Recording: Young, Powerful & Engaged: CYDA's Federal Election Forum

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All right, good luck K.

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This meeting is being recorded.

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Hello and welcome to side is federal election forum, young powerful and engaged. We really appreciate your support with attendance and look forward to hearing the questions that you have for our panelists.

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Thank you to our panelists who are joining us today for making space to listen to our community.

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And then mentioned the accessibility features that we have available. So we are joined by two other interpreters who are now visible on the screen. We also have live closed captioning available at the bottom of the screen, you will need to turn on the

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captions first, you can do that by at the bottom you can click the button that says cc the live transcription and turn them on from your computer. If you need any assistance today, please use the chat option to message side of stuff, the chat function

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has been turned on purely as a way for attendees to message side of stuff with access and tech help or safety concerns. So the chat will not be used for general conversation or to interact with the panel.

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To begin, we would like to first acknowledge the country and the traditional custodians of the land on which we're meeting on today. So all come calling in from different lands today.

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I'm on the beautiful land of the people of the nomination in Perth, Western Australia, please feel free to pause for a minute and acknowledge the country on what you're calling from.

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We acknowledge the historical and ongoing contributions to caring for country, and community, we pay our respects to elder's past and present, and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded this always was, and always will be Aboriginal land.

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My name is Kay, I use a them pronouns. I am a white feminine presenting person with shoulder length redhead, and I wearing a black shirt and overalls with little kV birds on them.

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I'm a lived experience officer at children and young people with disability Australia, and a young autistic person with a lived experience of physical disability and chronic illness.

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So I'm joined by three other side of staff members today. You can't see them on the screen at the moment so that all in the background but when when Mary does share his screen.

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So you'll be able to see Mary screen a little bit later today, but you do have to step outside of staff members Miranda and Sue who are not have it visible on the screen today but we'll be monitoring, managing the chat.

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So they're both members of silence policy team for the webinar today, I'll briefly talk about ciders election platform. We will then be hearing individually from three politicians, Senator Holly Hughes, the Honorable Mr.

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Bill Shorten and Senator Jordan still john, They will then have a question and answer period.

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This webinar is been established to provide a space for young people with disability to be involved in conversations that directly impact our lives. We want to create a space where young people with disability feel feel prioritized and heard.

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And so in the question and answer period but all preference questions by these young audience members as well as pre submitted questions by young people, side is 2022 election platform, clearing the roadblocks promoting equitable pathways and opportunities,

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was released three weeks ago.

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So this document which is available on the side of website but we will pop a link in the chat as well, is a call to action for all parties in the upcoming election to prioritize specific areas and actions that influenced the lives of young people with

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disability. There are nine recommendations that are centered on empowering young people with disability and their families to live lives with the quality of experiences, without able to fully exercise their rights and follow their aspirations.

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This platform draws on the insights and the experiences of young people with disability and the recommendations are informed by numerous young voices engagement side through events surveys co designs and consultations, over the last few years, including

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young people who attended the National Youth Disability summit in 2022. Oh sorry in 2020 and 2021 lived experience focus group series.

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The election platform has three priority areas. The first priority is to ensure equity in education, so that all young people are able to engage with an inclusive education system that includes a national inclusive education plan and ensures universal

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access to high quality and affordable Early Childhood Education and Care rights to quality education that meets the needs of the disability community is so important, and side is calling on the incoming government to protect the educational rights of

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children and young people with disability and show that education providers, be it early childhood providers, schools, high schools and adult education settings, meet them obligations to provide meaningful education for young people with disability.

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Secondly, we are also calling on the incoming government to support young people in finding quality and secure employment and secure employment opportunities with an employment system that is based on research and code is aligned with young people with

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disability, young people need more support with transitions to their career and workplaces following graduation from high school, and we need investments in supporting young people to gain post school qualifications for me, as a young person about to

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navigate that transition from education to full time employment. This priority area is personally really important to me. And the difficulties in finding work that is meaningful and meets my needs is a common experience between my disabled peers side

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is also asking for reform in the disability support pension, which is currently failing to adequately support young people with disability who need to navigate quite complex eligibility barriers and also purely compliance measures.

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The third party area for young people with disability is leading equity through accountability and opportunity. We urge the incoming government to establish an office for children and young people with a dedicated minister to ensure the rights of young

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people are promoted and held across government, young people who are neglected in our systems, including young people with disability, need to be heard, and then need to coordinate quarter cut corner, sorry, coordinated effort to design solutions to meet

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their needs, other support systems, including the NDASD guaranteed ongoing and sufficient funding over for young people and we need a recovery plan.

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As I focus on equitable access for new entrance, the covert pandemic is far from over for young people with disability and we need our recovery plan to mitigate the long term consequences of the Cobra crisis to protect the children and young people from

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developmental social and economic scarring effects of the pandemic.

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This election, and the incoming government have a wonderful opportunity to support young children and young people to thrive, both now and as I transition into adulthood.

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And we need an upcoming government to take this opportunity to create lasting and meaningful reform to improve our lives. When children and young people are given equal opportunities to engage in quality education, employment, make friends, enjoy community

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life we all benefit, culturally, socially and economically.

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So next we'll be hearing from our panelists, we will provide a buyer in the chat if you would like some more information.

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And, firstly will be hearing from Senator Holly Hughes, who is representing the Liberal Party of Australia.

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Senator Hughes has long blond hair, and is wearing a blue shirt and red lipstick and send it to us was elected in the Senate in 2019, and she comes from a career in communications and advocacy for rural and regional Australia.

