Besieged PM to consider disability inquiry

Scott Morrison says he will ­consider a call for a royal commission into abuse of people with a disability.

Independent MP Bob Katter warned he would be a “raging fury” unless the governm­ent took on debt from stricken cattle farmers. Picture: Getty Images

Scott Morrison says he will ­consider a call for a royal commission into abuse of people with a disability, as Labor and the Greens sought unsuccessfully to force a second defeat on the government within days with a motion demandin­g the inquiry.

The first week of parliament for the year ended in uproar yesterday, with a new record for the duratio­n of question time — 148 minutes — and a heckling senator reprimanded by the House of ­Representatives Speaker.

Greens senator Jordon Steele-John was a guest in the House of Representatives chamber to witness what he expected would be a vote on his earlier successful motio­n in the Senate calling for a royal commission into violence against disabled people.

But the wheelchair-bound Greens disability spokesman becam­e agitated and shouted at the Prime Minister when the governmen­t refused to wind up question time, earning a rebuke from Speaker Tony Smith.

Mr Smith also admonished Labor, telling manager of opposition business Tony Burke that a message from the Senate had not arrived in the house to allow the Steele-John motion to be voted upon.

Bill Shorten attacked the Prime Minister, accusing him of turning a blind eye on disabled people. “We understand that the government does not know how to handle this issue. But that should not be a reason why we cannot vote on this issue of a royal commission,” the Opposition Leader said.

But Mr Morrison said he was prepared to consider such a royal commission, noting that the government had commenced royal commissions into the banks and care of the elderly.

“The government will consider this in all seriousness, as we should,” he said.

“What we have done is act on royal commissions. The oppos­ition in the past when they were in government, they did not call a royal commission on this issue.”

However, the Prime Minister cautioned that the National Disabili­ty Insurance Scheme was not yet complete, “and to have a royal commission into a system that is still being built — one would question the wisdom of that”.

Government sources said questio­n time was extended because of an anticipated tactical bid by Labor to embarrass the government, which needs the votes of two crossbenchers to win parliament­ary votes.

Mr Morrison will tour areas devastated by the floods in far north Queensland with Bob Katter­ today, but the maverick independ­ent MP warned he would be a “raging fury” unless the governm­ent took on debt from stricken cattle farmers.

The Prime Minister and Mr Katter are in negotiations over how to help the farmers, with the government considering low-interes­t loans through the Region­al Investment Corporation.