90 SECOND STATEMENT


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, CANBERRA

 

THURSDAY, 3 DECEMBER 2015

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On the International Day of People with Disability, I offer the deep sorry and sympathy of all of us in this place to the victims of the senseless shooting that has occurred in San Bernardino, California at a centre assisting people with developmental disability.

I rise to  pay tribute to Australians with disability, their carers and the people who love them.

I'm pleased to announce that a Labor Government will provide an additional $2 million in funding a year to peak disability advocacy organisations.

Australians with disabilities and their advocates spent decades seeking an end to the exile of neglect and national indifference, the second-class life imposed on our fellow Australians.

They fought, these advocates, for peace of mind for ageing parents, awake at midnight worrying who would love and care for their child with a disability when they no longer could.

Their courage and their resolve helped make the National Disability Insurance Scheme real.

Independent advocacy for people with disability will only become more important as the NDIS roll-out continues.

Organisations like: Blind Citizens Australia, Brain Injury Australia, Deafness Australia and peak bodies like the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations and Disability Advocacy Australia have dedicated years to protecting the rights and upholding the interests of Australians with disability.

We commend and salute them, today and every day.

ENDS

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