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They spent the last 20 years living in the country in northwest and New South Wales. She's a mother of three, and has extensive understanding of the difficulties navigating barriers that rule families experience.

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She has a son with autism and in 2019, she was appointed the chair of the Senate subcommittee on autism.

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Our next panelist is senator Jordan still john, who is representing the Australian greens party to not just do john has brown hair, and he's wearing a blue shirt, and he fell into politics in 2017.

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He has a lived experience of disability and as the youngest person in the Senate. He is passionate about addressing the climate crisis and he spent a lot of time campaigning, and this has built disability health and PE spaces and fastly will pass the

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Senate.

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He's so when you're ready, Senator.

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Sorry, Senator, I think you're still muted.

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Okay, thank you. There you go. So you think after this on on zoom calls we'd all be a bit better than that. So, Thank you so much for that introduction.

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It's lovely to be here with you all tonight is a bit funny being back on a zoom call because we had recently moved to a lot more face to face meetings so I must say, setting up the tech tonight I apologize if I drop out we'll get it wrong but I think

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I'm all set up on the right, stand that she should stay standing.

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But I have done TV where it's fallen over mid sentence so I apologize.

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Look. Tonight I wanted to be with you and just outline some of the things that have been going on within the disability space as you mentioned, I chaired the Senate Select Committee into autism, and it's the first time a report and an inquiry into the

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whole of life experience of autistic people and their family had ever been conducted. We titled that report and Senator still john was part of the committee as well.

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We titled that report just before Parliament rise, and it has 81 recommendations and the very, very first recommendation that we made that there was a need for national autism strategy, and just over a week ago I was sent out a hand Ruston and we announced

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funding of million dollars for the first 12 months to establish the national autism strategy, and I am pleased that Labor has also backed that initiative which means regardless of the result on Saturday, you will be getting the development of a national

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autism strategy. And by putting it together in this way, certainly the way that I had looked at it and spoken with and as we put together the program was to ensure that the complexity in developing this strategy is recognized because when we look at autism

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and we look at disability more general.

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Generally it does have a significant levels of government and a number of agencies, so it is very difficult when you're trying to navigate across all of those spaces, and the one important thing that became very prevalent for us throughout the inquiry,

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was this isn't all about the NTIA is and I think there's been particularly at the state government level used to have responsibility for a lot of things across disability, which was then moved into the end is have really removed themselves from the disability

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space, which has left a lot of gaps and has certainly left. A lot of people and particularly children and young people at risk of falling through the cracks.

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And I was just listening K to the three tenants that you have in your platform and equity in education is absolutely a key one and it is one of the ones that has fallen through the cracks I think most significantly.

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We've seen that when a lot of kids and families are trying to get their children into school, whether it's mainstream or a special needs specific school that the right level of support are being provided.

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And as was mentioned I'm the mother of an autistic child.

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We did not start at the school that my elder daughter was at when Fred was starting school because that's all was not interested in providing any supports to my son.

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We didn't, then go to a really lovely little school that I moved all my children to provide a great supports and work closely with us. And then when we moved to Sydney A few years ago, we were blessed with a wonderful principal at a public school, but

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it has become increasingly apparent that it is leadership led from the top, it is in a uniform standard across particularly here in New South Wales, but we heard that all around the country.

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So, When we talk about the autism strategy and disability strategy more broadly, it does mean bringing together all those levels of government, so that we can improve that equity and access to education and proper supports and then of course that features,

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you know filters through both the tape and university sector.

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We have invested a lot of money as a government into employment, we know that there's a review or you would all be aware there's a review at the moment into the Disability Employment Services Program. Some of us are fans of it. Some of us are not. And I think there are plenty of ways that it can be done much much better. I was

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much better. I was also with Senator Ruston as well as bank on that last year when we've launched through the National Disability Employment strategy employed my ability.

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But we've also invested significant amount of money into delivering accessible online job platform which does help people with a disability into mainstream job opportunities, but also help employers to recognize barriers to entry and little things that

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can be done to assist that transition.

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I certainly have tried to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. I've been in the Senate for almost three years. One of my staff is an autistic young man who had never had a job before that we worked with him and he started doing some really quite basic

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administrative tasks. He has had one lot of official assistance come in which you know cost, I think from memory about $6,000 and just that small amount of support enabled him to grow his role to grow in confidence, but also develop new skills to the

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point that he's now running part of our mail programs and different things in the office, completely independently and we do know that after the selections over it's one of the discussions we're having is that what is his next role will fly, either in

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my office or is it time to support him to look at something else because he will have been with me for nearly three years so I can personally, say, the difference it's made to his life, the difference it's made to his, his parents and siblings live, and

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he's confidence in his security and how he feels as part of a team, but also the support that you know he's got with the children and young people program, I know my five minutes is up and I could go for days but I'll try and leave it for questions.

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That's a specific portfolio that's above my pay grade, but I think it's definitely something that we should look at putting into the new prime minister or the returned Prime Minister, wherever we land on Sunday morning.

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Thank you very much for that. I just want to introduce center still john so whenever you're ready.

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I like, sorry about that chaos. Clicking the wrong buttons you would think after, after two years doing this stuff by zoom we'd be able to get ahead of cross it by now.

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It is so wonderful to be with you all this evening. Thank you so much for inviting me to participate in this vital discussion I want to knowledge. First of all that I am coming from you, sitting upon the land of the people of the nomination and pay respects

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to elder's past present and emerging the knowledge of sovereignty was never seated in the Disability Justice and First Nations justice are inextricably connected together in the time that I've got to just outline the relevant pieces of the greens, election

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pitches in this area. I want to focus on the ones that are most relevant to the cider election platform which we in the greens, fully endorse every single principle.

