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

The question is that the motion be agreed to.

11:02 am

Photo of Celia HammondCelia Hammond (Curtin, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I thank the member for Werriwa for moving this motion and for raising some important issues. I would like to acknowledge that 3 December is International Day of People with a Disability. This is a UN-sanctioned day that aims to increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability and to celebrate their achievements and contributions.

'Disability' is an umbrella term for impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions. There are varying degrees of disability, and they can be the result of genetic disorders, illnesses, accidents, ageing or a combination of factors. People living with disabilities make up a large part of our communities. In 2018, there were over four million Australians with a disability—approximately 18 per cent of the population. The prevalence of disability increases with age. One in eight people aged between zero and 64, and one in two people aged 65 or over have a disability. One in three of all people with a disability have a profound or severe disability. One in five of all people with disability reported a mental or behavioural disorder as the main condition. This includes intellectual or development disorders, mood affective disorders, dementia or Alzheimer's.

International Day of People with a Disability and similar initiatives are vital for raising awareness and understanding in our communities. Like all Australians, people with disability interact with every aspect of Australian life. However, some routinely face challenges in participating in everyday activities. These challenges are affected by the severity of their disability, the availability of services, the accessibility of the environment, and community attitudes and discrimination. The impact on participation is evidenced by the following statistics. One-third of people with a disability aged 15 years and over had completed year 12, compared to 62 per cent of people without a disability. Fifteen per cent of those 20 years or over with a disability had completed a bachelor's degree or above, compared to 31 per cent of those without a disability. Labour force participation was 53.4 per cent of those with a disability compared with 84 per cent of those without a disability. And 32 per cent of adults with a disability self-reported high or very high levels of psychological distress compared with eight per cent of adults without a disability.

In my previous life working in universities, I became acutely aware of some of the issues facing people with physical disabilities: access to premises, opening of doors, lecture theatre spaces, sound, access to materials in a readable format, sitting for long periods of time and handwriting speeds. I also became aware of footpaths that are uneven or not wide enough, no ramps, crosswalk troubles and shopping items on higher levels. I also became aware of the often-unintended discrimination experienced by people with a disability. I was told a story of a father who'd been travelling with his then-young daughter, who was confined to a wheelchair. They were travelling on a plane and, following the safety demonstration, an air host came up to them and told them that, in accordance with the rules, she would be the last person off the plane. There may well have been a legitimate reason for this rule, but it was the way it was said and the way it was heard: she was the least important person of all on that plane. In this context, I note data from 2015: one in 11 people with disability aged 15 years and over had experienced discrimination in the previous 12 months because of their disability and one in three avoided situations because of their disability. These rates are not acceptable.

There are many examples in my community of Curtin where people are working together to empower people who are living with a disability. One such example is the Lions Eye Institute. I recently attended the Lions Eye Institute Sensory Science exhibition, a unique blend of science and art combining the incredible artistry of legally blind artist Dr Erica Tandori and the scientific excellence of Professor Jamie Rossjohn and Monash University's Biomedicine Discovery Institute. It's an absolutely fantastic exhibition that combines science and research in a tactile environment to bring it to more people. We need to continue to develop technologies and, more importantly, we need to continue to address our often-unknown biases, prejudices and assumptions.

11:07 am

Photo of Helen HainesHelen Haines (Indi, Independent) Share this | | Hansard source

I thank the member for Werriwa for this motion. Tomorrow, on the International Day of People with Disability, a day to increase awareness of gains to be derived from inclusion of people with disability in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life, we have the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of people with a disability and the positive contributions they bring to our communities and families. The focus of the international day this year is on the empowerment of people with disability for inclusive, equitable and sustainable development across the world.

This year many Australian organisations are using 'The future is accessible' as their key theme to celebrate the day. Assisting people with disabilities to achieve this are devoted families, friends, carers and some extraordinary not-for-profit organisations. In my electorate of Indi, the Regional Disability Advocacy Service, RDAS, assists people with a disability living in the Ovens-Murray district of north-east Victoria and the Murrumbidgee district of southern New South Wales. Martin Butcher, the chief executive officer, and the RDAS team, including Deb Randich, provide free and independent advocacy and information to anyone with a disability, of any age, to ensure equality of rights and increased integration into the community. We really need such organisations.

