I am offering the people of Deakin something a bit different to your normal candidate this election – a set of life skills and experience currently absent in our parliament.
At the age of 20, I was declared legally blind. If elected on July 2, I will become the first blind member of parliament in Australian history.
This is just one example that shows how we need to stop talking about equal opportunity but actually do something about it.
I want to make it clear that I am not running because I have a disability. I am running because I believe I can do the job, and do it well.
"I have been able to advocate for myself, something so many people cannot do through no fault of their own."
Strong community support and friendship combined with hard work have given me the opportunity to succeed in my professional life, give back to the community and most importantly, raise a family.
With a positive, confident and independent attitude, I have been able to advocate for myself, something so many people cannot do through no fault of their own.
The reality is, that for people like me, the bar is so much higher. Stereotypes and fear can stand in the way of embracing the true social and economic power that people with disabilities bring to our country.
Sadly, this potential will never be reached with a Liberal Government.
"Australia prides itself on its diversity, but we are falling well short of the mark when it comes to providing equal opportunity for disabled people."
It is heartening on the other hand to look overseas, where blind Cabinet Members have been elected in the United Kingdom and blind Governors and physically disabled federal Senators elected in the United States. American federal members are also entitled to employ a person with a disability in addition to their electoral staff entitlement.
Australia prides itself on its diversity, but we are falling well short of the mark when it comes to providing equal opportunity for disabled people.
It spoke volumes when the Abbott Government sacked the Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes.
According to the Productivity Commission, implementing the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will generate an additional $13 billion of productivity above the cost of the service. To achieve this, we need insight, we need vision and we need to change the status quo.
Unless we have a strong voice and real leadership in this space, we will be in danger of not fulfilling our true potential. Sadly, the Liberals only view the NDIS through a cost lens, not as an investment. It is seen as a replacement and not the revolutionary transformation that it really is.
Until now, people with a disability have been funded and told how to use it. Thanks to the NDIS, people with a disability will receive their funding and can now decide where and how to spend it.
"Disabled Australians are still being left behind. It’s time for change."
This fundamental shift moves people with a disability away from being a cost to being a valuable and productive member of society. This is the culture shift we need and it should flow right through our whole system including education and employment.
So much has been said about businesses employing more people, but disabled Australians are still being left behind. It’s time for change.
We need new leadership to ensure we lift the number of disabled people in our workforce and recognise the value inclusion can foster in our community.
Building a fairer and more diverse Australia will benefit us all.
Tony Clark is the Labor candidate for Deakin in Victoria.