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You can look at the broader access Australia initiative on website we can link it in the chat. But I want to tackle First of all, head on the question of education and also of employment.

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The Greens believe that it is the right of every disabled student to be educated in a mainstream education system, alongside then non disabled people along non disabled peers and to be provided with all the necessary support and adaptations to enable

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them to do that. It is not okay that in 2022 somewhere between 15 to 20% of disabled students are educated in segregated, so called special school settings.

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When we have 16 years worth of academic research that statements.

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Absolutely.

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emphatically that segregated educational settings, do not provide equitable outcomes for disabled students we know that the mainstream education system with the right support for the properly funded public school system is not only were disabled students

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have the right to be, but it is also where we will get the best education outcomes for ourselves. And so we are proposing a national transition plan in line with the asked, made by the Coalition for inclusive education that we achieve a fully inclusive

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education system and the elimination of segregated schooling, by 2030, we've allocated $10 million to the creation of a national transition plan to be co-designed, but alongside, and with disabled students, parents, teachers, school administrations, and

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unions to make sure that that transition plan works that it redeploy as teachers and resources were needed.

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And that transition plan will be fixed in move ugly upon achieving the goal of a fully integrated education system and the elimination of segregated education, because there is no excuse for segregation.

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For too long we've had both parties, supporting segregated education, building more special schools. When they not when we know that they are harmful to us as young disabled people that needs to stop and the greens will put a stop to it, moving them through

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to the workforce. We want to see the establishment of a 20% employment rate of disabled people in the federal public service by 2030 figure to be matched by the state and territory public services, so that there is a real possibility that you as a disabled

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person will be employed in delivering the public services that so often shape our lives, and we want to see a managed transition plan, away from segregated employment settings, such as abs, so that every disabled person either has the opportunity to be

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employed in the mainstream employment market or to be properly supported through income streams and Social Security benefit protections in w way we just had the, the unexpected closure of active industries here, and editorial ABA provider that pays its

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workers only, dollars on the hour for work than anybody else forget the minimum wage, and that is left 740, people that participate in those programs, completely abandoned shocked and unsure of where to go next, we need to make sure that that doesn't

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happen to any other families, or any other disabled people will they manage transition plan that retains people supports and that brings please through to the other element of the side of platform which is the need to increase the Disability Support Pension

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pension and to increase the DSP by at least $8 a day, so that nobody that is a disabled person has to struggle financially, or is condemned to live in poverty.

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We want to do all of these things while fixing the end is making access easier, giving the agency more employees to do their job and critically, in 2022, the greens are proposing that a time when our community rightly expects that they Minister for First

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Nations people is a First Nations person, and the Minister for women is a woman. The next Minister for disabilities should be a disabled person because nothing without us nothing about us without us must for the next three years, be at the center of everything

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that is done in the disability space.

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Hey perfectly the time I never do that. As I'm surprised myself happy to take your questions and looking forward to fleshing out more elements of the accessible Australia platform together.

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Awesome, thank you so much Mr john and good job was saying exactly I'm fine.

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I'm sorry. We're waiting a little bit for the honorable Bill Shorten to join us he'll be joining us a little bit later, but in the meantime we'll start the question and answer portion of the webinar.

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And so describe how we can do these questions and answers they're two different options that you have to ask your questions.

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If you look at the bottom of your screen.

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There is a button that says q amp a, so if you click that one, you will be able to type in your questions.

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If you prefer to answer your questions verbally, and you can use the raise hand function. That's also on the bottom of the screen, under way, it says more it's got three little dots, and then you should be able to raise your hand, and then we will call

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on you, and the side of stuff will unmute you, but they won't turn your video on but they will unmute you.

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And so we have a couple of questions coming through now but please feel free to either type them in the chat. We also have some pre, pre.

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We also have some pre submitted questions from young people online, and just reminder that because we really want to create a space for young people with disability to have their voices heard.

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We will be prioritizing questions from the disabled community and young disabled, attendees.

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So the first question. So I'll just read this off the screen, so this is for both senators do join and send it to us. So there has been some recent feedback, saying that the disability community is too angry to make change.

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How do you value the passion of the disability community.

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And how do you make sure that they are included in these changes.

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So I'll give you a minute to think about it I put you on the spot.

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Senator still john did you want to answer first. Absolutely.

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I think that we have been over the last three years, particularly rightly very angry as disabled people we campaign together.

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You know, if you want to jump back a decade, right, we, we were as disabled people suffering under I separated system of disability supports which will lead us down state based systems, and we came together disabled people our allies, family members to

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end that dynamic to deliver an MD is which would provide for support needs that would ensure that we got what we needed to live a good life, that would Center.

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Our goals, and our lived experience, and to respect the information that we gather and know about our disabilities about us, you know from health professionals that we work with and and all the rest of it.

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And we've seen many situations independent assessments is one of them but there have been many others where that those principles and that scheme has either been undermined, or actually just you know devalued.

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And then if you kind of match that with the cutting of people's plans. There are very many reasons to be to be angry and to be frustrated, but I've also seen cider, and many other organizations like cider.

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Actually, even though we're in a global pandemic and they're not been funded very well and all the things, just take a deep breath, and very calmly go.

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These are the things we need to do to fix the system.

