Thursday, 24 September 2015
Disappointingly, the Barr government has not supported the Canberra Liberals move to allow AUSLAN interpreters onto the Assembly floor without special permission today, Member for Brindabella Nicole Lawder said today.
“The Barr government chose not to support my motion to allow Auslan interpreters. It’s a simple and logical change to Assembly rules, paving the way for Deaf people to access information from the Assembly. It could have been dealt with today,” Ms Lawder said.
“Instead of supporting this move the government has referred the amendment to standing orders to the Admin and Procedure Committee. I can’t understand why the Barr government wouldn’t want to support information access for Deaf people in Canberra immediately.
“I hope Andrew Barr examines his conscience on this issue. I understand the difficulties Deaf people face in accessing information on a daily basis. Allowing Auslan interpreters into the Assembly would have been a simple move and the government should have supported it today,” Ms Lawder concluded.
Contact: Joe Prevedello 0402768432
Thursday, 24 September 2015
Today Member for Brindabella Nicole Lawder will move to make the Legislative Assembly’s proceedings more accessible for Deaf Canberrans.
“Today I will move an amendment to the Legislative Assembly’s standing orders which will allow Auslan interpreters onto the floor of the Assembly when it’s in session. Currently special permission needs to be sought to allow an interpreter,” Ms Lawder said today.
“I’ve been advocating for better access for Deaf and hearing impaired people and allowing interpreters onto the floor is a step in the right direction. An Auslan interpreter would be particularly important during emergency situations.
“I employ a Deaf person in my office and understand the communication barriers they face day to day. As an Assembly we need to lead by example.
“In International Week of the Deaf this change is especially relevant.
“I look forward to the government’s support for this simple and logical change to allow Auslan interpreters onto the floor of the Assembly and hope it leads to better information accessibility for Deaf people,” Ms Lawder concluded.
Contact: Joe Prevedello 0402768432
Media Release Tuesday 15 September 2015
Adopting children in the ACT is unnecessarily onerous and the process needs
to be made faster and more streamlined, Shadow Minister for Family and
Community Services Nicole Lawder said today.
“There are concerns in the community about how long it takes to adopt a child in the
ACT and the Barr government needs to recognise there’s a problem. There were
only 17 adoptions in 2013-14, including only seven local adoptions,” Ms Lawder said.
“Once the Community Services Directorate (CSD) facilitates an application for an
adoption order, which takes on average 18 months, the order then needs to go
before a judge in the courts system.
“Because of the backlog of civil cases in the courts, adoption orders are delayed. It’s
been reported that one family has waited six years for an adoption order to be made.
The government needs to take immediate action and reduce the backlog of civil
cases.
“$39 million is currently being spent on the Out of Home Care Strategy, which
historically has failed to provide the emotional stability and permanency that children
need.
“Adoption has enormous benefits for families and children involved. The Barr
government needs to understand this and focus on making the process easier in the
ACT,” Ms Lawder concluded.
Contact: Joe Prevedello 0402768432
Canberra Times Media Release Sunday 20 September 2015
Media Release Thursday 10 September 2015
The government has yet another opportunity to learn from the mistakes of the
Conder Early Learning Centre’s incident where unsupervised children
swallowed sleeping tablets, Shadow Minister for Family and Community
Services Nicole Lawder said today.
“A compliance notice issued regarding the incident in July highlighted a number of
serious failures,” Ms Lawder said.
- A child was released into the care of a person without written authorisation to
collect the child.
- Medication was not stored according to centre policy.
- The notice also stated – Child enrolment forms have not been updated
regularly to incorporate new health information or authorisations.
“Parents will be pleased that the inquiry is completed although it is unfortunate that
procedures were not adequately followed in this case. The incident was frightening
for all involved and the outcomes could have been much worse.
“The ACT Childcare regulator must keep on top of these issues and ensure
compliance activities are undertaken in a timely manner. This is another
unacceptable incident for the ACT Education Minister Joy Burch to learn from.
“Parents place their trust in childcare on a daily basis. It’s imperative that everything
possible is done to ensure a safe environment for children,” Ms Lawder concluded.
Contact: Joe Prevedello 0402768432
Authorised by Nicole Lawder, Canberra Liberals, 4/50 Geils Court Deakin ACT 2600