SpeakOut_August2015_web1

BRANCH NEWS SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Clockwise from left: Gail Mulcair, Tim Kittel, Diana Bleby, Gaenor Dixon, Jenny Moody and Hon. Kelly Vincent.

SPA goes inside South Australia’s parliament

POLITICIANS ARE PEOPLE, just like the rest of us, and sometimes opportunities can arise whether its by formally presenting them with a strong strategic agenda, or just by chancing upon them in a more relaxed context. The South Australian Branch has a well-established relationship with Kelly Vincent, Dignity for Disability MLC. Ironically, the fact that this article is being written on the eve of major advocacy changes being put in place for our court system for victims and perpetrators with language and intellectual needs demonstrates Kelly’s work and passion for supporting the disability population. Thanks to Kelly, a few weeks ago, the SA Branch managed to secure a cross parliamentary lunchtime forum where members of Speech Pathology Australia, both local and national,

talked about the Federal Senate Inquiry and what it meant for South Australia. Arranging this meeting was no small feat, but it all came about as the result of a very opportune casual encounter. During 2014, the year of the International Communication Project, 'communication champion' Diana Bleby (Lobbying and Influencing committee member) met with a number of politicians, including Kelly; and a promise, by a different MLC, was made to host a cross parliamentary forum. Diana was asked to wait until after the election but even then, follow up emails led to nothing. Diana then “bumped into” Kelly in the main street of Adelaide on a non-working day and Kelly said, “hey, we need to catch up!” A meeting time was made, the failed cross-parliamentary forum was brought up in this meeting, and Kelly said, “right – I will organise one”, and she did.

32

Speak Out August 2015

Speech Pathology Australia