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Like, very kind of collaboratively, and and that just doesn't get taken up. And I think that's why we need lived experience not only in the disability ministry but also across the decision making spaces.

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Because we as organizations and as individuals shouldn't be expected to continually have to advocate, tell our stories again and again and again and have nothing change because it falls into the ears of people that just don't get it, because they haven't

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lived it.

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I didn't I don't know how long I was allocated to, that's the, that's the answer. and I'll wait for K to take back their own case frozen.

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I don't know if I'm on maybe I can go wrong.

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I'm esk has frozen on Mary on the SEO side It's so lovely to see a senator, sorry, Bill.

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Bill Shorten will come to you in a moment.

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Mr Shorten to do your five minutes around what your plan is so sinister did you want to answer that question.

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I'm happy to you.

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I know we have talked about and I've certainly been someone who's raised, this is the splinters within the disability community but I guess when Jordan talks about the experience I certainly have that, more specifically with the autistic community.

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And I think that, over, over the years and I've been involved in community for over a decade. There has been some splits between it, which, when you start to come at a political advocacy when the community itself is already torn into, if not more pieces,

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it does make it very very difficult to be effective in your advocacy. And so there are times and certainly we discovered this during the autism inquiry of autistic autistic adults, and they've used towards parents of young autistic children and the therapy

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options that they wanted to undertake. And there was a lot of time and I've certainly experienced it and some of that has been directed towards my son in very very unnecessary and unkind and effectively quite disturbing ways.

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But what happens when that sort of behavior occurs, is it makes it very very difficult to effectively advocate on behalf of the community. And I think at the end of the day when it comes to the experience whether it is as a person with a disability or

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someone who loves and cares for someone with a disability, we agree on much more than we don't, and sometimes I think we do need to get better at putting those things aside, working out where we have a joint focus and joint interest in things moving forward.

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And I'm sure senator still john will back me up with the work that I did, personally, in stopping independent assessments going ahead and I mean even one of the newspapers reported when it came to those that have posted it was perhaps my advocacy, that

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was actually made the biggest impact because I stood up against my own government. And that's something that I've continued to do, and will continue to do so, but have always been supported very very strongly by the Prime Minister, and by the treasurer

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Josh fiber both of them were incredibly supportive and understanding when I raise the independent assessments issued with them, and actually backed me the whole way in my efforts to stop them from going ahead.

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But it is important as a community that we do understand there's lots of different parts of it there are parents there are carriers and there are those with the lived experience and sometimes they can be all three of those things, but we need to be able

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to bring our interests that I unified together and joy experience you know I understand that sometimes we're not going to agree on absolutely everything from everyone's different personal experience and point of view, but to not turn those into something

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divisive that can then be used as an opportunity by those, You know to dismiss any concerns because we can't agree on everything that hundred percent so I think there are things we can do better if we want to get better outcomes.

00:29:21.000 --> 00:29:39.000
Thank you to the two senators that was a fantastic answer to that question because the disability movement is a strong movement, and certainly appreciate the respect with which with which you both operate the KR facilitator has had a power outage and

00:29:39.000 --> 00:29:43.000
has been texting me so unfortunately I have to take over.

00:29:43.000 --> 00:29:50.000
I'd now like to introduce the honorable Bill Shorten who's joining us from the Australian like Patty.

00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:56.000
Many of you will know Bill and I hope it's okay I'll call you, Bill.

00:29:56.000 --> 00:30:16.000
From he's long involvement with the disability community but he convinced being involved in life party at university and, and also worked at a law firm Maurice Blackburn, and many of you will know Bill from when he was at the Australian Workers Union,

00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:22.000
and he has a strong passion for disability.

00:30:22.000 --> 00:30:38.000
He lives in Victoria in Melbourne with his wife Chloe and their three children. We won't hold it against him but he barracks for Collingwood and enjoy taking part in family, so I can see that case joined us and I'll hand the reins back to K once you've

00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:48.000
given your five minutes dress around what your party is going to be able to offer particularly young people with disability. Thanks, Bill.

00:30:48.000 --> 00:30:50.000
Hi everyone.

00:30:50.000 --> 00:31:01.000
First of all, I'm sure it's already happened but I acknowledge that wherever we are in Australia we're meeting on Aboriginal land, and I pay my respects to elder's past present and emerging and was and I'd like to give a shout out, Jordan, still john.

00:31:01.000 --> 00:31:12.000
And listen, I'd like to give a shout out to Jordan. Still john. He's a formidable and passionate and well informed advocate in the Senate, from the greens party.

00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:27.000
But when it comes to disability matters we've had more agreements and disagreements, and I always listen to what Jordan has to say.

00:31:27.000 --> 00:31:41.000
and perhaps if she'd been the Minister for the end is over the last few years that wouldn't be in the message in, but she wasn't, but I pay a lot of respect to Holly and I was listened very carefully to hurt.

00:31:41.000 --> 00:31:55.000
So it's great to be on the same zoom as all of the team labor's policy can be summarized in two words about India is and disability, restore trust.

00:31:55.000 --> 00:32:01.000
The problem is that the government, in my opinion hasn't managed the MDI as well.

00:32:01.000 --> 00:32:17.000
There have been the attempted independent assessments, which label was integral to opposing, and that came from a view that the end the ice is a great idea, but it's got off track, and that there's too much cost cutting.

00:32:17.000 --> 00:32:31.000
And that what's happened is that this game's not being well run and it's not being run in consultation with the empowerment of people with disability in a longer form view of how we will restore trust.

00:32:31.000 --> 00:32:34.000
we want to improve the planning process.

