Dougie Herd may be relatively new to Canberra but he has big plans to make the territory the most inclusive place in the country for people with a disability.
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The passionate advocate's decades of experience effecting change in the lives of those with a disability hold him in good stead for his new job as the chair of the ACT government's Disability Reference Group.
"The capital of our country should be the most inclusive city in the country for people with disability and I don't think second best is acceptable," he said.
Mr Herd has worked in the non-government sector, was instrumental in the campaign for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and worked with the agency behind it.
His new position will demand some brainstorming among fellow members, but Mr Herd said the purpose of the advisory group was to feed community concerns to those in government.
"I know from what people tell me the scheme is not yet perfect; let's hope one day it will be," he said.
"Problems will come and go but if government is listening to the direct experience of those with disability they are likely to fix those problems quicker."
Mr Herd said, while he was not yet registered, the NDIS was a critical safety net for all Australians as there were "no rules about disability; it can happen to anybody at anytime."
However, the picture was bigger than the NDIS alone.
Addressing the accessibility of the built environment, public transport, employment and skills pathways for young people after school were all areas he hoped to address under his term as chair.
"There is a change underway and I don't think that change is finished," he said.
"We don't want people to live in a safety net we want them to be supported to get on with their lives. The important thing is to make sure disability doesn't become a disadvantage and that unnecessary barriers are removed."
Mr Herd said he was thrilled about his appointment but asked that Canberrans were patient with him as he followed in the footsteps of the outgoing chair Sue Salthouse.
"She is something of a Canberra institution," he said. "I am glad to take over from Sue. We all owe her a real debt of gratitude for the work she has done over many years in Canberra.
"I am just putting on my training wheels to get moving as quick as I can, but I am following a big act."
