“Do Australian Politicians Actually Value The Lives Of People With Disabilities?”

After the events of the last few years, isn’t it any wonder Australians with disability are asking: Do our politicians really value the lives of those living with a disability?

If you take a closer look at how disability is viewed within parliament, at what our politicians say and do, you’ll think this is a fair enough question.

Firstly, it took decades of hard work by disability advocates to convince our politicians that the violence, abuse, neglect and exploitaton of people with disabilities were at unacceptable levels in this country, before the Disability Royal Commission ever eventuated.

When the Disability Royal Commission did eventuate, thousands of people with disabilities gave evidence of their experiences of violence, abuse neglect and exploitation that has been perpetrated against them within Australian society for decades. The Disability Royal Commission ran for a period of four and a half years.

But even with the gut-wrenching Final Report in September 2023, which summarised the horrors our community is facing in all areas of existence, the government’s response was disappointing, only enacting a measly 13 recommendations out of 222. This is compared to the Mental Health Royal Commission and Aged Care Royal Commission, where all or most recommendations were accepted.

So why is disability seen as less?

It just doesn’t make sense, how can you read the stories, statistics and research conducted by the Commissioners of the Royal Commission and just not take any action?

How can you not look at the fact that girls with disability are twice as likely to experience abuse before the age of 15. That 90% of women with intellectual disability have experienced abuse.

That it’s seen as acceptable to pay disabled people as little as $2.37 an hour, for the same work non-disabled people would get minimum wage for.

Like that disabled people are being significantly discriminated against in education, healthcare, employment, transport, and in the community, and it’s even worse for those who have multiple levels of marginalisation.

The government couldn’t even commit to criminalising forced sterilisation for disabled people. Imagine if you went in for a surgery or treatment, and came out unable to have children without your consent, just because you’re disabled. Messed up, right? Apparently not enough for the government to change it.

What does this say about our leaders? Leaders like Pauline Hanson, Senator for the One Nation Party, who publicly comments that children with disabilities are draining the resources of pulic schools, therefore they should be educated separately. Obviously Hanson hasn’t heard of the harmful effort of people with disability being segregated from mainstream society.

She also release a horrible video in 2023, about disability and the NDIS, calling people with disability scams and a burden, along with some truly awful, hateful words and images. Yet there were no repercussions. There never is.

That’s why it feels like such a betrayal that NDIS Minister Bill Shorten teamed up with Pauline, pushing harmful narratives about the budget blowout of the NDIS, and rushing decisions and changes, because waiting and actually working with the disabled community would cost too much. Advocates begged the government to listen, but of course they didn’t. Instead, he called us ?“extremists” peddling “fear and misinformation”, and rushed changes that cut $14.4 billion from the NDIS over the next five years. Changes to the supports we can access have wreaked havoc across the community and clearly shows the apparent lack of disabled people involved in the process. Despite many advocates and organisations speaking out, we’re largely ignored.

But here’s the thing: yes, the NDIS is costly. But it’s also life-saving and life-changing, and people who aren’t disabled have no business making decisions about our lives. By the way, Australia spends over $53 billion a year on defense, and no one calls that a budget blowout. Each member of parliament costs the Australian community around a million a year in wages and expenses–why aren’t we talking about that as a way to cut costs? Because it’s much easier to pick on a marginalised community that traditionally hasn’t been able to fight back. Classy.

Also, let’s not forget that the NDIS is one of the biggest contributors to the Australian economy, delivering $2.25 billion in economic value for every billion spent in the scheme. It isn’t just support for us: it’s supporting an entire industry, including so many small businesses, creating a wealth of jobs. Despite its problems (including the fact that many disabled people still can’t access it), the NDIS makes such a difference to so many people: something politicians conveniently forget while calling us scammers.

Even outside of the NDIS, it’s clear there are poor attitudes towards disability. Earlier last year, so many disability organisations had their funding slashed, including Women With Disabilities Victoria, which had 48% of their funding taken away, until disability advocates fought for it back.?

Attitudes about disability are so poor that it’s even seen as acceptable for the leader of our country to make jokes at our expense. Like Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s question to a reporter if “he had Tourette’s or something”, while laughing. Of course, Albo apologised. But the fact that he felt comfortable enough to make a joke like that in the first place is telling.

Surely Australians with disability deserve better from our politicians, than this?