00:32:34.000 --> 00:32:41.000
Won't let the staff captured the agency, because we want more people working in the agency directly to know about disability.

00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:49.000
We want to increase the proportion of people with disability in the agency but also in the board and at the senior ranks.

00:32:49.000 --> 00:33:03.000
We want to tackle in the first hundred days if I was to be elected the first thing I've asked the agency to do is tell us how prepared we are for the next variant of covert, because for many people disability, the covert virus hasn't stopped, it's still

00:33:03.000 --> 00:33:16.000
a scary real issue, and I'm not sure that we're as prepared as we should be. The second thing I will asked to do on the first hundred days is why on earth are thousands of people being forced to go to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to get a modest

00:33:16.000 --> 00:33:18.000
package from the government.

00:33:18.000 --> 00:33:28.000
In fact tomorrow will be having a bit of a demonstration of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to draw attention to the fact that the government is currently spending $31 million.

00:33:28.000 --> 00:33:39.000
In the first eight months of this financial year. Fighting people disability in order to cut this game program benefits. I'm not saying that

00:33:39.000 --> 00:33:49.000
that every matter that the government's running is wrong, but I have no doubt that at the moment the government is targeting cutting packages of children with autism.

00:33:49.000 --> 00:33:54.000
And it's targeted people with soccer social conditions.

00:33:54.000 --> 00:34:07.000
The next thing I'll asked to do is find out why there's so many delays in terms of assistive technology applications. Also, we have home modifications.

00:34:07.000 --> 00:34:22.000
Indeed, what we want to do is put people with disability at the center of the game. So we would commit to revealing the actuarial data. So everyone's got the same facts we wouldn't play hide and seek with the public with K information.

00:34:22.000 --> 00:34:39.000
Furthermore, what we want to do is also make sure that by getting the initial plans right, we can do a better job overall. Perhaps the final thing I might say in my five minutes is one, one couple of things I want to eliminate from the current management

00:34:39.000 --> 00:34:50.000
of this game. One is the view that if you don't spend all your money in one year, the amount that you didn't spend this cat from the next year's package we want to eliminate that policy.

00:34:50.000 --> 00:34:53.000
We think that's just sends all the wrong signals.

00:34:53.000 --> 00:35:07.000
The other thing is, and I probably share this view Holly on this one, we want to bring the sector together, we don't view that carers of different people with disability service providers, we want everyone working together and that's the way that we will.

00:35:07.000 --> 00:35:17.000
If I get to be the minister I'll approach the whole India is, and perhaps finally finally, we want to make sure the India is is no longer just the oasis in the desert.

00:35:17.000 --> 00:35:32.000
So, I would regard my time as Minister friendly is to be an ambassador to make sure that people disability had better representation for the National Disability strategy, making sure that we are sit down with the stakes to improve transportation school

00:35:32.000 --> 00:35:51.000
access and a range of other measures which the NBA is shouldn't be asked to fix. Rather, it should just be a whole government approach. Anyway, thank you very much and thank you for listening to me.

00:35:51.000 --> 00:36:01.000
Okay.

00:36:01.000 --> 00:36:03.000
Mr. Johnson.

00:36:03.000 --> 00:36:06.000
Thank you for joining us.

00:36:06.000 --> 00:36:26.000
I'm so the next question come from a young person with disability is what commitments do your parties have to fund programs that build the confidence and the independence of young people with disability but we might start with Mr with Senator Hughes first.

00:36:26.000 --> 00:36:29.000
Hello.

00:36:29.000 --> 00:36:44.000
But so I've got a couple of programs here that will give you the funding dollars from but as I mentioned in my initial five minutes to you that we have announced funding for national autism strategy to ensure that that can be developed.

00:36:44.000 --> 00:36:52.000
And, you know, Hi Bill I hope feeling better from Harvard and Chloe managed to avoid it as well.

00:36:52.000 --> 00:37:04.000
But, you know, it was good to say that labor have supported that initiative as well because by labor and liberal both endorsing the million dollars to go towards the establishment of the national autism strategy means that that program regardless of what

00:37:04.000 --> 00:37:11.000
happens on Saturday night, we'll go ahead so that's very very good news for the autistic community.

00:37:11.000 --> 00:37:23.000
But there are a number of things that we have already announced that investments that are going to take place. And that does include the deliberate studies disability strategy which runs through to 2031.

00:37:23.000 --> 00:37:34.000
And that looks at how all governments provide supports and creates increase the ability and accessibility for all people with a disability. And again, you know what, same a unity ticket here.

00:37:34.000 --> 00:37:46.000
It's not always just about the federal government either. It does across many many levels of government and making sure that we're bringing them all together to ensure that people with a disability is supported across all aspects of their life.

00:37:46.000 --> 00:37:55.000
We did launch the disability Information Gateway which helped to streamline communication and make it easier for people with disability to navigate resources.

00:37:55.000 --> 00:38:10.000
We have important that you know improved employment opportunities by not launching the National Disability Employment strategy employee my ability. We've got more than $8 million in initiatives to deliver an accessible online job platform to attract people

00:38:10.000 --> 00:38:25.000
with a disability, internet mainstream employment but also support for employers and how they can better support those staff, and we do know through experience, you know, all of us I'm sure on this on this remaining webinar that, you know, sometimes it

00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:37.000
can be just a different type of lighting or the provision of acquired a space, I know the story of one young man that they used to have a team meeting where everyone is to sort of get up and say what they did on the weekend and that gave him such massive

00:38:37.000 --> 00:38:50.000
anxiety, never wanted to go into work so they just gave him an exclusion from doing that and it made such an incredible difference to his work experience so that's something that costs nothing but it's just about increasing awareness.

