Page 3488 - Week 11 - Thursday, 24 September 2015
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We have put together a way forward that recasts our support for vulnerable children, putting them at the centre of a quality out of home care system. We have listened to the voice of children and young people and we are building a system where they are not in out of home care—children and young people will just be home.
Debate (on motion by Ms Lawder) adjourned to the next sitting.
Auslan interpreter
MS LAWDER (Brindabella): I seek leave of the Assembly to allow an Auslan interpreter to be present on the floor of the chamber during the consideration of Assembly business notice No. 1.
Leave granted.
Standing orders—amendment
Standing order 210
MS LAWDER (Brindabella) (11.09): I move:
That standing order 210 be amended by inserting “or an accredited Auslan interpreter,” after “Member,”.
I am pleased to move this motion today to amend standing 210, which relates to strangers on the floor of the Assembly. Some members here today might recall the last instance when this was amended in 2008 to allow a nursing infant to be breastfed, which made the Assembly more family friendly. We have seen the benefits of that over time, including most recently for my colleague Mrs Jones and her baby, Maximus.
The motion today is to allow an accredited Auslan interpreter onto the floor of the Assembly if arranged by a member of the Legislative Assembly, without having to seek leave, as I have today. I believe that allowing interpreters onto the floor of the Assembly without the need to seek special permission would be an acknowledgement and recognition of accepted practice which would help to deliver communication access for people who are deaf. This is another example of walking the talk and providing access—not just talking about inclusion and access but actually doing something about it. This motion to change standing order 210 would take this from being a special privilege granted by the Assembly, or possibly denied, to something that can be taken for granted. Indeed, that is what communication access should be, something that is taken for granted.
Whether individual members of the Assembly choose to take up the option would be up to them. It may be for particular speeches and particular topics. For example, it might be especially appropriate for speeches relating to events of national or territory importance or when the Assembly is debating or talking about emergency situations or matters relating specifically to disability access such as the NDIS, which deaf people would have a particular interest in. Again, I stress that it would be up to the individual member to determine when they felt it was appropriate. This proposed
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