WA:Barnett labels Shorten nasty and spiteful.

AAP General News (Australia)
08-11-2011
WA:Barnett labels Shorten nasty and spiteful.

By Josh Jerga

PERTH, Aug 11 AAP - West Australian Premier Colin Barnett has stood firm on his stance
on the proposed national disability insurance scheme accusing federal government ministers
of orchestrating a "nasty and spiteful" campaign against the state.

Mr Barnett said he would keep an open mind on the $13.5 billion scheme proposed by
the Productivity Commission scheme, but would not hand over control of WA's disability
services to the commonwealth.

"I'm not going to allow a repeat of the way the health issue was handled," he told parliament.

"Where the federal government comes in and says 'We've had the Productivity Commission,
a bunch of economists, do a report and guess what, they come up with a solution ... and
part of the deal is you give up your taxes, we fund it, we take it over.'

"'Oh and by the way we've never actually delivered disability services but we know
how to do it because we're the commonwealth, we're terrific'. What an absolute joke."

The premier came under attack from various government ministers including Assistant
Treasurer Bill Shorten who accused him of playing the anti-Canberra card for "some short-term,
petty pointscoring".

Mr Barnett lashed out at Mr Shorten, calling him a "particularly nasty and spiteful person".

"He has never spoken to me about (disability services); he has never picked up the
phone," he said.

While Community Services Minister Jenny Macklin said Mr Barnett needed to recognise
the current system for disability services had to change and WA's system was broken.

In the state's last budget, the government committed $600 million in additional funding
towards the not-for-profit sector including disability services.

Mr Barnett said no other government in Australia had ever showed "such a significant
and dramatic and expensive commitment" to people with a disability.

The premier accused Ms Macklin of condemning WA's disabilities service.

"The disability services sector from all the information I've got and from what I hear
from (the sector) and from families, the levels of services in this state are the best
of any state in Australia," he said.

About 70 per cent of the funding the state government provides to disability services
is spent by not-for-profit organisations.

WA Opposition Leader Eric Ripper called on Mr Barnett to put aside Canberra bashing
and make "caring and compassion" for people with a disability his priority.

Mr Ripper urged the premier to work constructively with the federal government on a
new disability insurance scheme.

"If we don't have a scheme like this there will never be enough money to meet the needs,
and the needs are absolutely compelling," he said.

However Mr Barnett slammed the opposition for hypocrisy, accusing them of rejecting
requests for funding by the disability sector when they were in government.

He said WA Labor were "running errands" for Jenny Macklin and Bill Shorten.

"Today we're having this orchestrated sense of outrage by Labor across the country,"

the premier said.

The prime minister will meet with premiers at a Council of Australian Government meeting
next week where Mr Barnett says he will take a sensible approach.

AAP jsj/jnb

KEYWORD: DISABILITY WA

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