Today is the International Day of People with Disability.

The theme for this year's special day isPromoting the participation of persons with disabilities and their leadership: taking action on the 2030 Development Agenda. According to the United Nations, 2019s theme focuses on the empowerment of persons with disabilities for inclusive, equitable and sustainable development as envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which pledges to leave no one behind and recognizes disability as a cross-cutting issues, to be considered in the implementation of its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

My Labor colleague Penny Sharpe MLC has written to NSW Legislative Council President The Hon John Ajaka and Speaker Jonathan ODea to urge them to undertake a full accessibility and inclusion audit of the NSW Parliament to develop a plan of works to make NSW Parliament the most accessible and inclusive building in NSW.

I join Penny in this call for an audit to include:


All physical accessibility elements of the building;
A review of the parliamentary website to build in best practice accessibility technology;
Training for staff about working with people with disability.


Penny said,The UN International Day of People with Disabilities has occurred every year on December 3 rd for the past 27years. NSW Parliament House should be the most accessible and inclusive building in the state. What is clear is that it is not. People with disability have the answers, its time to listen and take action.

Penny has also made a video with another Labor colleague, Liesl Tesch MP, Member for Gosford about some of the frustrations that Liesl hashad as the first wheelchair user elected to the NSW Parliament.



Liesl said, Wouldnt you have thought on the first day, that I would have access to my own workplace. Ive had meeting, after meeting, after meeting, written all these letters and weve still got a long way to go. If were going to be really inclusive in NSW, we have to make some changes."

Please watch the video.



Today I am pleased to be able to thank all those who work for full accessibility and inclusion in our local community.



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