Overcoming barriers to inclusion
Championing disability inclusion and parliamentary representation were among the topics presented by Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch MP at the 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference in Bridgetown, Barbados this month.
Liesl Tesch (3rd right, front row) at the 68th CPC CPwD Regional Champions conference in Bridgetown, Barbados.
29 October 2025
RECOGNISING Ms Tesch’s contribution to disability inclusion at home and abroad, Ms Tesch was elected Vice-Chair of the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disability (CPwD) at a meeting during the 68th Conference.
“After a number of years of contribution, I am incredibly honoured to have been elected as Deputy Chairperson of the CPwD network,” Ms Tesch, a seven-time Paralympian, said.
Exploring the often compounding barriers to inclusion experienced by people with disability, Ms Tesch also chaired a workshop, “Overcoming the Barriers to the involvement of Women with Disabilities in Politics”, where delegates offered insight and learnings into the barriers women with a disability face in the political arena.
“We have the situation where 20 per cent of the population has a disability yet that is not represented in our parliaments,” Ms Tesch said.
“I believe true representation occurs when people with disability are actually sitting at the table making decisions and policies to improve our lives.”
The CPwD network was established by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association to support parliamentarians living with disability to be more effective in their roles and to help improve awareness of disability issues among all parliamentarians and parliamentary staff.
The network also seeks to address inequalities facing people with disability and helps to raise awareness within the parliamentary context.
The conference, held by the CPA in the capital of Bridgetown, sought to establish shared goals for Commonwealth nations from climate change to democracy and the importance of youth, an area where Ms Tesch says NSW leads the way with our Youth Parliament program.
“At the moment I am one of nine regional ‘champions’ from around the world and as well as representing our beautiful community of Gosford in the NSW Parliament, I will continue to advocate to see more people with disability elected around the world during my time as Deputy Chair,” she said.
“If you are a young person with a disability in Australia, the Pacific or South-East Asia, interested in getting into politics or leadership, please send me a message.”
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