My name is Robert Migliore. I am the father of a 7 year old daughter with profound autism. Her name is Saskia. She cannot speak, she cannot use a fork, she is incontinent and has not yet learnt to communicate. She attends a government school in Lindfield NSW called Chromehurst that caters to children who have moderate to severe intellectual disabilities.

Giant Steps a nearby school for profoundly autistic children like Saskia learnt of 18 Covid-19 cases today. We cannot stand by and watch defenseless children like Saskia fall victim to Covid-19 at schools just like Giant Steps. These are the state's most vulnerable children. Our state needs effective leadership. Resilience NSW has been established to help the state battle crises. Shane Fitzsimmons is one of the world's most experienced, passionate, collaborative and focused leaders who is the head of this specialist agency. NSW needs to bounce back from this crisis before its too late. We need a leader who can utilise all of the government's resources. We need a leader who will stand up for the community, engage all of the agencies who protect our state and bring them together to solve this problem. We cannot afford to let this virus continue to spread through our most vulnerable communities. Saskia's educators, fellow pupils and the communities that support people with disabilities need to be protected. We need a leader who understands the gravity of the problem. A leader who will focus on what is important to keep children and adults with disabilities like Saskia safe. NSW needs to appoint Shane Fitzsimmons to take carriage of this crisis immediately and restore confidence in the institutions set up to protect our people who cannot fend for themselves.