Gillard Government must reinstate disability subsidy

Minister for Education, Training and Employment John-Paul Langbroek has slammed Julia Gillard and Wayne Swan’s decision to withdraw funding support for disabled Queensland children to attend kindergarten.

Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS), which is provided by the Federal Government, ensured children with disabilities and additional needs had the same access to day care services as every other child.  

Mr Langbroek said Queensland day care services found out that this funding had been cut just before Christmas last year.

“This move simply does not make any sense,” Mr Langbroek said.

“I’ve had day care services tell me that in 2013 they will have to turn away children with high needs from their kindergarten program without the necessary funding provided by the ISS.

“This is either exceptionally poor policy or a callous attempt by the Gillard Government to shift its responsibility for day care and early childhood onto the states and territories.

“It’s especially disappointing that the Treasurer Wayne Swan, who is a Queenslander, would ignore the needs of children in his own state.”

Since 2008 the Federal Government has been funding states and territories to provide universal access to a quality kindergarten education in the year before Prep.

Mr Langbroek said the ISS was used on top of existing funding by day care services, to employ an aide to assist with the functioning of a higher needs child and their interaction with other children.

“This subsidy provides for equal access, while the kindergarten funding provides for a qualified teacher and improved educational outcomes for all kids before they start school. There is no overlap,” he said.

“The effects of the short-sighted decision are going to be disastrous for Queensland families.”

Mr Langbroek said he had written to Minister Ellis and had still not received an adequate explanation as to why this funding has been cut.

“I can only conclude that this is no more than a secretive and deceptive campaign by the Gillard Government to claw back a few dollars,” he said.

“Now they’ve broken their budget surplus promise, I see no reason why they can’t reinstate the ISS before the start of kindergarten programs in late January.”

[ENDS] 17 January, 2013                                       

Media contact: Danita Goodwin 0439 886 652