Minister Jacquie Petrusma does not deserve to hold the Disability Services portfolio as it is clear she is incapable of standing up for vulnerable people.
Shadow Minister for Disability, Jo Siejka, said in Question Time today, the Minister seemed confused and failed to answer questions about Tasmanian disability providers facing funding cuts.
“At the end of this financial year, the Government will no longer fund 18 disability providers in Tasmania who depend on and require State Government funding to deliver services to 90,000 people living with a disability,” Ms Siejka said.
“The groups look after people who are not eligible for the NDIS and are reliant on Government funding to continue the great work they do in the community.
“When questioned in Parliament today, the Minister said these groups would instead be eligible to apply for the Information Linkages and Connections (ILC) grants provided through the NDIS.
“These grants don’t provide a viable solution for these organisations for a number of reasons including they don’t provide core funding, are project based and are nationally competitive. There are no guarantees these organisations will be successful in this grants process, or be eligible to apply.
“The Minister must explain whether she has a plan to support these organisations outside of the ILC grants or whether she is just going to neglect her responsibilities and let them fall through the cracks.”
Jo Siejka MLC
Shadow Minister for Disability
