STOP EQUIVOCATING ON DISABILITY ABUSE ROYAL COMMISSION

BILL SHORTEN MP.
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5 years ago
STOP EQUIVOCATING ON DISABILITY ABUSE ROYAL COMMISSION
BILL SHORTEN MP
Scott Morrison needs to stop equivocating on a royal commission into the violence, abuse and neglect perpetrated against people with disability.
 
Last week in the Senate, the Liberals and Nationals voted against a royal commission.
 
Then to avoid a vote in the House of Representatives, they ran down the clock with the longest Question Time in history.
 
On the weekend, Scott Morrison tried to airbrush history and gloss over last week’s obstruction in the Parliament, when he used every trick in the book to deny, delay and defer a royal commission.
 
He needs to unequivocally get behind this today. This must be voted upon today. We must get a result today.
 
People with disability deserve nothing less than a broad-based and dedicated royal commission. It cannot be tacked-on the Aged Care Royal Commission as an afterthought.
 
The royal commission must examine a wide range of contexts, including health, mental health, education and justice – not just disability services and the NDIS.
 
And the terms of reference must be finalised in consultation with people with disability and advocates.
 
Scott Morrison can’t just let this slide through the Parliament today, and then forget about it.
 
He cannot obfuscate any longer. He needs to put aside the resources and start taking action immediately.
 
People with disability have waited long enough – the time has come to get this done.