00:38:50.000 --> 00:39:05.000
We have over 100 million dollars in funding between this year and 2025, the national disability advocacy program and Andy is appeals program again I agree with build this too many he appeals going through.

00:39:05.000 --> 00:39:17.000
I've certainly been spending quite a bit of time speaking to the CEO, about some of these because we're seeing a lot of them, and this is where I do think it comes down to the agency it's not even really a government issue as opposed to being driven from

00:39:17.000 --> 00:39:33.000
inside the agency, some ideas or ideological objections to some forms of therapy which is creating barriers for particularly families with young children to access therapy programs that they won't show, and that's why they land in the IHD process, but

00:39:33.000 --> 00:39:46.000
we know also true that sometimes those those appeals have been settled the night before they're supposed to be heard. For the exact amount of money that parents were originally asking for so it doesn't need to be some improvements there lately agree with

00:39:46.000 --> 00:39:53.000
that because parents already going through enough they don't need to be going through that process to fight for what they believe is right for their child.

00:39:53.000 --> 00:40:10.000
We put $9 million in measures to address violence against women with a disability. And we've also invested $1.4 billion to form the current Disability Employment Services Program, and that's to ensure that we're delivering actual, economic, and employment

00:40:10.000 --> 00:40:21.000
outcomes for people with a disability. We don't want to step say some of these providers continued where they just put people with a disability through quite frankly often inappropriate courses.

00:40:21.000 --> 00:40:39.000
It's amazing how many people I speak to that have gone through the some providers that have just been put into a barista course. And then, no opportunities so there is some of the things that we've done very recently to support the community.

00:40:39.000 --> 00:40:47.000
Thank you, Santa he's the same question to send it to us dojo.

00:40:47.000 --> 00:40:57.000
Thanks. Okay. So there's a couple of, there's a bloody, great question. By the way, there's a couple of things that I would that would I would say that a particularly relevant.

00:40:57.000 --> 00:40:59.000
The greens have committed to.

00:40:59.000 --> 00:41:10.000
First of all, particularly in relation to the question of how do we build confidence right confidence is something that is built over time and often you need security to build it.

00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:28.000
So one of the things we are really committed to is, as I said earlier, increasing the, the DSP to at least $8 a day, and thereby kind of making a video on it.

00:41:28.000 --> 00:41:30.000
No. Yes.

00:41:30.000 --> 00:41:31.000
Yes. Excellent.

00:41:31.000 --> 00:41:51.000
So yeah, increasing the DSP, but also changing the way that you interact with it. So, in 2012, the labor minister Jenny Mac and brought in some critical changes to the DSP the introduction of the impairment tables, and that both forced about 200,000 disabled

00:41:51.000 --> 00:42:06.000
people off the end of the DSP and into what was their new start and also made it much more difficult to get on the DSP in the first place so we do away with those changes because we've heard so consistently how harmful they've been to people and that

00:42:06.000 --> 00:42:17.000
was confirmed by recent additional senate inquiry that we ran, then we'd also like to be on fixing that kind of certainty of the DSP.

00:42:17.000 --> 00:42:38.000
We've launched a proposed a pilot program to fund 10,000 Australian artists to receive a living wage for a year around about $800 a week, and I really heard very clearly from the community that wonderful intersection between disabled people, and the arts

00:42:38.000 --> 00:42:54.000
sector. And how many fabulous disabled artists, there are in Australia that actually want to get on and tell this story and share their perspective, you know with with the support to actually do that so I'm really excited to see the incredible artistic

00:42:54.000 --> 00:43:12.000
creations that will come from that initiative. We want to see the national peak bodies like cider funded with an additional $30 million over the next four years or so that they can do the incredibly important advocacy work.

00:43:12.000 --> 00:43:32.000
And for me, I think this all needs to be bound up in a commitment to an understanding of disability pride of the social model of disability, moving through to the affirmative model of disability and embedding disability pride in all of policy, and I'm

00:43:32.000 --> 00:43:48.000
really proud to say that the recent national conference the greens had before we kind of got into the election campaign period proper we committed to the principle of disability pride as a party and places at the center where disability policy and we're

00:43:48.000 --> 00:43:52.000
currently the way the first party to done that.

00:43:52.000 --> 00:43:56.000
Because in pride There is power and in power they will be change.

00:43:56.000 --> 00:44:05.000
So yeah, I think that's a really great step forward, or role for.

00:44:05.000 --> 00:44:14.000
Thank you Senator still john I'm Mr. Joe Sheldon I might ask you a new question. I'm just so we can get through some of the other audience questions.

00:44:14.000 --> 00:44:28.000
Too many young people with disability want to move out of the home and find out so much more, because then they're non disabled peers, some of the issues include a lack of suitable affordable and accessible housing and long waits for public housing and

00:44:28.000 --> 00:44:33.000
SCA, what can and should be done to address this issue.

00:44:33.000 --> 00:44:43.000
I was proposing to invest in social housing, so we want to increase stock. The reality is that being a private renter is very expensive.

00:44:43.000 --> 00:45:00.000
So one of the biggest things which drives up the cost of housing, and therefore rent is the lack of supply of housing, so we want to do that we want to build more social housing, and very briefly, just on the other two points.

