Yvette D'Ath (Petrie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Families, Community Services, Indigenous Affairs and Disability Reform. How is the government investing to better support people with disability, their families and carers? What are the challenges to this historic investment?

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Disability Reform) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Petrie for her question and, in particular, for her advocacy for people with disability and carers in her part of Brisbane. I know that she is campaigning hard to make sure that people in Queensland with a disability and their carers and families get a fair go. Of course, that is exactly what this government is determined to do. We are determined to build a National Disability Insurance Scheme. The Treasurer announced in this year's budget an extra $1 billion so that we can start the National Disability Insurance Scheme from July next year. We have done this with the agreement of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory—but not Queensland.

What this government also realises is that we have got a lot of work to do in the meantime. We are delivering additional support for people with disability and their carers. Since 2007 we have delivered $800 million for disability care and support in Queensland alone. What we of course have also done is deliver to the 35,000 carers in Queensland extra income support, to the 150,000 Queenslander with disabilities we have also delivered an increase to their disability support pension. Of course at the same time that the Queensland government is slashing and burning and cutting grants to community sector workers, cutting grants to many organisations that people depend on in Queensland, we are seeing 385 staff lose their jobs in the community services sector alone in Queensland. And while this is all happening of course we have the shadow treasurer saying that he thinks all of these cuts are courageous. We have Senator Joyce saying that he backs Campbell and these cuts 100 per cent.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The minister was asked about the government's policies and what the government was doing. Previous speakers have ruled as irrelevancies talking about other levels of government or other political parties. I therefore ask you to bring her back to the question.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The manager of opposition business will resume his seat. The minister has the call.

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Disability Reform) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was also asked about challenges. The biggest challenge sits right opposite, because when you were in government you were the ones that cut disability care and support funding so that people with disability found their care and support disappear when you were in government.