Fed: Lack of detail on welfare reform "will frighten disabled"

AAP General News (Australia)
12-15-2000
Fed: Lack of detail on welfare reform "will frighten disabled"

By Debra Way

CANBERRA, Dec 15 AAP - The federal government's refusal to provide details of how its
welfare reforms will affect benefits could leave many disabled people facing an uncertain
future, the opposition said today.

Labor's family services spokesman Chris Evans said the opposition had been inundated
with calls since the reforms were announced yesterday.

"The government has created great distress for people with disability by failing to
guarantee that they will not be ruled ineligible for the Disability Support Pension,"

Senator Evans said.

Under the reforms people on disability support will be given greater access to education
and training.

The former system of medical assessment will be ditched for a new independent judgment
by a government medical officer, based on what work people are capable of doing.

Senator Evans said Family and Community Services Minister Jocelyn Newman had left the
door open to shift people with a disability from the Disability Support Pension (DSP)
to the Newstart benefit through the new medical assessment.

They would then be forced to take part in an expanded Work-for-the-Dole program.

"Persons ruled ineligible for DSP under the tighter guidelines will face reduced benefits,
tougher activity tests, and harsh penalties if they are unable to meet their mutual obligation
requirements," he said.

Democrats disability spokeswoman Lyn Allison slammed the government's package, which
she said would force parents of children with long-term disabilities to take part in
work-for-welfare obligations.

"Forcing parents to leave to others the care of a child with a chronic disability is
heartless," Senator Allison said.

"It is also alarming that the government intends to ignore the advice of a person's
own doctor in determining medical eligibility for a disability support pension in favour
of a judgment made solely by an Australian Government Health Service doctor who may have
only seen the person for one brief examination."

National Council for Intellectual Disability chief executive Mark Patterson said the
government's failure to provide funding and policy details of its new welfare reform package
would scare disabled people.

"Without that sort of detail people are going to be anxious, people are going to be
frightened," Mr Patterson told ABC radio.

But Senator Newman said people with disabilities had no need to be concerned about the changes.

"When we went to the Paralympics and we saw the capacity of people we forgot their
incapacity and that's the message I would say to Mark and to people who have disabilities,"

she told ABC Radio.

"Don't be frightened about this, this is to expand your opportunities, to give a fuller life."

Concerns about the proposed change to work assessments were also not warranted, Senator
Newman said.

AAP eg/daw/jas/br

KEYWORD: WELFARE NIGHTLEAD

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