Pressure Mounting On Queensland Over NDIS
31 July 2012 at 10:30 am
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Disability groups in Queensland are continuing to pressure the Newman Government to deliver funds for a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Queensland Advocacy Incorporated (QAI) is writing to Premier Campbell Newman seeking an urgent meeting to clarify the Government’s position on the NDIS.
QAI Director Ken Wade says Queensland’s position is confusing and conflicting.
He says it did not provide a detailed submission to the Federal Government for a launch site.
“We have to wonder how serious Queensland is about an NDIS when the Premier provided a one and a half page trial submission compared to the hundreds of pages delivered by Victoria and NSW in their submissions,” Wade said.
Negotiations late last week saw a breakthrough with Victoria and NSW who are now set to have trials of the National Insurance Disability Scheme in their states.
Victoria offered $42 million to bring a trial of the NDIS to the City of Geelong, the Borough of Queenscliff, the Surf Coast Shire and the Colac- Otway Shire.
The NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell offered $35 million towards an NDIS trial in the Hunter Valley.
NDIS national campaign group, Every Australian Counts, says unlike the other states, Premier Newman has repeatedly stated he would not offer any funding towards the NDIS, even though Queensland spends the least amount of money per person with a disability than any other state in Australia.
The Every Australian Counts campaign has also called on Premier Newman to urgently reassess the state government’s funding commitments, to immediately place disability support as the state’s highest priority.
Prime Minister Gillard said last week that it was disappointing that the Queensland Government had still not moved on this issue.
“I want to see a National Disability Scheme in every State and Territory and in every town and city and I need every state leader to work with me,” she said.
The disability areas of the Dept of Community Services were particularly savagely cut by Newman's sacking of temporary and contract staff as this was not seen as a high priority area and the message down the line was the new government did not support the NDIS. Perhaps the question to prove Newman's bona fides would be How many staff working in disability have you sacked to date and how many more do you intend sacking?