Motivation Australia is honoured to have politician, actress and playwright Kelly Vincent join our organisation as Ambassador. Kelly is well known to many people in the Australian disability sector as a passionate advocate for the rights and needs of people with disabilities. In 2010 Kelly was elected to the South Australian Legislative Council, making history as the first Australian politician to permanently use a wheelchair for mobility; the youngest woman ever elected to an Australian parliament; and the first Australian to be elected on the platform of disability rights.
Kelly has shown a great interest in our work within both the Australian and International context. She attended and presented at our 2011 Mobility Solutions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Symposium (co-hosted by the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre); and supported the attendance of a number of wheelchair user representatives from remote communities. We are delighted to have her as a formal advocate and friend of Motivation Australia.
“My mother often reminds me (though she doesn’t need to) that I “won the lottery in life”, because I was born in Australia. When I look at the opportunities I have been given in my life thus far, and those that it is reasonable for me to expect in the future, I know this is true. I want those opportunities to be available to all people with disabilities – including those in rural and remote Australia, and in developing countries in the Asia Pacific region. The work of Motivation Australia is assisting people with disabilities in disadvantaged communities to lead full and satisfying lives by empowering them physically, socially and economically. I am proud to be an Ambassador for Motivation Australia and promote your positive work.”
Kelly Vincent