The Disability Information and Resource Centre

Dignity for Disability have released the following regarding the election of their candidate Kelly Vincent to the Upper House:

Kelly Vincent Leads the Way for People with Disabilities and their Carers

21 year old Dignity for Disability candidate for the Upper House looks set to make history

While media are reporting that Kelly Vincent has earned the 11th and final Upper House seat in the South Australian 2010 State election, Dignity for Disability are cautiously optimistic for this win for all people with disabilities in South Australia, which may not be announced by the Electoral Commission for some days.

When (we are optimistic) the announcement is made, however, Dignity for Disability will have scooped the pool in making Australian Parliamentary History:

• Youngest female elected to any Parliament in Australia’s history.
• Youngest elected Upper House Parliamentarian in Australia’s history.
• First person who uses a wheelchair elected into South Australian Parliament.
• First Australian Parliamentarian elected on a disability platform.

“Kelly Vincent will be making some big changes on North Terrace” said Dignity for Disability spokesperson Mr Rick Neagle. “She will be South Australia’s own elected social inclusion board”.

Parliament itself will need some work – work that is long overdue in the eyes of people with disabilities across the State – the Legislative Council is currently entirely inaccessible to a wheelchair user.

“It was always a source of humiliation for Paul (Collier) to have to use a side “trade” entrance with huge metal gates to get into Parliament house, and many areas of the building are totally inaccessible” said Kelly Vincent of Dignity for Disability’s late leader who was also a wheelchair user since a car crash left him with quadriplegia on his 21st birthday.

“One of my first jobs will be an audit of Parliament House’s disability access issues – an audit that I hope will be the first of many of government buildings and services. It’s shameful that the seat of our government has been unavailable to people with disabilities for so long.”

“Although it is still too early to make an acceptance speech, I would like to thank the many volunteers who have supported Dignity for Disability in so many ways throughout our campaign – it would be such an honour to represent you all” she said.

Ms Vincent may face many challenges, but she will be meeting them head-on, and her election will ensure a voice for all South Australians living with disability, and their carers.

For further information, please contact:

Sam Paior
0410-513-013
d4dparty@gmail.com

Rick Neagle
0431-704-074
rickneagle@internode.on.net

Disability Speaks have released these final comments on the upcoming SA state election:

For the final comments on the election Disability Speaks asked the major political parties to summarize in their own words how they see things and what they have to offer if elected on Saturday.

On behalf of the Disability community we would like to thank them for their time and effort in doing so and for their ready availability and accessibility during the election period.

Copies of each parties responses are attached and please note a number contain links to further information and party websites regarding disability services.

We would also like to thank all those people who using the online technology available have helped circulate the disability message via their databases and mailing lists to thousands of interested recipients. Information is power and by keeping people informed of the crisis in disability services and the direction of developments we believe we take small steps to maybe one day reaching far better and long overdue outcomes. We strongly encourage you do distribute this material widely.

The next meeting of the Disability Speaks steering committee will be held at the Disability Information Resource Centre (DIRC) at 1.00pm on Thursday 15th April at 1.00pm. These are open meetings and any interested persons are welcome. No doubt there will be much discussion on the election out come and very importantly the federally proposed National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) which will certainly occupy much thought and interest in the disability community in 2010.

We wish Dignity 4 Disability well in the election as they chase the elusive 11th upper house seat and thank all those people who responded with kind words regarding the sad loss of Paul Collier. Their thoughts will be passed to the family.

The response below seemed ironical and we share it with you!

Dear David,

Thank you for that fitting and sincere tribute to Paul.

On March 11th 18 years ago Paul received a Sir Charles Bright Scholarship to assist him with his studies.

The strangely ironic thing is that it was presented by “The Hon Mike Rann M.A. M.P., Minister of Employment and Further Education”!

We remember a fine young man.

Sincerely,

Rosemary Penn

Administrator

Sir Charles Bright Scholarship Trust.

Disability Speaks is committed to building our database and maintaining disability advocacy and communication for the long term. Thanks again for your support and good luck to all parties on Saturday. We live in a great country and a democracy and for that we should always be grateful. We also live with the great joy and pleasure that being part of the disability community brings all of us at times.

David Holst

Chair

Disability Speaks Steering Committee

0418555683

www.disabilityspeaks.com.au

Please also read these policy documents from the Liberal, Family First, Greens and Labor parties.

Over at the Purple Orange Blog is a post entitled How to Vote.

This post outlines things to consider when evaluating the disability policies of the contenders in the upcoming SA state election (and doesn’t endorse any particular party or candidate).

