ABC PM
29 July 2010
5pm
EO & E
Subjects: ALP Disability Announcement
(extract)
BRENDAN TREMBATH:
The Opposition’s spokesman for disabilities is Senator Mitch Fifield.
MITCH FIFIELD:
The Coalition will take a look at what Labor has announced today and we’ll be releasing the elements of our disabilities policy during the campaign.
But just taking firstly, Labor’s promise of $60 million for 150 extra supported accommodation places over the next four years, based on Labor’s record there’s no chance that they will deliver these places.
BRENDAN TREMBATH:
Why not?
MITCH FIFIELD:
Well in 2008 Labor promised an additional 300 new supported accommodation places. But ABC’s Four Corners revealed in February of this year that just 40 of those places had been delivered. So, given Labor’s record, we can’t trust them to deliver another 150 places when they haven’t even fulfilled their previous promise to build the 300.
BRENDAN TREMBATH:
How many would the Opposition provide?
MITCH FIFIELD:
Well as I say we will be releasing the elements of our disabilities policy during the campaign. The purpose of today was to present Julia Gillard as a champion of good social policy but we now know from the fact that she opposed the increase in pensions and opposed the increase, or introduction I should say, of paid maternity leave, that she’s certainly not.