Chhour KarenHon KAREN CHHOUR (Minister for Children): Thank you Mr Speaker. It's a pleasure to stand today and speak to the petition of Claire Dale. I'd first like to start off by thanking Claire Dale for bringing this to the Petitions Committee because often these kinds of petitions can create real change and create the conversation that we need to have to create further legislation. For the disability community the main thing you hear of the barriers to living their best life is accessibility. So it's really important to acknowledge that and the hard work that it takes to bring a petition as well.So Claire Dale was concerned that able-bodied people were parking in mobility parking spaces and taking away the opportunities for people with disabilities to access basic needs like grocery shopping seeing a doctor or even being able to go to a movie. Sometimes just being closer to those front doors is quite important. Sometimes it can be embarrassing for somebody who cannot make that distance. I know of someone personally who has a disability and if they can't park close enough they just won't bother. They shouldn't have to make that decision: Do I or don't I bother to go in and get my groceries? Do I or don't I bother trying to get to the doctor today because somebody may take up that space?"The other concern is that when it is not enforced people can get quite aggressive towards somebody who just wants to use a space that they're entitled to use. In the notes I see that there were problems around enforcement there were problems around people becoming abusive and threatening when asked to move out of the disabled parks. This just is not OK. Actually one of the recommendations is around a campaign to the public to let them know what their actions are actually causing for the disabled community. There shouldn't be a fear of saying "I have a disability and I need this park." There shouldn't be a fear of being abused when you are trying to use something that you're entitled to.So I really think we should consider a public education campaign to improve the understanding around someone accessing basic needs. That's what this is about. This is making sure that we enable the disabled community to live their best lives. I'm actually quite proud to stand here and speak to this because whilst in Opposition I heard a lot from the disability community and accessibility is their biggest issue; it is a barrier to doing basic everyday life things that they need and we need to take that into account.Sometimes we take for granted how easy it is to just park in a disability space and say "I'm just popping in for a moment." That was mentioned quite a bit as well. It's like "I'm just ducking in for two seconds." But that two seconds could take away somebody's ability to live their best life. If we look at it like that and we educate people to know that they're actually affecting somebody living their best life I'm sure that that will help.I appreciate the recommendations that have been put forward by the Petitions Committee and I really look forward to the future discussions that this petition has enabled to happen. I hope that it actually directs future legislation and makes people understand how important this small issue is because sometimes the smallest changes make the biggest difference in somebody's life and sometimes we need to stop thinking so complicated and realise that these simple little changes will make a major difference in somebody's life—in your grandmother's life—especially with the ageing population right now which was a concern that was brought forward to the Petitions Committee. We have an ageing population who need to be able to access these car parks. Some of the solutions may be as simple as: "If there's not enough car parks how about we open up the parent and pram car parks to be able to be disability car parks too? Share them alongside the disabled community." There are solutions and I am really appreciative of the fact that this has been brought forward for us to discuss so that we can make a real difference in the disability community's lives. Thank you Mr Speaker."