Across Australia, the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme has had many positive outcomes for a more accessible future. However, for too many the aim of providing people with a disability with choice and control in relation to support services they need is yet to be fully realised. A fully accessible future is one where people living with a disability can easily access age-appropriate accommodation, including supported disability accommodation, supported independent living and public housing.

For carers with young adults at home, finding respite care is a critical part of NDIS support, and it's a challenge compounded in rural and regional areas such as mine, where there is little or no choice. The transition to a new funding model has further impacted services in the thin markets that characterise rural and regional communities. For example, in October this year the only short-term respite facility in Benalla notified participants it would close in early November, advising that it was no longer financially viable. While the provider worked hard to identify suitable alternative providers, these are located 50 to 100 kilometres away and, importantly, must be booked months in advance.

One single parent from the rural locale of Molyullah, Lee Harris, cares for her 21-year-old son, Taylor, who has severe autism. Lee described to me the reality of her situation now that the Benalla respite centre is closed. She'd recently required urgent medical care and needed hospital admission for surgery. Her son was able to go to respite that day and stay for a week in a place he knew well with support workers familiar to him until she came home. But, should that happen again, Lee now has nowhere to send Taylor where he's known and understood, and she certainly can't take him anywhere at short notice.

Universal access to education is a fundamental human right. I recently visited Belvoir Special School in Wodonga to meet the principal, students, parents and teachers. Belvoir is a foundation-to-year-12 school comprising 198 amazing students. The principal of Belvoir, Mr Jamie Gay, told me of the joys and the many challenges he faces in helping to achieve student goals. A key concern he raised with me was an extreme shortage of special education teachers and the anomalies of trying to work across the border with New South Wales—a common problem in my electorate.

And what of inclusion in the workplace? In the January 2019 edition of the Journal of Business and Psychology, Bonaccio et al summarised the international evidence for participation of people with disabilities in workplaces. They found that, while managers may express concern that workers with disabilities would have lower job performance and greater incidence of lateness or absenteeism, the empirical evidence suggests otherwise. Employers' testimonials make it clear that their inclusive practices do not stem from charity but from business decisions. Matched to the right job, people with disabilities are superb employees. Two young men, well known to me, who are invaluable employers at Merriwa Industries are Jed MacLeish and Jacob Grogan. I give a special shout-out to Jed, who with the support of his family recently purchased his first home and is living independently.

As we mark International Day of People with Disability, it's incumbent upon all of us to look across all aspects of daily life and make sure—

Photo of Trent ZimmermanTrent Zimmerman (North Sydney, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

The honourable member's time has expired. I thank the member for Indi and I call the member for Ryan.

11:12 am

Photo of Julian SimmondsJulian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | | Hansard source

It's a pleasure to rise the mark International Day of People with Disability, which is tomorrow. International Day of People with Disability is a day when we celebrate the achievements of people with a disability and aim to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilise support for the dignity, rights and wellbeing of people with a disability. Since 1996 the Australian government has been proud to provide funds to support, promote and raise awareness of this day around Australia. We have 4.5 million Australians living with a disability. That's one in five people, and many are doing remarkable things. I'd like to pay tribute to the local groups in the Ryan electorate who are working with those who have a disability and are doing tremendous and caring work.

In particular there is the Glenleighden School, which I have had a long association with. It is a local school for which people travel from around Australia in order to enrol their children who have a language or learning disability. Thanks to the specialised support of the Glenleighden School, many are often able to transition into general schools as they advance through the age groups. At the very least, many of them are talking and communicating with their families and friends far better than would otherwise have been the case without the work of those dedicated people at the school. For parents who have children with language disorder, simply to have a child who is able to communicate with them without getting too frustrated is an enormous thing for their lives.

I'd like to pay tribute to another group, Claire's Cottage, which operates in Ferny Grove in my electorate. I was able to meet Claire recently. She's the mum of twin daughters with cerebral palsy. Her daughters have long grown up, but she has a passion for looking after people with a disability. Indeed, she saw cracks in the system at the time that her girls were coming through and it led her to create something called Claire's Cottage. It is a residential support place in my electorate which allows participants with a disability to sleep over in what is otherwise a normal residential home and they learn important life skills to gain independence in order to live and sleep out of home. I congratulate these two organisations, but there are others in Ryan that are doing tremendous work.

