Page 1428 - Week 04 - Thursday, 4 April 2019
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
The Prime Minister was slow to act, but he got there in the end. Violence, abuse and neglect of people with disability, including children with disability, is systemic. The evidence is extensive, compelling and irrefutable. Hopefully, this commission will not only uncover what has remained hidden for decades but also give people with disability a voice and treat them with the respect and dignity they deserve.
We know already that people with disability experience disproportionate rates of discrimination, violence and abuse. Women with Disabilities Australia tells us that women with disability are 40 per cent more likely to be victims of domestic violence than women without disability and that more than 70 per cent of women with disabilities have been victims of violent sexual encounters at some time or other in their lives.
Whilst it is difficult to get accurate numbers, due to the ABS people safety survey not including people in institutions, what we do know is that violence against women with a disability, or even men with a disability, is far more prevalent than we dare to imagine. People with disability have a right to justice and we must ensure that they are at the forefront of all decision-making that arises from the commission.
I look forward to seeing the final terms of reference and hope that they genuinely empower the commission to do its job properly. Violence, abuse and neglect of people with disability must be uncovered and addressed before we can become a truly inclusive community.
Environment—green buildings
MR PARTON (Brindabella) (6.03): I stand to express my confusion at what on earth went on in our chamber this morning regarding a Labor motion that came to us from not one Labor MLA, not two Labor MLAs, not three Labor MLAs but four Labor MLAs. This motion sought to refer some heating and cooling standards in new and existing buildings to the planning committee. In itself that is a matter for debate that we did not have. I was confused when it first came forward and even more confused when, at the last moment, one of those Labor backbenchers chose to withdraw it from the notice paper.
Four Labor backbenchers put their brilliant minds together to construct a motion and still could not get it right. They got stage fright just as the curtains were about to open. How many Labor backbenchers does it take to write a workable motion? How many Labor backbenchers does it take to change a light bulb? That is the key question: how many Labor backbenchers does it take to change a light bulb? Based on this morning’s experience we know the answer: it is four.
One of them has the job of very respectfully calling the CFMEU to seek permission to change the light bulb and to blame the federal Liberal government for the light globe going out in the first place. One of them has the job of consulting the Electrical Trades Union to get advice on possible demarcation and to set up an environmental impact panel to discuss the correct wattage for the new globe.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video