Disability Services

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (14:34): My question is to the Minister for Human Services regarding disability services. Minister, have you asked the commonwealth minister for the NDIS, Stuart Robert, to reveal information about checks on Ms Smith that he claimed in a media interview to know about but would not share? Do you agree with the comments from the co-chair of your task force that the commonwealth minister's actions are outrageous and unforgivable?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (14:34): In relation to the first question, I have had a range of discussions with my federal college Stuart Robert. I am not going to go into details of those discussions. On the second question, I would say that the Hon. Kelly Vincent speaks for herself. She does not need my affirmation, my endorsement or any of those things. This goes to the heart—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —of the sort of ableism and paternalism that we have seen—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —in the Labor Party's response to this issue.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: Do you agree with her comments?

The PRESIDENT: Order! I am struggling to hear the minister. Minister, please continue.

The Hon. R.P. Wortley: We're struggling—

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Wortley, you should know better.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: People with disabilities have fought hard for their rights. They have fought hard to be seen.

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: We're asking you: do you agree with the comments? You are the minister—do you agree?

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter, you may have a supplementary, but at the moment the minister is trying to answer a supplementary.

The Hon. C.M. Scriven interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! You don't speak when I'm speaking, the Hon. Ms Scriven. The Hon. Mr Hunter, you may wish to ask a supplementary question. At this stage we are going to let the minister provide an answer, and then we're going to go from there. Minister.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I think we have seen in the last 24 hours Kelly speaking for herself and asking that those of us who do not have lived experience can respect people with disability for who they are, stop being paternalistic, stop fighting over semantics and just try to get on with trying to find some solutions.

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: You just won't tell us any facts, will you? What about an opinion: do you agree with her comments?

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter, enough! Minister.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Kelly Vincent speaks for herself, as we know. Those of us who were colleagues of herself for eight years—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: Do you agree with her comments?

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter, let the minister finish her answer.

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: She's not answering.

The PRESIDENT: She can't because you're interrupting!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Mr President, forgive me if I am wrong, but I thought it was out of order for ministers to be asked their opinions on things. That aside, I would like to make the point that the Hon. Kelly Vincent, who has been a colleague of a number of us for eight years in this chamber and whom we have had the great honour of being good friends with since, has a voice of her own, and that is something that people with disabilities have fought for for years, not to be paternalised and not to have people without lived experience speak on their behalf.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Kelly Vincent does not need me to endorse her comments; she speaks for herself.