On election day, I deliberately stayed away from social media, and I didn’t watch the coverage on ABC (sorry, Antony Green). It would have been too stressful, because so much hung in the balance.
When I finally opened Instagram late in the evening, with trepidation, my news feed was full of celebratory posts — partly about Labor’s victory, but mostly because Ali France had become the first (openly) disabled woman elected to Australian federal parliament. I immediately Googled and absorbed every article I could find about her, and I was more impressed by her grit with every word I read.
It’s hard to describe just how much this historic moment meant to me, as a disabled woman. As a group, we’re faced with the double whammy of ableism and sexism every day, constantly battling a world that doesn’t believe in us. Ali France is no exception. In 2019, Peter Dutton accused her of “using her disability as an excuse for not moving into [the] electorate”. Why? Because she couldn’t find somewhere wheelchair accessible to live, despite searching “high and low”. The fruitless hunt for accessible places is one I know all too well.
But by emerging victorious on her third attempt, Ali defied the people and attitudes that sought to keep her in her place.
Ali France’s election win puts disabled women on the national political stage — in the place where decisions are made for and about us, where we have long needed to be.
I can barely fathom that after the last federal election, I wrote about the absence of openly disabled people in Cabinet — and now, here we are. Three years later, I’m writing with jubilation about the election of a disabled woman, who ousted the Opposition Leader, no less!
I’m celebrating with the rest of my community, but I’m also realistic. A Labor victory — and even a disabled woman in federal parliament — isn’t the end. In fact, for everyone who voiced their opposition to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians (disabling them in massive numbers) — which Labor has not condemned — and for everyone impacted by the ongoing changes to the NDIS, this result leaves us with the lesser of two evils.
But I have hope. The election result showed us that the majority of Australians want to live in a more just and inclusive place. It showed us that the tide is turning against hatred and bigotry.
Change is real. Change is possible. Ali France’s victory is proof — a reminder to disabled people everywhere, especially disabled women, that we can transcend the ableist, sexist expectations placed on us. We don’t have to dream about shaping the world we want to see, because we already do.
Top photo source: AAP
