There was a lot of political posturing outside Parliament House in Canberra today. A lot of crying poor from the states. A lot of spin from federal ministers who talk about a commitment to a national disability insurance scheme but can’t find the cash required to make it happen.
Then there was the voice of Fiona Anderson, the Queensland co-ordinator of Every Australian Counts, a lobby group backing the scheme, and a mother with a particular interest in the outcome of today’s Council of Australian Governments meeting. As she told ABC’s AM:
“My 17-year-old son has a physical disability which is a brain injury. We don’t know why he’s got it. Apparently it was from around pregnancy or maybe post-birth, not too sure why. But the result is he has needed intensive therapy and wheelchairs and other equipment to ensure that he has the best possible chance to live the same kind of life as his sister and his friends …
“If the state, via the NDIS, invests in my son he is going to be able to do what everyone else does at his age. He’ll have the opportunity when he leaves school to go to TAFE or uni to study, to gain skills and then be able to enter the workforce. If we don’t get that kind of investment my husband and I can’t keep funding it endlessly. There aren’t really many options for him other than to stay at home for the rest of his life.”
The message to leaders locked away today couldn’t be clearer: shut up and get it done.
Why do we persist with this 19th century state system?
We have a Senate for a house of review – why then do we duplicate that with this antiquated machinery destined to ALWAYS cause administrative duplications and ALWAYS a bunfight twixt fed and states.
Queensland Premier Alfred E Neumann’s use of disabled people as a political tool is sickening if predictable,as he hurls some 200,000 people into the dole queues, no doubt instigating a fair few more psychological disabilities in the process; the main one probably being caused by the realistsation: “I voted for ths guy – now he’s screwed me royally”.
@Fiona: How is this insurance? Insurance, *you* pay premiums against something unlikely happening, if it happens, the payment comes out of *your* premiums, plus others premiums. If you want a social security scheme for it, say so, I’m not opposed to the idea. But don’t try and make it out to be ‘insurance’.
Never heard it put better. SHUT UP AND GET IT DONE!
Mike Smith, I don’t think Fiona invented the terminology “national disability insurance”. She has been asked to comment on a scheme invented and named by someone else. She would be silly to get sidetracked into debating the semantics – her job is to advocate for her lobby group and she seems to be pretty good at that. Why not ask the government or even the opposition why they call it insurance?
@Drovers Cat: yes you get what you vote for; however Alfred E Neuman did say by 2014 things would be fiscally better and the NDIS scheme may go ahead. Guess what! 2014 is the year for the next election campaign so by then he will feign contriteness over the NDIS; the foolish will vote for him again. In the meantime, money will be available to help the miners for infrastructure development and anything else they wish for. Ahh Queensland; a state so poor it cant afford to support NDIS …and so rich in resources; lots miners clamouring to pay little or no royalties or tax at the expense of all Queenslanders whom own those resources.