Page 2244 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 23 June 2010
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Stanhope government and says that it did not happen. Indeed, the minister was asked that question. It is a question on notice in the estimates hearing. Mr Doszpot asked in the third part of his question:
Has funding that would be used to support the Shepherd Centre been allocated to other initiatives?
The answer is yes. So clearly it has been reallocated, according to the answer. But according to the minister, no, it has not because it was federal money. There is a question that has to be answered there. Has this money been reallocated or have you misled the Assembly, minister? That is a very serious mislead if indeed the minister has stood here and, in a bald-faced manner, said there was no reallocation, when, according to her own answer just a couple of weeks ago, yes, it has occurred.
The government has stood here, through Mr Barr, and said: “We are going through a process. There is going to be a tender and we are going to tender for services like work experience and social placements, sexual health and education.” Madam Deputy Speaker, I ask you: how many three-year-old kids with a hearing impairment are going to benefit from each being educated about sexual health, or how many three-year-old kids with a hearing impairment actually go out for work experience?
Mr Barr: Why do you not mention the third part of the tender, Brendan? Why have you just excluded from that list the specific reference?
MR SMYTH: This is the problem. This is the problem with Mr Barr’s approach. He stands up here with his petty, belligerent attitude because he is caught out.
Mr Barr: You have just excluded the specific reference to individual learning plans and you have just been caught out for the malicious misrepresenter that you are.
MR SMYTH: I am just reading the answer. I am just commenting on your words, minister. The two ministers need to get together. The problem is that the minister is not interested. There are no media events. There are no good press releases in cutting services and shutting services to disabled kids. That is the problem here. There is no good news for Andrew Barr to be out there, spruiking how well he is doing. This is why he does not meet with these people. This is why he will not talk to the families. He will not talk to the organisations because (1) he does not have the courage to do so and explain the reason for this, and (2) there is not a logical reason for, firstly, the decision that has been undertaken and, secondly, the process that the minister has embarked upon.
The problem here is that yes, the organisations were told earlier this year they needed to seek alternative funding. That is what they have been doing. They were told that a tender would be put out. And that is what they have been waiting for. Yet this funding finishes next week. This funding will finish mid next week. As was said on ABC radio this morning, this funding runs out on 30 June—this is for Noah’s Ark—meaning that they will have to cancel the program altogether.
It is well and good to have a tender but let us look at the reality of what cancelling that program means. If there are no funds then there will be no staff. And the minister
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