Wednesday 25 July 2012

The Conservative backout on Disability assistance.

Can I just add my voice to those disgusted with yesterday's lack of an outcome for a National Disability insurance scheme - as opposed to W.A.'s desire to do it themselves -  they are such a great state with a great record on disability support (rolling eyes here).

And we hear that Victoria and NSW just could not find the extra money, and apparently Queensland is broke.

Of course, none of this had anything to do with Politics. Oh no, not all, the fact it just happened to be the conservatives not wishing to get aboard- well hey, that's just a coincidence, nothing more.

I love that the conservatives call Julia a liar for having to renegotiate her party's stance on  dealing with Carbon emissions - you could call that politics, while they play the political game that I would call lying.

I worked in the disability arena for more than 10 years and I know the first area to lose funding is always the disability area. In fact at the moment we are about the worst country in the O.E.C.D. for assisting people with disabilities and their families - certainly if you look at the poverty index and its relationship to disabilities, Australia's record at the moment is appalling.

But, really, again, this isn't about disabilities is it. This is about politics. This is about one side (in this case, the conservative side) refusing to grant that the other side may just have a good idea that will help families dealing with the many difficulties a disability tosses their way.

Oh wouldn't a political system be good where both sides understood the dire need of these families and forwent their silly, petty squabbles over who is the best Party (newsflash: no one I know - on all sides of politics - thinks either of you is the best Party - we're all voting for the Notworst Party!) and just worked together to ensure the Disabled people and their families received as much help as we an (as a very affluent nation) afford - Hang on I know another problem where the same thing is needed.

Funny how the people with disabilities and the people who are refugees would both be the two people with the smallest voice in our society. Coincidence then that both have become political footballs - I think not!

Sometimes I think people actually blame the families who have someone with a Disability - sort of an old, pre-civilised, ignorant, idea that somehow the families deserved this (the righteous hand of some old god or other) and so we shouldn't help them (convenient huh?). And, sadly, once again the Political Parties, instead of doing what is right, take advantage of this ancient silliness and turn it to their political point scoring - after all, scoring a point (or preventing your opponent from scoring one) is so much more important than helping a family in need.

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