[Greens-Media] Media Release - DSP assessment crackdown another Government witch-hunt

[Redman, Chris (Sen R. Siewert)]

12 December 2014

DSP assessment crackdown another Government witch-hunt

The Australian Greens said today that forcing new applicants for the disability support pension to be assessed by Commonwealth-appointed doctors was aimed at demonising and making life tough for people with disability.

"This is another witch-hunt from Minister Kevin Andrews and the Government. It is nothing more than a blatant cost-cutting measure that is aimed at making it harder for people to access income support," Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens spokesperson on family and community services said today.

"Forcing people to visit doctors they've never met before and who have no idea about their personal circumstances is not an effective way of carrying out assessments. This is a clear demonstration of the fact that this Government does not trust or respect those people who need income support or other assistance.

"A person's long-term doctor has better knowledge of their health, medical situation and their own personal circumstances, all of which are crucial for a thorough assessment of eligibility for the DSP.

"I have deep reservations about this proposal and the fact that the Government is looking to interfere with what should be an independent assessment.

"The Government continues to wage an ideological war against people on income support, perpetuating the myth of widespread rorting and abuse of the system, with little more than hearsay or anecdotal evidence to justify their stance.

"The Minister says there were 411 dishonest claims investigated last year, but doesn't mention that this is a tiny proportion of the more than 830,000 people receiving some level of DSP - less than 0.05 per cent. 
 
"This is an ideologically driven measure aimed at nothing more than scraping some money back by reducing access to DSP, no doubt with the intent of dumping people onto Newstart.

"If the Government had any genuine interest in helping people with disability they would be investing in better job services, providing more pathways into employment and address the significant issue of employment discrimination," Senator Siewert concluded.