Post by Banker on Jan 23, 2013 5:40:38 GMT 7
Paralympic triple gold medallist Kurt Fearnley has made an impassioned plea for Australia to end the inequality suffered by people with disabilities.
In an Australia Day speech last night in Sydney, Fearnley also urged politicians to stop bickering over who will pay for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Fearnley said Australia must do something to lessen the struggles faced by people living with a disability.
"If you have a disability in our country you are more likely to be unemployed, more likely to be living in poverty and more likely to be less educated than if you don't have a disability," he said.
"Our system is broken. We aren't doing enough."
Quoting "damning" figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Fearnley pressed his message that something must be done to remove inequality.
"Too easily we're overlooked and ignored. Too often the story of disability is told through unemployment and poverty," he said.
"In Australia 45 per cent of people with a disability live in or near poverty - more than double the OECD average of 22 per cent.
"We rank 21st out of 29 of the OECD in employment participation for people with a disability.
"We rank 27th out of 27 - last - in terms for the correlation between disability and poverty."
'Pride has no price tag'
The NDIS will soon start on a trial basis in some areas of New South Wales.
Fearnley says while the scheme is not a "silver bullet", it is vital and and needs broad government and community support.
"When the question is raised on how do we will handle the financial burden of the NDIS we have to ask: how can we function as a light to those around the world when we continually fail to provide the support and services needed to those who need it most within our communities?" he said.
"For me pride in a socially just country has no price tag."
NSW Australian of the Year and finalist for Australian of the Year, Ita Buttrose, was among the audience.
She said she has "always admired" Fearnley.
"I think he reminds us that there's a lot more we need to do for people with disabilities," she said.
"You can't just talk about it; you actually have to do something positive about it.
"The community attitudes to people with disabilities needs to alter."
au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/latest/15926519/fearnley-highlights-damning-disability-inequality/
In an Australia Day speech last night in Sydney, Fearnley also urged politicians to stop bickering over who will pay for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Fearnley said Australia must do something to lessen the struggles faced by people living with a disability.
"If you have a disability in our country you are more likely to be unemployed, more likely to be living in poverty and more likely to be less educated than if you don't have a disability," he said.
"Our system is broken. We aren't doing enough."
Quoting "damning" figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Fearnley pressed his message that something must be done to remove inequality.
"Too easily we're overlooked and ignored. Too often the story of disability is told through unemployment and poverty," he said.
"In Australia 45 per cent of people with a disability live in or near poverty - more than double the OECD average of 22 per cent.
"We rank 21st out of 29 of the OECD in employment participation for people with a disability.
"We rank 27th out of 27 - last - in terms for the correlation between disability and poverty."
'Pride has no price tag'
The NDIS will soon start on a trial basis in some areas of New South Wales.
Fearnley says while the scheme is not a "silver bullet", it is vital and and needs broad government and community support.
"When the question is raised on how do we will handle the financial burden of the NDIS we have to ask: how can we function as a light to those around the world when we continually fail to provide the support and services needed to those who need it most within our communities?" he said.
"For me pride in a socially just country has no price tag."
NSW Australian of the Year and finalist for Australian of the Year, Ita Buttrose, was among the audience.
She said she has "always admired" Fearnley.
"I think he reminds us that there's a lot more we need to do for people with disabilities," she said.
"You can't just talk about it; you actually have to do something positive about it.
"The community attitudes to people with disabilities needs to alter."
au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/latest/15926519/fearnley-highlights-damning-disability-inequality/