Something that is also close to my heart and the heart of all Queenslanders is the State of Origin. For the last five years, a fiercely competitive State of Origin battle has been playing out on a 60-metre indoor court, and that is the NRL Wheelchair State of Origin. The Queensland team is made up of players from across the state, including Townsville, Rockhampton, Toowoomba, Ipswich and my home town of Brisbane. Unfortunately, New South Wales seems to have had the edge on us until now, but I know that 2020 will be our year. I just want to highlight this event. Wouldn't it be great if it were followed with the same vigour and passion as the traditional State of Origin? We will only get to that point through advocacy days like the one we are having tomorrow and through the great work that our communities do in promoting the day, promoting people like these athletes and promoting their achievements. We have some amazing stories of what people with disabilities are achieving. It's only through the kinds of days that we will have tomorrow that we will see significant improvements.

The life expectancy of Australians born with, for example, Down syndrome has more than tripled in the four decades to 2002, increasing from 18 years to 60 years. A significant contributing factor to this positive outcome is a shift in public attitude, no doubt down to days like we will have tomorrow. We're also continuing to see higher rates of participation in education of children with disabilities and children are staying in school longer. The Morrison government wants to see all Australians with a disability live life to their full potential, participate in our community, get a job if able and have greater independence. That's what we are working on delivering with the NDIS, a national endeavour that is changing lives. The NDIS quarterly report, which was recently released, shows real progress is being made. There are now 310,000 participants with an NDIS plan, including 114,000 participants who are receiving specialist disability support for the very first time. I congratulate Minister Roberts on his part of the work in rolling out the NDIS and seeing it making a positive contribution in the lives Australians with a disability.

11:17 am

Photo of Susan TemplemanSusan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

We're here to mark International Day of People with Disability, a day which says to the approximately four million Australians with a disability that we respect you and as a society we believe that you should have choice and control in your life. That's what the National Disability Insurance Scheme, designed by Labor and eventually given bipartisan support, is designed to do at its best. Sadly, too many participants are not experiencing it at its best, and nor do our other supports, like the Disability Support Pension, allow people to be equal and positive contributors to our society, free from discrimination. My office receives frequent calls from people being taken off disability support pension or being refused access to that support. They ask themselves and us: when is a disability not a disability? By the time they think that the problem is big enough to talk to their local member, they are almost at breaking point. That happens when Centrelink writes to you and tells you you don't meet the 20-point requirement, perhaps because you have an invisible disability such as mental health issues or hepatic encephalopathy, which is one of the most difficult conditions to articulate clearly! Because it's unusual, not known about and rare, it isn't as well understood by those making assessments. It causes memory loss that can lead to brain damage. The cost of assessments and more appointments with doctors, specialists and occupational therapists when you're not able to work makes progressing these claims really challenging.

I have one woman in my electorate who is also desperate for a job but is battling a health issue that restricts the work she can do. She's made the very reasonable request to have her job-finding support provided by a specialist disability provider—a very sensible approach. They'll understand her needs and support her to find the right workplace and the right job. But, no, the government has not allowed her to swap job providers. This woman wants to work, but the inadequate system in place for people with disabilities prevents her from making it happen. For people with disabilities, these are the frustrations that on a daily basis unfairly restrict them making the contribution they would like to make.

Then there are the imperfections of the NDIS that make participants continue to have to prove their disability on an annual basis. As one of my constituents, Riley, pointed out, he will still wake up a quadriplegic tomorrow. He should not have to keep proving his disability time and again. He can self-advocate. He can get out there and have the fight, even though it makes him weary, as it does many, but not everyone can self-advocate. Carers are often pushed to their limits, stretched between caring and advocacy.

Let's talk about some of the incredible people who I have come in contact with in the seat of Macquarie. I want to pay tribute to people like Gretta Serov, who in her late 20s has now completed a university degree, is a motivational speaker and has designed her own T-shirt with the message 'hands are overrated'. Greta has cerebral palsy and speaks using a voice-generating app on her iPad. She scuba dives. She has experienced indoor skydiving. She's a bit of an adrenalin junkie by the sounds of it! And she always maintains her sense of humour, and that shines through. Yet every time she has an NDIS review she has to appeal. Greta, like so many others, such as Bek and El, is an advocate. They deal with the challenges their own disabilities present and then they speak out so others don't have to experience the same humiliations and injustices.

