ABC Radio Northern Tasmania
Interview with Roisin McCann
11 August 2010
5:20pm
E & OE
Subjects: National Disability Insurance Scheme, Education Card
ROISIN McCANN:
I’m joined now by Senator Mitch Fifield, the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities. Good afternoon to you.
MITCH FIFIELD:
Good afternoon Roisin. How are you?
McCANN:
I’m very well thank you. We’ve heard and I wonder if you would credit Bill Shorten with moving to an extent disability services into the mainstream. There has been quite a bit of commentary from people within the sector that he has.
FIFIELD:
I think one of the good things about the disability portfolio at the federal level is that there is a large degree of cross-party work. One of the things which I think is not fully appreciated is that probably 80 per cent of the legislation that goes through our parliament goes through with the support of all parties. And the area of disabilities is where partisanship is most readily put aside. And where there is partisanship, it’s of a much less intense nature. And I think each of the disability spokespeople for each of the main parties have made a significant contribution to raising the profile of disabilities and I give Bill credit for making a contribution there. But I think one of the most remarkable things that has happened over the last 18 months or so is the grass-roots community activity amongst carers, amongst people with disability, disability organisations and family members to really put disability front and centre on the policy agenda. And full credit to those people in the community who’ve really made that happen.
McCANN:
At the beginning of the interview with Bill Shorten I was mentioning that very often it’s parents of children, not only parents, but very often parents of children of a disability, who end up having to lobby and to fundraise and to analyse and to do all of those sorts of things as well. Doesn’t that indicate that governments over many years have failed these parents and the fact that they have to pick up the slack and to fill in the cracks?
FIFIELD:
Absolutely. I don’t think any government, state or federal of any persuasion, has covered itself in glory in the area of disabilities. And that’s why I think it’s important to give the credit where it’s due to families and to disability organisations who’ve got together to speak with one voice so that all political parties can no longer continue to ignore the issue of disabilities.
McCANN:
What would you like to come out of the Productivity Commission?
FIFIELD:
There’s no doubt that the system of long-term care and support for Australians with disabilities is broken. It’s a frayed patch-work. It’s just not good enough and I think that’s something that’s accepted now. But it’s something that I think is still not fully appreciated in the community. Because we live in a wealthy western democracy, people assume that if you have a disability you get the support you need. You don’t. What I hope the Productivity Commission comes out with is a range of options. It’s important that they look at issues of eligibility. Who would be eligible under a new national scheme. What the governance arrangements would be. What areas would be given support through such a scheme. And also possible funding options. So I’m hopeful they’ll present a menu. But also hopeful that the report will put such pressure on government that whoever wins the next election has to find a way to ensure that we do improve the system of long-term care and support.
McCANN:
So in principle, based on what’s found by the Productivity Commission, is the Liberal Party in favour of a National Disability Insurance Scheme?
FIFIELD:
What I’ve said, what Tony Abbott has said, is that if the Productivity Commission think that it’s doable, then that will be a sign that it’s something that we should take forward as a government. Tony has also said that people with disabilities have had their hopes raised and dashed too many times and that if the Coalition is successful on August the 21st, we won’t let them down.
McCANN:
Your party hasn’t bathed yourselves in glory though with comment by Tony Abbott in terms of accessibility in cinemas and also the recent comments by Andrew Peacock about, we won’t even bother to re-quote them. But it’s very unfortunate to see in this day in age that those comments could be made.
FIFIELD:
Andrew isn’t a continuing or practicing politician so I think we can put what he said to one side. It’s not what I would have said myself.
McCANN:
So what did you think when you heard it?
FIFIELD:
What I thought was, I wish that hadn’t been said. It wasn’t helpful. But in relation to the point you raised about Tony’s comments, Tony himself has acknowledged that it was a poor choice. What he was endeavouring to do was to explain that Ministerial Statements traditionally have been used by governments in parliament to identify significant policy changes rather than to provide periodic portfolio updates. But he himself has acknowledged that it was a poor choice.
McCANN:
What would be your policy in relation to children with disabilities and special needs students in terms of education and how can disability services and education work together to facilitate children who need to be or want to be schooled in the mainstream.
FIFIELD:
One of the things which we’ve announced so far during the campaign is the concept of an education card for students with disability. It’s about $314 million and the proposal is that you would give an entitlement that would follow the student. An entitlement of up to $20,000. And that would follow the student to the school of the parents choice regardless of whether it was an independent school or a government school, regardless of what state. That’s an effort to try and address the inequity in funding for students with disabilities in various school sectors and various states. And that will give a lot of choice to parents and a lot of flexibility for schools to better provide for students with disabilities.
McCANN:
Speaking of parents, one of the major calls that we get here whenever we discuss disability services, and have been a parent of a child with a disability or an adult with a disability, is the concern about ageing parents. Do you have a policy in relation to that?
FIFIELD:
One of the great worries of thousands of parents around Australia who have kids with a disability is what’s going to happen to them when they’re gone. It’s something that’s a relatively recent phenomenon because fortunately many people who are born with disabilities are living longer and surviving at birth. And so you have the situation where we now have people with disabilities who often outlive their parents. But what that means is it’s a source of great concern to those parents. When we were in government, we introduced special disability trusts to enable some provision for family members who have a disability. We don’t have a perfect answer. We don’t have a perfect solution as yet. And one of the things that I would hope is that a National Disability Insurance Scheme could address that issue. And what that means is you want to have guaranteed a roof – accommodation that’s appropriate. But also support in the home for that individual. That’s one of the things which the Productivity Commission will address.
McCANN:
And Senator Mitch Fifield to finish off and I’m sorry to make this fast, but what’s your policy in terms of funding arrangements in terms of federal or state funding? Putting that to Bill Shorten, do we need to have one funding scheme rather than a myriad of options?
FIFIELD:
One of the sad realities is that the state governments who have responsibility for accommodation, for respite and for a lot of direct support for people with disabilities are basically running a Soviet-style system of rationing where you’re supported not on the basis of need but on the basis of of where you are in the queue or how you acquired your disability . .
McCANN:
. . . What funding model would you support?
FIFIELD:
Increasingly the Commonwealth has over the best part of a decade been stepping in with more direct funding for particular programs to cover areas which the state isn’t adequately fulfilling. I think that’s a trend which will continue and if a National Disability Insurance Scheme comes into place, that’s a trend which will go even further.
McCANN:
Thank you for your time this afternoon.
FIFIELD:
Thanks very much.
ENDS