Page 817 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 20 March 2019

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Language barriers are but one factor, and it is not just a matter of simple translation services. The intricacies of an area of service delivery as complex as disability requires more than straightforward translation. A disproportionately high number of people from the CALD community face technological barriers. Where sometimes we take our immediate access to information and services online for granted, it is not the same for many of our multicultural community, particularly for our ageing CALD community.

The cultural barriers which require culturally sensitive and appropriate understanding come with training and listening, all requiring resources to be able to have someone dedicated to spending the time to ensure that every one of our CALD community members living with a disability has the culturally appropriate support they need.

My parents came to Australia as a married couple in their 30s with young children. They had no English, and it was difficult navigating the language barriers, the cultural barriers, the challenges of finding a place to live, enrolling us in primary school, learning English and finding a job just to make ends meet. That in itself was hard enough, but imagine if my father, my mother, my sister—I had only one then—or I had or acquired a disability.

If there was such a position as a specialist CALD advocate available for people in the multicultural community who have high needs and require the appropriate care, knowledge, skill and understanding of cultural sensitivities and the needs as well as specialist knowledge in disability services, it would make that journey just a little bit easier. A CALD disability advocate would be in a position to discuss the needs of a particular family and engage on a cultural level with a family to ensure the best outcome for that person, that family and the entire community.

I stress that this grants program would not be the be-all and end-all of access issues for CALD people with a disability. But it is important that the ACT government, which serves the entire community, does its part to maximise access to and literally speak the language of those in need. The ACT should not shirk its responsibility to provide a vital bridge between the two worlds of both culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and the ever more complicated world of the disability sector. I commend my motion to the Assembly.

MS STEPHEN-SMITH (Kurrajong—Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Minister for Disability, Minister for Children, Youth and Families, Minister for Employment and Workplace Safety, Minister for Government Services and Procurement, Minister for Urban Renewal) (11.32): I thank Ms Lee for the opportunity to talk about the importance of supporting people with disability from culturally and linguistically diverse, or CALD, backgrounds. I also thank her for reflecting on a number of the NDIS issues that the ACT government has repeatedly raised and lobbied the federal Liberal government about.

The ACT government is committed to building an inclusive city where everyone can fulfil their potential and fully participate in the civic life of our community, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, disability or socioeconomic status. We understand that


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