Parents Families and Carers Party

Coral Rizzalli has been appointed the inaugural National President of the Parents Families and Carers Party.

Ms Rizzalli has been a pioneer in supports for people with disabilities for 40 years. She was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1993 for her voluntary work in the establishment of services for people with disabilities in Queensland.

She is passionate about palliative care, since caring for her severely disabled son, John, in the final two years of his life at home. She is now a carer for her 87-year-old mother.

Following her son’s diagnosis with disabilities, she trained as a special education teacher, attained a Master’s Degree in Disability Studies, and worked as an advisor in special education in North Queensland. She is currently a committe member on Queensland Disability Standards in that state’s Health Department.

She served as a panel member on the National Parents Information Project between 1990 and 1995, assisting its projects throughout Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Since her son’s death, Ms Rizzalli has been a prominent consumer advocate for health reform. She is a committee member of Health Consumers Queensland, a consumer member of the National E-Health Transition Authority E-Medication Management Reference Group, and a consumer member of a dozen health reform working groups.