90 Second Statement – Ability Ball

MR PITT (Hinkler) (13:46): It is with great pleasure that I rise to speak about last Friday night’s Ability Ball in Bundaberg. The Ability Ball is a formal night for clients of local disability support organisation Community Lifestyle Support. A smashing success in previous years, the Ability Ball sold out very quickly again this year. I would like to thank the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, for providing a special message for the evening. The Prime Minister acknowledged the assistance Community Lifestyle Support provides to individuals with a disability and their families. Their hard work makes a real difference to peoples’ lives. I must say it has been some time since I have been in a room with so many Elvis impersonators. The show attracted a large number of clients to the stage, demonstrating their dance moves: the moonwalk, the sprinkler and many other favourites. We literally had to move the front tables out of the way to allow more access to the dance floor.

Last month I also presented the Endeavour Foundation with a new Australian flag. Service Development and Innovation Manager Lynn Quirk showed me around the centre and informed me that Bundaberg has the highest rate of disability in Queensland, at 8.2 per cent. I left both events inspired by the clients and the staff, especially Mark Searle, the flag raiser at Endeavour. It is organisations like these that help remind us of our duty to the electorate and the work we still have to do for so many. The government shares their vision of empowering people with disabilities. That is why we are committed to delivering the National Disability Insurance Scheme.