Kelly Vincent – Vision Australia Interview on Deaf Games, Blind Cricket Series and Cabinet Reshuffle
27/01/2016
On 20th January 2016, Dignity for Disability MLC Kelly Vincent was interviewed on radio station Vision Australia to discuss the opening ceremonies she attended for the Deaf Games and the Lord’s Taverners Blind Cricket Series. Kelly Vincent also discussed the Government’s recent ministerial changes. Here is the audio and transcript from the interview.
Pam Green: Time now to welcome to 5RPH, Dignity for Disability MLC, Kelly Vincent. Hi Kelly, welcome back.
Kelly Vincent: Thanks Pam, good to be with you.
Pam Green: Well you’ve been pretty busy over the holiday period and last week you attended the opening ceremony for the Deaf Games in Adelaide. How did the event go? And did you catch up with any interstate contacts?
Kelly Vincent: Well it’s a fantastic event and fantastic to see the Australian Deaf Games hosted right here in Adelaide as well. So we get to show case South Australia from a tourism perspective as well as promoting the benefits, social and health benefits of Deaf people participating in sport. It’s a great opportunity for Deaf people to get together with other Deaf people and celebrate their primary language, sign language as well as meet people from other countries as well, given that we have countries like Fiji and Vanuatu also participating in every sport in the game, everything from athletics, to beach volleyball, cricket, darts, eight ball, golf, lawn bowls, netball and even ten pin bowling. So a wide range of sports there and great to see a celebration of sport and its role in Deaf culture and the Deaf community.
While I was at the opening ceremony I did have the opportunity to finally meet up with Drisana Levitzke-Gray, who of course was the Young Australian of the Year for 2015 after her work celebrating and promoting Auslan, Australian sign language and Deaf culture. It was great event, a great opportunity to celebrate the Deaf community and Deaf culture and promote our beautiful state of South Australia, which is something I’m very passionate about.
Pam Green: Exactly. And also recently the changes I guess to the Weatherill/Labor Government ministerial line up. I believe we know have a new Minister for Disabilities. Are there any other changes?
Kelly Vincent: Yes there is. Leesa Vlahos of course has been appointed to the disability portfolio, so we will be working more closely with her in the coming years and looking forward to that. As you know Pam, Dignity for Disability is always willing to work constructively alongside whoever we have to, to make the right changes for South Australians, all South Australians but particularly people with disabilities. We’ve also seen Peter Malinauskas, a relatively new Minister, in fact a very new Minister who was sworn into the parliament late last year. He’s become a Minister predominately in the areas of police, corrections and emergency services as well as road safety so some very big responsibilities there for a relatively new Minister. And again, I’ll be working alongside him particularly to make sure that emergency information is accessible to people with disabilities and that correctional facilities and the police force are responsive to the needs of people with disabilities as well. So there are some big changes afoot, those are just a couple of the shake ups but the ones that particularly affect Dignity for Disability’s work. We’ll certainly keep you in the loop as we continue to work constructively alongside these new Ministers too affect important change.
Pam Green: And finally, this Friday I believe your opening the Lord’s Taverners cricket series, Australia versus England. That commences this weekend, can you tell us about that?
Kelly Vincent: That’s right, the opening is happening this week. I’m very much looking forward to having the pleasure of opening the Blind Cricket Series. Blind Cricket I think is a concept that I think it’s fair to say is foreign to quite a few people, the idea of people who are blind or have a vision impairment playing the cricket. But that is exactly why events like this are so important, because they push the envelope so to speak about what people with disabilities can achieve and can participate in and shows that we can participate in any event that any other person can when we’re given the opportunity. So I’m very much looking forward to opening the Lord’s Taverners Blind Cricket Series this week on the 22nd of January, so the day after tomorrow. It’s at Park 25 in the CBD here in Adelaide and I believe the opening ceremony will kick off at 10.30am, so anyone who would like to I’m sure is welcome to come along and experience what I’m sure will be the excitement of Blind Cricket.
Pam Green: And Vision Australia will have a bit of a presence there too actually.
Kelly Vincent: I did suspect that would be the case and look forward to catching up with you.
Pam Green: Excellent. Well once again thanks for your time and welcome back again.
Kelly Vincent: Thanks Pam, great to be back.