Then there are the carers such as Rachel, who has fought the NDIA endlessly simply to get what her family needs to provide 24-hour-a-day care for her son Cameron, who has very complex needs. His big sisters are terrific carers, too, and the whole family deserves support to manage the additional needs that their much-loved brother has. Linda has stepped up to be an advocate using her experience of fighting for the very best early intervention and support for her daughter, Lucy. She helps others negotiate what is truly a complex system. Then there are the NDIS participants whose fight with the NDIA ended only days before tribunal hearings. They've argued and argued, and only now that's done can they get a good night's sleep. We need to do much better by all these people.

11:23 am

Photo of Andrew WallaceAndrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I give a big shout-out to the students up in the gallery at the moment. Tomorrow is the International Day of People with Disability. The theme for this year is: promoting the participation of persons with disabilities and their leadership. It's a reminder of the leaders that we all have in our community who inspire us with their achievements through adversity. I want to speak about three in particular today.

In October, my community came together to celebrate three young people who have overcome their intellectual disabilities to achieve fantastic sporting successes. From 12 October to 19 October, Brisbane hosted the 5th INAS Global Games. Athletes who take part in these games live with intellectual disability, Down Syndrome or autism. Across the week, around 1,000 athletes from 47 countries competed in 10 events. Australia has a terrific record of success at these games. The Australian team had finished top of the medal table at three of the previous four INAS Global Games. Hosting the event this year, our team was determined to maintain that record of success and, in total, Australia sent an incredible 164 athletes and 64 staff. I had the privilege, alongside my colleague, the member for Fairfax, to present three of these athletes from the Sunshine Coast with their green and gold uniforms: swimmers Liam Schluter, Liam Bailey-Rose and my own daughter Sarah Wallace. A fourth athlete from our region, cyclist Nathan Glarvey, also proudly competed for the first time.

The fact that four athletes from the Sunshine Coast represented Australia at these global games is not simply a testament to our local sporting excellence and the unbeatable outdoor lifestyle but is a reflection of the care and support that our community gives to everyone who lives on the coast to help them to achieve their dreams and to thrive as leaders among their peers. Simply by pulling on the green and gold uniforms and giving their all in representing this country, all of our athletes did our community very proudly. For Liam Bailey-Rose and for Sarah Wallace, this was their first time officially representing Australia in international competition and, though determined to do their best, their expectations were modest.

I'm very pleased to report to the House, however, that all of our local swimmers smashed their expectations and showed the very best of what the Sunshine Coast can do. International swimming meets are incredibly tough, and all three were competing in multiple events. Though fatigued and facing tough competition from all over the world, all three of the Sunshine Coast swimmers brought home medals for Australia. Liam Schluter, a veteran of international competition, led the way with gold and a new world record in the men's 1,500 metre freestyle in the II1 category. He won gold in the men's 200 metre freestyle, gold in the men's 400 metre freestyle and more golds in the men's four-by-200, four-by-100 and four-by-50 freestyle relays, setting records in almost every event. Liam also took home silver medals in the men's 100 metre freestyle, men's 100 metre butterfly, men's 200 metre medley and the four-by-100 metre mixed freestyle relay.

Liam Bailey-Rose absolutely did a sensational job. He exceeded all of his own expectations, with no fewer than four gold medals and three bronze medals. He won gold in the II3 category, the men's 50 metre and 100 metre butterfly, the men's 100 metre and 50 metre backstroke, and bronze in the men's 50 metre freestyle, men's 200 metre individual medley and men's 100 metre breaststroke. Sarah Wallace, after a gruelling week of events, broke through on the last day to take a hard fought bronze in her favourite event, the II category women's 50 metre breaststroke. In total, Australia ended the competition with 33 gold, 32 silver and 37 bronze medals.

I know firsthand how much work, resilience and commitment it takes for these athletes to reach this standard and compete on the world stage. Whether it be at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics or Paralympics or the INAS Global Games, every Australian who wears the green and gold uniform becomes a local hero and a leader for our community to be very proud of. As we approach International Day of People with Disability, on behalf of all our constituents I say thank you for these athlete's contribution to our community.

Photo of Trent ZimmermanTrent Zimmerman (North Sydney, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be an order of the day for the next sitting.