00:45:00.000 --> 00:45:16.000
I would like if I become the minister. I'm going to ask every member of parliament to employ a person with a disability, and give young people the chance to do internships working with politicians so they get to see how politics work and hopefully more

00:45:16.000 --> 00:45:18.000
than get involved in politics.

00:45:18.000 --> 00:45:25.000
The other thing I want to do if I become the Minister for the nd is whilst it's education issue.

00:45:25.000 --> 00:45:38.000
I'm going to have a meeting of all the vocational education, people that's the people I've talked to kids about what they do after school when they finish school because I think it's about time we started getting a lot more imaginative about giving people,

00:45:38.000 --> 00:45:53.000
young people options for when they finish school. So I've just very cheekily gave to literal answers to the first question, but in doing so I gave you a brief but detailed answer to your question, which is, with build more social housing that will be

00:45:53.000 --> 00:45:57.000
a big help.

00:45:57.000 --> 00:45:58.000
Awesome.

00:45:58.000 --> 00:46:02.000
The other questions.

00:46:02.000 --> 00:46:19.000
The little thing I said I would convene a meeting about the real estate industry and the architects and the ministers in charge of planning to make sure that we start pushing better guidelines for universal access in housing.

00:46:19.000 --> 00:46:24.000
So the housing is appropriate for people with disability. So universal design.

00:46:24.000 --> 00:46:28.000
Thank you.

00:46:28.000 --> 00:46:38.000
The next question is, how will you improve the early support pension, so that there is more

00:46:38.000 --> 00:46:51.000
independent of work, but still receive vital support.

00:46:51.000 --> 00:47:01.000
And Senator it's Mary Cyrus they can hear the questions in the chat as well because I know that the sound was a little bit cut up.

00:47:01.000 --> 00:47:03.000
Would you like me to repeat the question.

00:47:03.000 --> 00:47:05.000
Yeah. Have I got sound.

00:47:05.000 --> 00:47:07.000
You do.

00:47:07.000 --> 00:47:21.000
Yeah, I couldn't get the question, sorry. Okay, so the question was sorry k cut out. How will you improve the disability support pension. So there is more flexibility for people with disability to have freedom and independence of working, where possible,

00:47:21.000 --> 00:47:24.000
but still receive vital support.

00:47:24.000 --> 00:47:31.000
And this is one of the discussions I've had with and rusted and we've also had with the format secretary.

00:47:31.000 --> 00:47:35.000
Catherine now I've got a blank on Catherine, said I, she's moved on.

00:47:35.000 --> 00:47:48.000
But we did have a discussion about it because one of the things that does concern me about the day is pay which I think there has been some movement that probably needs to be a little bit more is like as I said I've got an autistic staff working in my

00:47:48.000 --> 00:47:50.000
office he's been with me three years.

00:47:50.000 --> 00:48:04.000
But one of the restrictions has been about the number of hours that you work before your disability support pension was cut and working with some of the employer legged employment agencies if you like private employment agencies in the sector that have

00:48:04.000 --> 00:48:12.000
been supporting particularly autistic people getting into work around the cyber space.

00:48:12.000 --> 00:48:24.000
They were finding there was a reluctance for some of the staff to take on more hours, even though they were more than able to work more hours because of their concerns of losing their DSP.

00:48:24.000 --> 00:48:35.000
And the thing about that is that, you know, I don't want to lose it because quite often. It's young men living at home with their moms, and it's a vital part of their household budget.

00:48:35.000 --> 00:48:49.000
But, could they work more hours, but, you know, some of these cyber companies startups, etc. So it was to shut down and no fault of their own and take them a little while to get the job back or another job.

00:48:49.000 --> 00:49:02.000
They should have the ability to move on and off the DSP in relation to their hours and it's something that we've certainly discussed it was certainly something that was very well received in that discussion.

00:49:02.000 --> 00:49:14.000
So I'm not going to give you any answers on numbers of hours because I'm actually not sure where they lay I'm pretty sure we did change them but I'm sure we could, you know, we need to look at maybe doing a little bit better.

00:49:14.000 --> 00:49:16.000
But at the end of the day it is.

00:49:16.000 --> 00:49:31.000
In a lot of cases, it would be nice to say it as a safety net rather than something that people rely on because I think the focus should be on it supporting people to get into employment, because it's not only economic benefits that they receive, but

00:49:31.000 --> 00:49:41.000
it is that social engagement is that confidence boost it is so much better for their mental health, to get up and go to work and have that inclusion in society.

00:49:41.000 --> 00:49:51.000
So, certainly, from my point of view, I would like to say the DSP becomes something that is a safety net that he's there for those with a disability that require it.

00:49:51.000 --> 00:50:07.000
We do know that there is some people that your work is going to be a little bit out of their realm of what they can and can't do, at times, sometimes consistently that sometimes intermittently in their life, but we do need to provide that flexibility,

00:50:07.000 --> 00:50:16.000
but I do like I would like to say to focus on getting as many people as possible into those workplace opportunities.

00:50:16.000 --> 00:50:19.000
Thanks for the name so hand back to Kenya case back.

00:50:19.000 --> 00:50:35.000
Cave back. Sorry, the days of construction around my house, put into that keeps cutting out but we have a question specifically for senator Stephen john as an avid activists, for people with disabilities.

00:50:35.000 --> 00:50:46.000
What precautions Do you take to ensure all disabled voices are elevated invisible disabilities, etc. to detract from the conventional stereotypes surrounding legitimacy of disability.

00:50:46.000 --> 00:50:51.000
Ah, that's a that's a that is an excellent question.

