Liberal premiers and the disabled

Michelle Grattan The Age 26 July 2012

The Liberal premiers have let politics get in the way of helping the disabled. That was the only conclusion to be drawn yesterday when only Labor leaders were willing to stake up some dollars for trials of the proposed national disability insurance scheme.

No wonder Ted Baillieu and Barry O'Farrell looked defensive; even Queensland's Campbell Newman, who had been the most bolshie before the meeting about providing no money, stressed (with a hint of apology): ''Do we want to put more in? You betcha. Can we put more in right now? Well, I'm afraid we can't.''

Baillieu will have some explaining to do to the disabled and their families.

The premiers know that their communities are likely to think badly of them for not chipping in. Just consider: Victoria was being called on to provide just $10 million a year for four years. Not to put too fine a point on it - that's peanuts in a state budget. The Victorian government was being asked, for the people in the trial, to increase its current annual spending of just under $16,000 a head to about $20,700, with the federal government topping up to about $35,000.

The Victorians had worries about compliance setting a precedent for future funding (they were told it doesn't) and, when discussion turned to possible compromise, that there was not enough time to work through it before they were hassled to a joint news conference. But surely there had been lots of opportunity for negotiations before yesterday's formal meeting.

With Labor on the wane around the country, the conservative states like to flex their muscles on federalism. But here they have chosen a bad policy area for that. The disability scheme has broad bipartisan support; the Liberal states should approach the detail in that spirit.

Unless the coming talks are productive, Baillieu will have some explaining to do to the disabled and their families in Barwon.

For a proper set of trials, the big states need to be involved. The federal government is hoping the Victoria and NSW governments will feel so much political heat that they will be shamed into co-operation. As they should be.