Vision Australia client advocates and staff have successfully met with key figures from the three major parties in the lead up to the 2015 NSW state election.
The Minister for Disability Services and for Ageing, the Hon John Ajaka, MLC; the Shadow Minister for Ageing and Disability Services, the Hon Linda Burney MP; and Dr John Kaye, MLC, leader of the NSW Greens Party, all listened intently to the personal experiences conveyed by our team of advocates.
“These lived experiences are the most powerful way of demonstrating the daily challenges faced by people who are blind or have low vision” said Michael Simpson, NSW General Manager.
“They give meaning to the Vision Australia Election Priorities that are far reaching, and well beyond anything that can be communicated with mere words on paper” he declared.
Each party representative began by explaining the central tenets of their respective Disability Inclusion policies. Vision Australia Advocates then followed with their own personal stories, to illustrate key themes reflecting the Vision Australia 2015 NSW Election Priorities.
Our team of client advocates included Gabi Ringger, Sue-Ann Hanson, Coral Arnold, Rowena Dowling, Katie Brooks and Susan Thompson. Their stories highlighted issues associated with completing education qualifications, gaining and retaining meaningful employment, getting around and accessing information.
The Greens NSW Party was the first to react to the Vision Australia Election Priorities document, submitting their official response ahead of the event. The Baird Government and NSW Labor Party both responded within days of their meetings with the client advocates, highlighting their work and plans to address the key issues identified in our Election Priorities.
Vision Australia volunteer and advocate, Katie Brooks, has produced a segment sourcing material from the Travelling Visionaries event for the Razor’s Edge program featured on 2SER, Sydney community radio. Katie has focused on the issues of Education and Public Transport, quoting both the client advocates and Dr John Kaye, MLC, of the NSW Greens Party. A longer story is also scheduled to air on Talking Vision this Wednesday, 25 March.
Vision Australia’s advocacy activity during the NSW election aims to improve key areas of concern for our clients and the blindness and low vision community who number around 118,000 in this state.
Read the NSW Party Responses:
To learn more about the Vision Australia's NSW Election Priorities 2015 download the PDF document.
- Read more about registering for iVote and download our FAQ
- Listen to the Razor’s Edge segment, featuring our Travelling Visionaries, on 2SER here.
For further information please contact the Government Relations team at: [email protected].