Wednesday, 16 October 2024

 Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:30): I rise to update the house on the retirement of the Victorian public advocate Dr Colleen Pearce AM. Last Thursday I had the pleasure of attending Dr Pearce’s retirement function to acknowledge her 17 years of service and celebrate her achievements in the role. As the fourth appointed public advocate and Victoria’s first female public advocate, Dr Pearce has brought her considerable experience and skills along with a deep sense of empathy and compassion to the role.

Her tenure as public advocate came at a time when we have seen momentum building for fairer and more empowering policy and services for people with disability. In this context it has been a time when the advocacy and voice that the Office of the Public Advocate provides has been especially important, with fairness, justice and reform for people with disability rightly receiving much more attention. Last year the OPA celebrated 35 years of the community visitor program. Dr Pearce has been passionate about allowing the community, through this volunteer-led program, to learn about the situations of people in supported accommodation and mental health facilities and to provide a voice for people who may not always feel heard. Under the leadership of Dr Pearce, the community visitor program has continued to show us how important it is to improve policy, programs and services so that people with disability can access the support they need and deserve. Dr Pearce and her team have made a huge contribution to driving real reform and change in Victoria in promoting and protecting the rights of people with disability.

At the national level the OPA and Dr Pearce’s active participation and contribution to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability can be seen in the commission’s reflections and recommendations. In addition to OPA’s multiple submissions, Dr Pearce appeared at four hearings and participated in a round table on best practice models of guardianship. There is no doubt that Dr Pearce’s input into the commission and to the NDIS review will have a continued impact on our next phases of work. On behalf of the Victorian government, I thank Dr Pearce for her frank and fearless advice, for her 17 years of service and for her outstanding contribution to community services in Victoria.