Speeches

Senator WRIGHT (South Australia) (13:04): It is with real pride that I rise to speak in support of the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Fair Protection for Firefighters) Bill 2011, which was initiated by my lower house Greens colleague, Adam Bandt. I also note that in a spirit of goodwill and collaboration it was co-sponsored by a member of the government, Ms Vamvakinou, and a member of the opposition, Mr Broadbent.

Senator WRIGHT (South Australia) (13:25):  Several weeks ago, on 5 October, I attended a special lunch in Adelaide to commemorate the first national Borderline Personality Awareness Day in Australia. In an era when many conditions and challenges are now recognised by their own day or week, this condition has remained unacknowledged and shrouded in shame for far too long. This is an illness which is much stigmatised but little understood. 'The Cinderella of mental illnesses' is how it was described that day by people who know the condition intimately—sufferers, carers and mental health professionals who have devoted their careers to help bring it into the light. That suggests only too well how devastating the condition can be when we consider that mental illness itself is hardly a glamorous condition. To describe a particular condition as 'Cinderella' shows, I think, the devastation that this condition can bring about. It is vital that this situation changes, and the first national awareness day is an excellent start.

Transcript after the break

Senator WRIGHT (South Australia) (12:32):

I am pleased to rise to acknowledge the tabling of this final report of the Senate Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Legislation Committee into my Greens colleague Adam Bandt's Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Fair Protection for Firefighters) Bill 2011, which was co-sponsored by Russell Broadbent MP and Maria Vamvakinou MP. The report is the culmination of a great deal of hard work by the committee and it was a very positive experience to participate as a full member of the committee, being relatively new to the Senate. I have been impressed with the thorough process I have observed, overseen by the staff of the secretariat. I thank them for their work.

I would also acknowledge the extensive work of the United Firefighters Union of Australia, which enabled site visits so that the committee could experience some of the work conditions of firefighters firsthand. I say 'some' advisedly because of course there is no real way we can experience the work conditions that firefighters face on a daily basis in protecting life and property on behalf of the Australian community, but it did give us some insight into what some of those conditions would be like.