The Family First party have released their disability policy, which calls for an additional $110 million in funding for the disability sector.

You can view this news story from the Advertiser State Edition on the policy.

As part of its State Election Carer Awareness Campaign Carers SA have sought responses from candidates to a range of questions relating to Carer issues. These issues have been discussed in the campaign document Carer Opportunity and Choice: Challenges for Candidates.

This document provides responses from the following parties and candidates:

• Greens
• Labor
• Liberal
• Democrats
• D4D (Dignity for Disability)
• Family First
• United Party
• Gamers4Croydon
• Kris Hanna (Mitchell)
• David Winderlich (Legislative Council)
• Mark Aldridge (Legislative Council)

Disability Speaks have released the following statement regarding the upcoming SA state election:

At the Disability Speaks Public Meeting on February 17th, the Minister for Disability, Jennifer Rankine, did not reveal policy or funding initiatives and suggested we ” watch this space “.Well we watched and we watched and the Labor Party have released their Disability Policy for the 2010 election. The question is, was it worth waiting for? and most importantly how does the ALP stack up against the Liberal 2010 Disability policies.

The ALP Policy document confirms the allocation of additional education funding, $17.25 million to establish six new special education units and a range of early intervention services to children with Autism Spectrum Disorders including $4.0 million in support for private schools . This funding is not disability funding as it comes from the Education Dept budget and we have noted in a previous Disability Speaks communique and agreed that they are well targeted and will be very much appreciated by many with children in the disability community.

The 2010 Official ALP Disability Policy does however announce new funding of $17.5 million for equipment and home modifications for adults and children with a disability. Disability Speaks has been running media advertisements in the metropolitan press demanding that this area of the disability unmet needs waiting lists be addressed and this program will support that call! This funding is new money over 4 years.

But Disability Speaks has also previously argued that at least $120 million needs to be spent over the next four years by Government to address the current critical crisis in accommodation, respite and support services across South Australia. Sadly there is no new funding in the ALP policy for any other critical needs.

Subsequant to the ALP Official policy launch the government has also announced an additional transition program with $14.5 million dollars over four years to assist in the transfer of clients with disabilities from hospital to appropriate accommodation. This again is a new funding iniative!

The original 17 page ALP Policy Document is an impressive presentation but only offers the additional equiptment support plus plenty of sometimes questionable rhetoric . We are unable to deliver the ALP document direct online because of the file size but will supply on request the complete file to any Disability Speaks supporters who would like a full copy. Please ask by return email and we will fire it off to you! We do believe it is available online from the ALP wedsite.

The ALP policy makes much of the impending Cappo/ Social inclusion inquiry and how this will be the basis for a future plan. This is however noguarantee the plan will be supported by the ALP and many cynics in the disability community are seeing it as another Rann fairy tale like his promised 2001 Disability pre election policy guaranteeing a ten year plan that has never eventuated.

There is however no doubt at this stage the ALP has committed more funding for disability services in the next four years than the Liberal party. The ALP policies also appear to be appropriately funded.

We have attached for your interest a direct comparison based on our interpretation around the questions from our Public meeting of howDisability Speaks interpret the relative position of the two major parties in their election policies. Please circulate this file to all your supporters and print a copy for your noticboards and hand out!

We have asked and will deliver online on Thursday “The Final Word” in their own words a final one page summary from both the ALP and Liberal Party where they state their own 2010 Disability Committments and support position

Me ……………….I have not decided who to vote for yet? Both parties positions and history remain open to much conjecture and I have yet to see either Rann or Redmond talk about disability issues like they really matter. The choices on offer appear totally inadequate and a bit like being asked would you like to be tortured by testicualr electrocution or waterboarding?…………… there are no great outcomes which is very distressing.

We will keep you informed as the week progresses

Good luck in picking a winner!

David Holst

Chair

Disability Speaks Steering Committee

0418555683

www.disabilityspeaks.com.au

Disability Speaks have also released this comparison between the Labor and Liberal positions on disability.

The SA Liberal party have released their Disability Policy Statement for 2010.

You can read it here.

The SA Labor Party have released their Disability Support Policy.

You can read it here.

The Rann Labor Government have announced that, if re-elected, they will inject an immediate $7.7 million to clear waiting lists for equipment for South Australia’s children and adults with a disability.

You can read their full media release here.

The South Australian Council on Intellectual Disability Inc (SACID) have released a document outlining their priorities for the 2010 SA state election.

You can read it here.