Disability Inclusion & Safeguarding Bill 2024 (No 29)

Thursday 15 August 2024

[12.38 p.m.]

Ms ARMITAGE (Launceston) - Mr President, I sincerely thank the minister for bringing this important bill to this place. I note the incredible amount of thought and care that has gone into this bill by many people, but especially the minister, Jo Palmer.

As cynical a place as the world can be sometimes, we can all agree that we do what we do here to make things better for people who are vulnerable, people who have less, and people who cannot always speak for themselves. The substance of this bill is important to all of us, and it is my sincere hope that it will make a real difference to people living with a disability, their families, their friends and loved ones, their carers and supporters, their advocates, and disability service providers. It also shows the community more generally how seriously we take the inclusion and safeguarding of everyone in our community.

I would like to first make some brief remarks on the disability royal commission, Australia's largest-ever inquiry into the experiences of people with a disability, which, over four years, heard from almost 10,000 people. This, in itself, shows how significant the issue of caring for those in our community is.

One of the key drivers of the commission was the common view that, and I quote:

… a future where people with a disability live free from violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Human rights are protected and individuals live with dignity, equality, and respect, can take risks and develop and fulfill their potential.(tbc)

While it is terrible to face, the commission received significant evidence of a society where people with a disability do not always live without harassment, abuse, neglect, fear, violence, and exploitation. It is up to us to do something about that, and we need to be leading by example. The visions exposed by witnesses to the commission emphasise the need for people with disabilities to have access to the same opportunities, resources, and communities as everyone else. Many expressed wanting a future where, and I quote:

… people with and without disability live, learn, work, play, create and engage together in safe and diverse communities, have the power of choice, independence and the dignity to take risks, make significant contributions to communities that value their presence and treat them with respect, are culturally safe and belong in families, communities and peer networks. (TBC)

This means we need to listen to the voices of people with disabilities and we need to continue listening to them. This legislation is just one step in a process that will not ever really end, because expanding safeguarding the inclusion measures is one thing, but monitoring and maintaining access to these very basic rights is another. As the minister has mentioned, this bill represents a reworking of the previous Disability Services Act and poises Tasmania to build a wider framework to respond to the findings and recommendations of the royal commission.

I understand that the bill is grounded in a social model of disability and focuses on factors like the attitude of others, poor communication, inaccessible environments and lack of accommodations, in providing services that create disability and build barriers. Frankly, the world can be an extremely hostile place for people with a disability, Many things from footpaths to public transport, availability of amenities like accessible toilets or ramps just are not in place. This is not the world we should be walking past and accepting. Everyone deserves to feel like they belong, that there is a place for them in the world and it is up to us to start by saying that we need to build it and we need to do better.

I am therefore pleased to see that this bill starts out by doing a number of things. This includes recognising the responsibility of the state and the community to support people with disabilities in exercising their human rights, establishing a frame work for a whole‑of‑government approach to accountability and transparency in relation to disability inclusion, regulating the use of restrictive practices by disability service providers, establishing the positions of disability commissioner and senior practitioner, establishing the Disability Inclusion Advisory Council, providing for a community visitor scheme, and enabling the provision of funding to support the above.

Clearly these are significant undertakings. As I mentioned, this is the start of a long road, but so many people are depending on this legislation to make a real difference to them, and we cannot let anyone down. I am sure other members in this house have had people contact them about things as simple as transport of an evening so that they can actually go out just like everyone else can, but also get home.  Sometimes the lack of appropriate transport is such an issue that many people I know in my community, and I have had many calls, many people with a disability cannot go out because they simply cannot get home at a later hour. Things like that need to change.

As I also mentioned earlier, the world can be very hostile and indifferent to people with a disability. For people who need assistance with mobility, finding things like smooth pathways, well-lit areas and even having access to toilets, can become terribly challenging. To this end, the requirements in the bill relating to disability inclusion planning are most welcome. These are grounded in Australia's human right commitments and are an important tool for the state to enforce and respond to disability reforms. It sends a strong signal to people with a disability that yes, they do belong, that there is a place for them and that we are committed to making room for them. It emphasises that no one needs to try to hide their differences, or that they should shrink away or avoid engaging with the world, but that we want them to feel comfortable and safe in a world that accepts them for who they are. I thank the minister for the bill.