Federal opposition leader Bill Shorten was confronted with the reality of life with a disability during his campaign stop in East Maitland.
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The politician was doing a walk through of Stockland Green Hills shopping centre when he was approached by 17-year-old local Christian Le Cedergren. The teenager wanted to question Mr Shorten about disability funding in schools but broke down in tears with the weight of the conversation. Christian’s sister has a disability which he said is not funded, and without the support makes school very challenging for his sibling.
The MP calmed the teenager with an embrace and promised him that disability funding was high on his agenda.
This is the opposition leader’s second visit to the Hunter after his May campaign stop was suspended when two cars had a head-on collision at the site of his press conference.
Jessica Brown
Jessica began her journalism career in 2009 as a cadet at The Port Stephens Examiner before moving to London for a two-year stint working in magazines and digital publishing. The Lake Macquarie local returned to Australia where she took up a reporting role at The Maitland Mercury. She worked across several rounds including local council, police and property before moving into digital journalism and joining the team at The Newcastle Herald in 2017.
Jessica began her journalism career in 2009 as a cadet at The Port Stephens Examiner before moving to London for a two-year stint working in magazines and digital publishing. The Lake Macquarie local returned to Australia where she took up a reporting role at The Maitland Mercury. She worked across several rounds including local council, police and property before moving into digital journalism and joining the team at The Newcastle Herald in 2017.
