Fed: Vanstone happy to talk to individual states
CANBERRA, Aug 30 AAP - Family and Community Services Minister Amanda Vanstone has openedthe door for states to deal individually with the federal government over disability servicesfunding.
Senator Vanstone has sent a letter to state ministers responsible for disability servicestelling them she will consider separate agreements with individual states.
It came after talks failed to produce a national five-year agreement covering fundingfor the disabled.
"It's perfectly clear that if there's a state that is prepared to say, `Well, we'llgive certainty to the disability sector and we want to make an agreement because we wantthe money', I think the commonwealth would be doing the wrong thing to say, `No, you haveto wait for all the states that are slower'," Senator Vanstone told ABC radio.
West Australian Disability Services Minister Sheila McHale said disability fundingwas a national issue and the Labor states would stick together.
"That is a position which is totally contrary to the position for the last 12 years,"
she told ABC radio.
"All state and territory ministers are quite clear that multilateral agreement is whatis required and we are quite firm in that regard."
ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said Senator Vanstone was playing tough by writingto disability services telling them of the ACT government's failure in coming to a fundingagreement.
"She's witten to agencies within the ACT and indeed with all the states and territories,in effect dobbing governments in," he said on ABC.
"Suggesting that we haven't responded and we haven't passed monies on. It's just nottrue, I'm concerned at that sort of behaviour."
NSW Community Services Minister Carmel Tebbutt agreed the states would work as one.
"At this stage we believe the best way to encourage the commonwealth to provide morefunding is to act in concert with the rest of the other states and territories," she toldABC radio.
AAP sm/daw/mg/las
KEYWORD: DISABILITY LEAD
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