Companion Card Launch (November 2003)
Minister Garbutt's Speech at the launch of the Companion Card
A speech by The Hon Sherryl Garbutt MP, Minister for Community Services.
Friday 14 November 2003,
Vodafone Arena .
Welcome
At the speakers table:
- Terry Laidler;
- Betty Cuthbert, OAM (Order of Australia Medal), MBE (Member of the British Empire), and her companion Rhonda Gillam;
- Tim Bamford, General Manager Operations, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Australian Grand Prix Corporation;
- Vince Pirrotina and his companion Elizabeth Morrison;
- Mr Hong Lim MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Victorian Communities and for Volunteers.
In the Audience:
- Dr Di Sisely, Chief Executive, Victorian Equal Opportunity Commission, who will be arriving shortly;
- Companion Card Affiliates;
- Some Companion Card Holders and some of their companions;
- I would like to acknowledge and pay my respects to the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which we are gathered here today - the people of the Kulin Nation.
Welcome to this gathering to celebrate the launch of the Companion Card.
It is wonderful to see so many leading public figures here to lend support to this launch.
Policy Framework/ Vision
The development of the Companion Card represents the fulfilment
of one of the key commitments of the Victorian Government.
As I am sure many of you would already know, the State Disability Plan
is the Government’s major policy framework for driving that commitment.
The State Plan is based on the very simple and compelling notion that building a better community for people with disabilities is everybody’s business.
For the government’s part in meeting that commitment we have already done a great deal since we came to office four years ago. We have increased funding for services to people with a disability by over $270 million – around 48%. We are investing in more services, and better services, and in strengthening the capacity of the whole of the community to be more relevant and accessible to people with a disability.
And so it is exciting to be here today to launch an initiative that does something to further capture that notion – an initiative where many different sectors of the community have come together, have worked together, and have produced a result that is really going to make a difference for people with disabilities, and that is really going to promote people’s rights to participation.
Inclusion and Participation
The right to participate equally is something that is not only government policy. It is also the law. It is important to understand that anti-discrimination law is not just about treating everyone the same. It is also about making changes or adjustments where someone needs this because of their disability. This is what the Companion Card does. It recognises that some people, because of their disability, will require a companion to accompany them to certain events. If a person needs this because of their disability, they shouldn’t have to pay for it. The Companion Card ensures that the person’s companion is admitted without charge.
In other words, the Companion Card helps to ensure that people with a disability are able to participate more equally in the life of the community – it’s another way that we, as a society, are working towards meeting our obligations to overcome discrimination against people with disabilities.
This is something that many organisations are already doing, and have been doing for quite some time, even without the Companion Card.
But the problem they face every day, is how to determine who legitimately needs a companion and who doesn’t. This puts organisations and people with less visible disabilities in particular, such as people with mental illness or an Acquired Brain Injury, in a difficult position.
From today, people with a disability who are a part of this program, will be able to demonstrate their need for a companion by simply presenting their Companion Card.
The Companion Card concept is well summed up by the promotional material you would have seen in the foyer: “Easy and Fair”.
The card makes it easy for some people to demonstrate their need for a companion, and easy for organisations to know who should have companions admitted without charge.
The card enables fair ticketing practices, and makes it easier for organisations to comply with some of their existing obligations under anti-discrimination legislation.
Partnerships
It is important to recognise where the Companion Card has come from. For some of you it probably feels like a long journey.
There have been many people involved, ever since the idea was first raised by VICNORD, the Victorian Network on Recreation and Disability, in 1997.
Since then we have seen:
- the involvement of the City of Melbourne, through their initial seeding grant in 1999;
- funding from Sport and Recreation Victoria in 2000 to further develop the concept;
- more funding to the Department of Human Services from the Community Support Fund in 2002, to bring the program to the stage where it was ready to implement;
- the formation of an Implementation Reference Group, chaired by Dr Di Sisely of the Equal Opportunity Commission, to help develop the policies and procedures for the Card;
- and then the involvement of a huge range of people with disabilities and various venue and events operators in a pilot of the program over the past few months.
I want to thank all of the people who have been involved in getting us to where we are today.
I’d particularly like to mention the work of David Craig who, as the then Executive Officer of VICNORD, played a vital role in getting things started.
I would also like to thank Mr Hong Lim MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Victorian Communities and for Volunteers, who is here representing the Minister for Victorian Communities, for the assistance of the Community Support Fund in implementing the Companion Card.
This year alone our Government is investing $190 Million through the Community Support Fund, to support hundreds of excellent projects to strengthen communities across Victoria.
As I say, this initiative has been the work of a huge range of people.
But that’s how it should be – this is a program that is
about partnerships: people with disabilities, government, community
and industry all working together.
This launch of the Companion Card shows what can be achieved by the
combination of a good idea, hard working people in the community, persistence,
and a Government that listens.
Highlights
I am proud to be the Minister launching the first statewide program of this type anywhere in Australia.
Victoria is once again leading the way.
We have tried to make sure that the program is accessible and available wherever it needs to be. Information is available in 14 community languages, in a range of formats, including Braille, Audio tape, Easy English, recorded telephone information, and the Web.
There have already been some tremendous stories about the impact the Companion Card is going to have. Venue and events operators are already seeing how useful it is, and I am hopeful that it will become more and more the norm for organisations to sign up to it. Indeed, I urge funding bodies and event organisers to make acceptance of the Companion Card a condition of funding, or hiring a venue.
I would like to thank the many organisations that have publicly declared their support for the Companion Card by affiliating to date, including those you see displayed in the foyer today:
- The Melbourne Grand Prix;
- Tennis Australia;
- The Victorian Arts Centre;
- The Australian Football League;
- The Melbourne Cricket Ground.
It is wonderful to see such important events and institutions in Victoria leading the way to fairer ticketing.
Other major affiliates include various Festivals, Sports Centres, Cinemas, Racing Clubs and Local Councils across rural and regional Victoria, and metropolitan Melbourne.
The real success of the Companion Card will be when every organisation and venue that charges for admission, recognises the card. I am confident that we are already well on the way to that goal.
Conclusion
Today, then, marks a significant step in the path to full inclusion for people with a disability.
It marks the launch of a program to allow people to realise their rights to participation and fair ticketing.
The Companion Card is much more than a card program; it is a tool for inclusion, and a tool for citizenship for people with a disability in Victoria.
I now take great pride in officially launching the Companion Card.
Thank You.
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