Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

It is my real pleasure to sum up this debate today. There are 13 bills to deliver DisabilityCare to Australia, but there are also a number of other bills that need to be passed before 2 o'clock, and so my contribution will be short. But the fact that it is short does not indicate our pleasure and pride at getting the legislation through the parliament.

I commend and thank a number of people. May I thank first senators and especially the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee for the work that they have done to facilitate a number of pieces legislation through the parliament. I particularly want to thank people with disability and their families and carers. The co-design that we have been able to do with those people has been amazing. May I also thank all advocates who over many years have wanted to see this day come. I thank the department officials—all of them, and there are many—for the work that they have done. I particularly want to thank DisabilityCare Australia, the agency that will now take carriage of an idea that had its embryo some 25 or more years ago. I want to place on record my personal thanks to Minister Jenny Macklin, who has steered this work over many years, and to the Prime Minister, who engaged and has become totally committed to improving the lives of people with disability. We have legislation; we have the framework; we have the rules; and now we have the funding. It has been my privilege to be part of this historic social reform. Senators, DisabilityCare Australia's day has come.

Question agreed to.

Bills read a second time.