The Australian disabled community and its allies have called out Prime Minister Scott Morrison for his fkn wild comments about being “blessed” his kids don’t have disabilities.
Morrison and Labor Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese went head to head in the first debate for the Federal Election on Wednesday night.
A mother of a four-year-old child with autism asked them about cuts to the National Disability Insurance Scheme and what the scheme would look like under either majority government.
Morrison told the woman he and his wife Jenny Morrison were “blessed” because their two daughters didn’t have a disability.
“Jenny and I have been blessed. We’ve got two children who haven’t had to go through that,” he said.
“And so for parents with children who are disabled, I can only try to understand.”
https://twitter.com/matttburke/status/1516717282126594049
It was an incredibly tactless thing to say to a mother of a child with a disability. Particularly when she asked him about what his government would do to support people like her son.
Members of the disabled community and also just those with basic human decency called Morrison’s comments “reprehensible”, “insensitive” and “ignorant”.
“OMFG I am fucking raging at Scott Morrison’s assertion that he and Jenny are ‘blessed’ because they don’t have any children with a disability,” said one person on Twitter.
“I fucking can’t with this guy. What a truly reprehensible, tone-deaf, insensitive and ignorant thing to say.”
OMFG I am fucking raging at Scott Morrison’s assertion that he and Jenny are “blessed” because they don’t have any children with a disability. I fucking can’t with this guy. What a truly reprehensible, tone deaf, insensitive, and ignorant thing to say. #auspol https://t.co/UAKDBEXqRd
— Angie (@canberra_angie) April 20, 2022
Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John tweeted assurance to disabled children that they aren’t burdens, despite Morrison’s assertions.
“You are not a burden, you are totally fabulous,” he said.
“I am proud to be part of our community and I am in solidarity with you all tonight.”
To the 4.4 million disabled kids & kids-at-heart across Australia. You are not a burden, you are totally fabulous. I am proud to be part of our community and I am in solidarity with you all tonight 💚 #auspol #disabilitypride
— Senator Jordon Steele-John (@SenatorJordon) April 20, 2022
https://twitter.com/TamePunk/status/1516777256139386884?s=20&t=gtIlKM0vRT_WrZMx9NJK4A
I am “blessed” to have a child with autism. She teaches me things every day. Our lives are enriched by her. #auspol #ausvotes #autism https://t.co/qU9rRZF06f
— Katy Gallagher (@SenKatyG) April 20, 2022
Disability activist and writer Carly Findlay reminded Morrison the world was “blessed” to have disabled people.
“Disabled people—our value is not determined by how our Prime Muppet speaks about us,” she said.
“We matter. We deserve love, supportive and well-funded programs like NDIS, opportunity and equality.
“The world is blessed to have us. And we are blessed not to have Scott Morrison as our Dad.”
Disabled people – our value is not determined by how our Prime Muppet speaks about us.
We matter.
We deserve love, supportive & well funded programs like NDIS, opportunity, equality.
The world is blessed to have us.
(& we are blessed not to have Scott Morrison as our Dad.)
— Carly Findlay OAM (she/her) (@carlyfindlay) April 20, 2022
Others pointed out how insulting his comments were considering the mother was asking about what NDIS would look like under Scott Morrison’s government. The uncalled for “sympathy” had nothing to do with her question.
https://twitter.com/K8Shuttleworth/status/1516720446787391489?s=20&t=Y1WtO8bquzkV4zAxNKomzQ
https://twitter.com/AmyRemeikis/status/1516713991867088899?s=20&t=Y1WtO8bquzkV4zAxNKomzQ
Saying that you have been “blessed” not to have autistic children feels a little behind the times tbh #leadersdebate
— Matilda Boseley (@MatildaBoseley) April 20, 2022
I have had many wonderful opportunities and experiences in life because of my disability… I have also experienced discrimination and exclusion, not because of my disability, but because of unhelpful systems, beliefs and stereotypes.
— Elizabeth Wright 🎤🦿🦾💜 (@esioul) April 20, 2022
In Scott Morrison’s answer, the PM said NDIS is expensive.
“It was a very complex system, it’s bigger than Medicare now,” he said.
“It actually costs more every year than it costs to run Medicare and those costs will continue to increase.”
Morrison then used his brother-in-law, who has multiple sclerosis, as an example of NDIS bettering lives.
“He gets support through the NDIS to ensure that he has the wheelchair he needs and the aids he needs at home to work as a call centre operator and do things like that,” he said.
The PM said that while NDIS is worth investing in (duh?), the government has to get assessments right.
ICYMI, the National Disability Insurance Agency cut hundreds of people with autism and intellectual disabilities off NDIA payments in February, according to the ABC.
The NDIA claimed the funding wasn’t “value for money”. It goes without saying that disabled people shouldn’t have to prove their monetary value in order to be “worth” life-saving funding.
Parents of children with autism and intellectual disabilities told the ABC they had to quit their jobs and sell their houses to financially afford to be their child’s full-time carer.
IDK about you but it sounds like that money was incredibly fucking valuable to those that needed it.
https://twitter.com/Asher_Wolf/status/1516718188435697665?s=20&t=gtIlKM0vRT_WrZMx9NJK4A
In related news, the disability royal commission found disabled workers in Australia are being paid as little as $2 an hour. And what’s worse is it’s completely legal.
The way this country treats its disabled population is appalling, and Scott Morrison’s unabashed comments are a symptom of how common these ableist sentiments are in our leadership.
