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‘That was his perception’: Mum responds to PM’s ‘blessed’ comment

By Cloe Read

A mother whose plight with the NDIS prompted the Prime Minister to remark that he was “blessed” to not have children with disabilities has criticised Scott Morrison for the comment.

But Catherine Yeoman said she was more concerned that Morrison had failed to address the concerns that she and other parents have over NDIS funding cuts.

The Brisbane woman, whose four-year-old son Ethan has autism, used the first leaders’ debate on Wednesday night to ask Morrison about issues with the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Catherine Yeoman, her son Ethan, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Catherine Yeoman, her son Ethan, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

In front of 100 undecided voters at a televised event, Yeoman explained that her son had lost about 30 per cent of his funding, worth thousands of dollars, and she believed other families had suffered similar problems.

Yeoman said they were “grateful” to receive NDIS funding. Yet she had been told by others that to give her son the best future, she should vote Labor, and wanted to know what the Coalition government would do with the NDIS.

In response, Morrison told Yeoman and the audience - and those watching on television - that he and wife Jenny were “blessed” to have “two children who don’t, haven’t had to go through that [autism]” .

“So for parents with children who are disabled, I can only try and understand,” the Prime Minister said.

Reaction to the “blessed” comment

  • “Woke up this morning feeling very blessed to be disabled - I reckon my parents are pretty happy about it too. 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.”  - Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott.
  • “I am blessed to have a child with autism. She teaches me things every day. Our lives are enriched by her.” - Labor senator Katy Gallagher.
  • “I have a son with autism, I have two other children as well; all three are a blessing. But what (the Prime Minister’s comment) is acknowledging is that (for) parents with a child who does have a disability, there are additional challenges. There are times when you don’t feel particularly blessed.” - NSW Liberal senator Hollie Hughes.
  • “I have a five-year-old son with autism and he is definitely no less than Morrison’s two daughters. My wife and I are blessed to have Oscar.  Btw our NDIS funding was also cut.”  - Queensland Labor MP Don Brown.

Labor seized on Morrison’s reference to being “blessed” to have children who did not have autism, sparking a debate on social media and the hustings.

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Morrison on Thursday tried to clarify his comments, claiming others had twisted his words, and said he did not think Yeoman thought his words were offensive or hurtful.

“I don’t think anyone would seriously think that I had intended anything different to that ... Catherine certainly didn’t convey to me that she had taken it in that way,” he said.

But Yeoman, who met with Morrison after the event, told this masthead: “That was his perception.”

“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.”

Morrison said he meant no offence, but accepted that it had offended people, and apologised.

Yeoman said her major issue remained that the Prime Minister did not answer the question about funding cuts.

“We did have to make some decisions about which therapist to cut. We’re looking down the thing and we’re like, does he need to be toilet trained or does he need to speak – these were the decisions we had to make.”

Catherine Yeoman

“It’s fair enough to say that he would talk to me separately afterwards but he didn’t answer the question to the room,” she said.

Yeoman, who entered the debate as one of dozens of “undecided” voters, told this masthead she was facing tough decisions with how she would vote in the upcoming federal election.

She said it would be largely determined by how fair and transparent the NDIS process would be in the future.

Amid widespread reports of cuts in NDIS funding, researchers from UNSW recently pointed to a four per cent cut in the average plan per participant - $71,200 to $68,500 - between 2020 and 2021. They cautioned that some participants would have been worse affected than others.

Yeoman said Morrison and his staffer approached her after the debate and took her details.

“He did live up to his promise. He came directly to me ... I have had a phone call first thing this morning very early from the PM’s office and they’ve invited me to call again,” she said.

“Anthony Albanese also came and had a chat, which was very kind as well. That was just off to the side, so I appreciate that quiet moment as well.”

Her son has just had his first review through the NDIS, after he was diagnosed about two years ago.

“I’m told that intensive early intervention is the best strategy for Ethan,” she said, explaining that she was informed, before he turned five, there would be a possibility to essentially rewire his brain, adjusting neuro pathways for future development.

“On one hand, I’m told, ‘do as much as you can, but we’re going to take away more of your funding’,” she said. “Just a total mismatch of messaging.

“It’s a kind of sliding doors moment – there’s a pathway in the next year for Ethan. He’s going to go that way into the future or he’s going to go that way into the future depending on how much I invest in his therapy now.

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“When I had my funding cut, I can’t honestly reduce his therapy bill and send him on that path, that downward path.”

Yeoman said she felt immense pressure to work more hours, which took her away from Ethan, to invest in his future with a therapist.

“We did have to make some decisions about which therapist to cut. We’re looking down the thing and we’re like, does he need to be toilet trained or does he need to speak – these were the decisions we had to make,” she said.

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Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/link/follow-20170101-p5af29