Kathleen O'Meara (Labour)

There is still a long road to travel and slippage will occur. A great start might be made with a major burst of energy, for example, as a result of a major debate on legislation such as this, but if its implementation is not monitored, slippage could easily occur. Recently, the number of people with disabilities employed in the public service was published and Senator Terry has tabled an amendment regarding the public service employment quota for such people, which we will address later. It is important to make such provisions in legislation because slippage easily occurs.

The framework set out in the legislation is good and I commend the Minister of State on the amendments he has tabled in this regard. However, we should go further than we think we might need to ensure we achieve what we set out.