00:50:51.000 --> 00:51:09.000
Because I think he's worth acknowledging that in some ways, like I, I'm a, I'm a very proud disabled person and I'm really proud of the work that the me and the team do in the, in the, in the space in the disability advocacy space but I'm also really

00:51:09.000 --> 00:51:15.000
conscious that as somebody that is, you know, physically disabled.

00:51:15.000 --> 00:51:20.000
And, you know, I've got cerebral palsy.

00:51:20.000 --> 00:51:33.000
And also, you know, as a, as a bloke I I carry a hell of a lot of privilege with me into the spaces that I work in, regardless of whether I'm a disabled person or not.

00:51:33.000 --> 00:51:47.000
And the perspective that I have as a disabled person is is the both the just the perspective of my particular experience in, in some ways, and also that I've been physically disabled person.

00:51:47.000 --> 00:51:53.000
And so, in the work that we have done over the last four years.

00:51:53.000 --> 00:52:06.000
Because I'm conscious of that I've both built a team around me, including people that work in my office that I, you know, proudly disabled women, and that bring that perspective in the work that they do.

00:52:06.000 --> 00:52:27.000
And I've also worked to ensure that I am the entire team continually consciously upscale ourselves in the knowledge of the perspective of autistic folks of what it means to, to, to really champion neuro diversity and to ensure that the disability pride

00:52:27.000 --> 00:52:32.000
in both spaces is centered in the work that we do.

00:52:32.000 --> 00:52:39.000
To do the same in relation to people that are intellectually or cognitively disabled folks.

00:52:39.000 --> 00:53:01.000
And, and to push back on this idea that the disability looks or sounds a certain way, you know, and to ensure that we are talking about invisible disabilities chronic illnesses and chronic diseases experiences of people with me of my object encephalitis

00:53:01.000 --> 00:53:18.000
and these disabilities and impairments parts of our community that are often subject to kind of multiple overlays of stigma, whether it be able ism or other forms of stigma in society.

00:53:18.000 --> 00:53:37.000
And also, to talk about a lateral label ism, and to kind of facilitate conversations is to be conscious in our work of the role that Abel is in place first in shaping the self conception, and you actually have to liberate yourself from able ism first

00:53:37.000 --> 00:53:55.000
and folks with the now disability community are also capable of being, you know, able is towards other members of our community because of the insidious and corrosive nature of able ism and so we actually have a workshop that we've run a bunch of times,

00:53:55.000 --> 00:54:13.000
which was kind of CO delivered and created by reality check by Who's that one of the disabled women that works in my office that talks about disability pride and as it kind of talks about disability pride first exposed What does spent these social model

00:54:13.000 --> 00:54:28.000
model medical model formative model, and then unpacked Avon ism both internalized lateral and and systemic and kind of build all of those things together in a clear picture so that's the work you've got to do.

00:54:28.000 --> 00:54:45.000
I think to do to do well, and to know that you know as important as it is to speak, sometimes it's also about shutting up and and elevating others to speak which I will do now, since over time.

00:54:45.000 --> 00:54:48.000
Thank you. Just

00:54:48.000 --> 00:55:02.000
a quick form is chosen. What will your party do to stop the end is essentially oasis in the desert and show the oldest say when people are able to access the support that they need.

00:55:02.000 --> 00:55:09.000
Why view the end is and I was involved with at the very outset of putting up the idea.

00:55:09.000 --> 00:55:18.000
I never viewed it as the only proposition for disability empowerment in Australia.

00:55:18.000 --> 00:55:25.000
But when I came into politics. I'd seen a lot of unfair trade. The trade union rep organizing workers.

00:55:25.000 --> 00:55:34.000
But I was stunned by the systemic second class treatment of so many Australians living with a disability and the people who love that.

00:55:34.000 --> 00:55:41.000
So I my diagnosis of the challenge or the problem was is not disability it's a lack of money and a lack of power.

00:55:41.000 --> 00:55:51.000
And I thought that if we could create a, an India is what we do as a mass significant capital and coin.

00:55:51.000 --> 00:56:01.000
Create a cent or a flagship or a castle for disability. And from there we could run them out and create greatest support for disability more generally.

00:56:01.000 --> 00:56:13.000
Whilst I acknowledge Jordans, you know I listened to Jordan very carefully and he's always credibly educated as well as everything else, and Holly is very passionate and smart.

00:56:13.000 --> 00:56:23.000
I don't think the grains aren't going to be the government and the liberals have been in government, and despite Holly's best efforts, the liberals have mismanaged the scheme.

00:56:23.000 --> 00:56:35.000
So what I want to do is to use the opportunity to be in the US minister to sit down with the states and say hey, let's lift the performance and support for people with disability in the schools.

00:56:35.000 --> 00:56:44.000
I want to bring in the private sector and though you know the property people in the real estate agents and say what are you doing to provide universal design.

00:56:44.000 --> 00:56:50.000
I want the opportunity to sit down with a common public service and say what are you doing to employ people disability.

00:56:50.000 --> 00:57:01.000
I think there is a legitimate debate about lifting the amount of income people on the Disability Support Pension can get before they risk their health card and their pension.

00:57:01.000 --> 00:57:15.000
I want to sit down with the Paralympians for example and say how do we get you being even better role models and give you the voice to, to help, not people just not just people with disabilities hoping Aspire, but help educate every Australians who are

00:57:15.000 --> 00:57:28.000
unaware of disability that it is a fact of life and you shouldn't govern the way you view people or treat people. So I'm very excited.

00:57:28.000 --> 00:57:37.00