Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science and Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question without notice is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to his commitment in question time yesterday to examine the private member’s bill put forward by the member for Warringah and me to see what practical things can be done to assist the Australian civilian victims of overseas terrorism. Does that mean, Prime Minister, that you are indeed considering special help for them along the lines flagged in the bill or are Australian civilian terror victims only to be helped as a part of a possible future national disability scheme, which gives no more help to the Australians civilian casualties of war on terror than it does to slip and fall cases?

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Paterson has the call.

Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science and Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So I ask the Prime Minister on behalf of Paul Anicich and Tony Purkiss, victims of the Bali bomb blast, who I understand he met with yesterday: has he rejected our proposal to give Australian civilian casualties of the war on terror support and instead is doing nothing special for them at all?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Paterson asked a question and in it he referred to those who were victims of ‘slip and fall’, as if this was not a category of injury about which this parliament should be concerned. I would strongly suggest that the honourable member seek to change those words later in question time, because I think the honourable member needs to reflect long and hard on the tens and hundreds of thousands of Australians who are looking very carefully at the need for assistance in the categories that we spoke about in the answer just given by the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs in question time today. This is a very difficult area of long-term reform. The social insurance model that she has referred to in her question, in terms of long-term disability reform, has now been the subject of a reference specifically to the Productivity Commission—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Prime Minister will resume his seat in. The member for Warringah on a point of order?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, Mr Speaker, on relevance. It was a specific question: will there be any special help for the Australian victims of terrorism overseas?

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Warringah will resume his seat.

Dick Adams (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That wasn’t a point of order.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will decide that, Member for Lyons. Whilst it was a point of order, it was not one that I could rule in favour of as the question went to broader matters as well. The Prime Minister is responding to the question.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would say to the honourable member who has just interjected that the member for Paterson specifically asked me to contrast two possible schemes.

Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science and Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I asked you what you were going to do for them.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Paterson has asked his question. The Prime Minister is responding.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The honourable member asked about the contents of a private member’s bill which was put to the parliament yesterday. Against that inquiry, which I foreshadowed last night at the National Disability Awards and which was referred to in question time today by the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, I say again strongly to the member for Paterson that when he refers to slip and fall cases in the way in which he has he should think very long and hard about the number of Australians who find themselves subject to significant impairment and disability.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order, again on relevance. It was a very specific question—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Warringah will resume his seat. The Prime Minister is responding to a question that is much broader than the member for Warringah is alleging.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The slip and fall cases to which the honourable member for Paterson has referred warrant the most serious consideration by the parliament and by the government, and that is why we have provided an explicit reference to the Productivity Commission on the future form of any possible social insurance scheme which would deal with the many, many, many Australians who find themselves in those circumstances.

Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science and Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Point of order, Mr Speaker—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Paterson will resume his seat. I am listening carefully. The only point of order can be relevance. The Prime Minister is responding to the question.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yesterday after the honourable members introduced their private member’s bill the honourable member for Warringah, having asked me a question about it in the chamber, brought around to my office two individuals who had been victims of one of the Bali bombings and asked if I would meet them. He did so without giving any notice, and I would not have expected him to give any notice. I was of course delighted to come out and meet them and spend some time talking to them. Furthermore, I had no prior notice, as I said yesterday, about the proposed introduction of the bill to which the honourable members have referred, but I understand that the honourable member’s bill seeks to provide a payment of $75,000 for those who fall victim to international terrorist attacks. At this stage it is difficult for the government to foreshadow what the Productivity Commission may or may not recommend as being appropriate for all categories of disability and impairment which would flow from the scheme which has been the subject of the reference to the PC. Therefore, it is important that we await the PC’s conclusions.

It was only yesterday in this parliament that the honourable members introduced a private member’s bill. An hour later the honourable member brought around to me two individuals who had been affected directly by one of these bombings and I made a point of going out almost immediately to meet with them. On top of that, reflecting directly upon the conversation we had with those individuals—and I made reference to those individuals in the speech I gave last night at the National Disability Awards—I would say that for individuals such as those persons we should also consider how and by what means any future social insurance scheme of the type which has been referred to by the families minister in question time today could address those and other needs.

On top of that, as I said yesterday in question time in response to the member for Warringah, we maintain an open mind as to what forms of practical assistance we can provide to Australians who are victims of international terrorist attacks. That is the spirit which the government brings to bear in seeking to deal with this sensitive set of problems, as we are seeking to deal with other sensitive problems concerning those who have suffered comprehensive disability and other forms of disability.

Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.