Grievance Debate

Minister for Human Services

Ms COOK (Hurtle Vale) (15:11): The people in our community who have difficulties under the human services portfolio are often very vulnerable. In fact, it would not be an overreach to refer to that portfolio as the vulnerability portfolio. It is a challenge to get people to come forward, even in complete anonymity, to tell their stories and to use their names or speak in public about their journey. It is often a bridge too far. However, because the story cannot be public and attached by face to a name, it does not mean that it does not happen.

Stories are delivered to us out in our communities, and they are very real. However, during question time in the other place, it was clear that the minister does not like being held to account for her decisions and she does not like scrutiny. The minister has spent the past 12 months dog whistling her way through question time, fashioning herself as an advocate for South Australians living with a disability, when in fact she is not. This rhetoric is not supported by the reality of the minister's actions. When under pressure, the minister seeks to accuse the opposition of playing political games and selling false hope to the electorate and also makes allegations that questions asked of her are not based on actual constituents.

The minister does not actually have the luxury of having an office out in the constituency—mind you, neither do I, nor do the members for Mawson and Wright. Is there anyone else on this side? We are still waiting to get into our electorate offices.

Aside from that, bad decisions are made, and this government has made a lot of them already, particularly around the people in our community who are vulnerable.

Mr Duluk interjecting:

Ms COOK: The member for Waite may laugh at that, but he just does not understand, as a banker, what it is like to be vulnerable and not know where the next meal is coming from. These people band together. They write letters, they make phone calls, they organise and they protest to let their will be known to their elected officials.

Just because the minister says it is so does not make it thus. The constant insistence by the minister that to disagree with her short-sighted agenda is to sell false hope to the public is an absolute nonsense. Indeed, in my time as shadow minister for human services I have supported many people on this side and many constituents in our communities who are experiencing difficulty living with a disability or with their NDIS plans to achieve a better outcome. I have done this not through blame shifting and scapegoating others but by working hard every day for those South Australians who need a voice.

I have successfully managed to help dozens of South Australians, as have other members on this side, to launch plan reviews for inadequate or insufficient NDIS plans. I have worked hard with individuals one on one, these people needing all forms of assistance, from renovations to bathrooms to power generators for critical medical equipment—

An honourable member: Thank you.

Ms COOK: —you're welcome—to drawing the government's attention to alleged incidences of abuse and neglect. We act swiftly and we respond rapidly to these questions. In fact, recently I received a request, along with a number of other people cc'd into the same email, by a young constituent who was aged 10 and who needed support to get his electric wheelchair back up and operating. I can tell you that we had that wheelchair up and moving within the week, and that was before the minister's office even answered that constituent.

Last week, we held a round table that was attended by 50 providers on very short notice. In fact, because the federal shadow minister was coming to visit and we wanted to put the providers in front of her to share their concerns and issues about the NDIS, we sent out the email at 5 o'clock on a Friday afternoon, and after the public holiday Monday we had 50 RSVPs to that round table. I think that shows that there are some real concerns out in the community, and these providers were very happy to come in and be able have an ear around that table.

Just because individuals do not feel comfortable putting their name to their concerns does not invalidate their anxieties, nor should it disqualify them from government assistance and parliamentary representation. I, along with others on this side, will continue to advocate on behalf of all South Australians, whether or not they choose to publicly identify themselves.