‘His perception’: Mum responds to PM’s ‘blessed’ comments
A mother whose question prompted the Prime Minister to say he was “blessed” to have children without disabilities has responded.
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A mother whose question prompted the Prime Minister to say he was “blessed” to have children without disabilities has responded to his remarks.
Catherine Yeoman criticised his comments but said she was more concerned Scott Morrison had failed to address her concerns about NDIS funding cuts.
The Brisbane woman, whose four-year-old son Ethan has autism, asked Mr Morrison about issues with the National Disability Insurance Scheme during a leaders’ debate on Wednesday night.
Ms Yeoman said she was grateful to receive NDIS funding but her son’s support package had been cut by 30 per cent.
She wanted to know what the coalition would do with the NDIS.
In response, Mr Morrison asked questions about Ms Yeoman’s son before speaking about his own family.
“Jenny and I have been blessed, we have two children who haven’t had to go through that,” the Prime Minister said.
“And so for parents, with children who are disabled, I can only try and understand your aspirations for those children.
“And then I think that is the beauty of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.”
His “blessed” remarks sparked immediate outrage from Labor MPs and disability advocates.
Mr Morrison tried to clarify his comments on Thursday and claimed others had “twisted his words”.
The Prime Minister also said he did not think Ms Yeoman found his words offensive or hurtful.
“Catherine certainly didn’t convey to me that she had taken it in that way,” he said.
Ms Yeoman, who met with the Prime Minister after the event, saw things differently.
“That was his perception,” she told the Brisbane Times.
“He did not ask me about it directly ... It was a poor choice of words and I do believe every child is a blessing.
“I don’t want this comment to overshadow the intent of the original question.”
Ms Yeoman said her major issue was that Mr Morrison did not answer the question about funding cuts.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison also apologised to tennis champion and Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott after making the “blessed” remarks.
Alcott joined a long list of politicians and disability advocates condemning Mr Morrison for saying he and wife Jenny were “blessed” to have children without disability.
“Woke up this morning feeling very blessed to be disabled – I reckon my parents are pretty happy about it too,” Alcott said on Thursday morning.
“Feeling sorry for us and our families doesn’t help. Treating us equally, and giving us the choice and control over our own lives does.”
At a press conference in marginal seat of Bonner, Mr Morrison said he had never intended to imply that not all children were a blessing.
“I‘ve had a chat with Dylan Alcott about those issues today,” Mr Morrison said.
“I meant no offence by what I said last night but I accept that it has caused offence to people … I have been in contact today and I apologised directly to Dylan about that.”
“I think people would also appreciate that I would have had no such intention of suggesting that anything other than every child is a blessing is true.”
Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame – who is autistic herself – was quick to hit out at the Prime Minister for his comments.
“Autism blesses those of us who have it with the ability to spot fakes from a mile off,” she said in a tweet, accompanied by the now infamous picture of her side-eyeing Mr Morrison.
Autism blesses those of us who have it with the ability to spot fakes from a mile off pic.twitter.com/Ck41YcqAAq
— Grace Tame (@TamePunk) April 20, 2022
Woke up this morning feeling very blessed to be disabled - I reckon my parents are pretty happy about it too.
— Dylan Alcott (@DylanAlcott) April 20, 2022
Feeling sorry for us and our families doesn’t help. Treating us equally, and giving us the choice and control over our own lives does
I missed the debate of our future PM’s…. Did I miss much, or was I blessed to miss it? pic.twitter.com/D1KMnTkQoY
— Kurt Fearnley (@kurtfearnley) April 20, 2022
Mr Morrison’s words caused mixed reviews during the forum, with some, including Labor’s NDIS spokesman Bill Shorten pointing out “every child is a blessing.”
Speaking with Channel 7 on Thursday morning, Labor frontbencher Katy Gallagher said Mr Morrison’s comments upset her as a parent of a daughter with autism.
“I found it really offending and quite shocking, and it is something that people who have a disability, children with autism, it is a kind of response they get all the time,” she said.
“That people are blessed not to have what they have when, in actual fact, every child is a blessing.”
However, Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes, also a mum of a son with autism, slammed Mr Morrison’s opponents for “politicising” the issue and missing the point.
“I cannot believe that this is what they want to focus on,” she told Sydney’s 2GB radio.
“You know, (the Prime Minister and Jenny) were blessed. They tried for 14 years to have children. And they're blessed with two beautiful daughters.
“But if that's what you want to pick up from the Prime Minister, if you want to push this point that somehow he’s disregarding the experience … go away, stop politicising our experience if you’ve never been through it.”
She added while she was “blessed” herself to have three children, there were times when her child was younger that she “did not feel particularly blessed”.
“I can tell you I felt like I was parenting at an absolute master’s level … It was hard in those early days,” Senator Hughes said.
Disability advocate Craig Wallace agreed, taking to Twitter to say the gaffe was “careless” but not malicious.
“But it does speak to disability as a cosmic tragedy visited from the sky and it doesn’t have to be,” he wrote.
“If we are ‘cursed’ it’s because society didn’t choose to end barriers, discrimination and neglect.”
However, Autism Awareness Australia warned people with disability will remember his words on polling day.
“Your words speak volumes about how you perceive people with a disability,” the organisation tweeted.
“Perhaps you should spend more time fixing and fully funding our NDIS, and less time counting your ‘blessings’.”
Perhaps you should spend more time fixing and fully funding our #NDIS, and less time counting your 'blessings'.
— Autism Awareness Aus (@AutismAwareAus) April 20, 2022
Australians with a disability and there families will remember your words come voting time. #DefendOurNDIS#YourVoteMatters#autismvotes#ausvotes#auspol
Originally published as ‘His perception’: Mum responds to PM’s ‘blessed’ comments
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