The new PM has started as promised and promoted more women to Cabinet including Australia’s first ever female Defence Minister. There are 21 people in Cabinet, meaning that women now make up 24% of Cabinet, up from 11% (with 19 Cabinet ministers) under the previous Liberal PM.
There was also something on twitter about the British PM and a pig. #piggate I don’t know if you have noticed it. *snort*
What’s piqued your media interests lately?
As usual for media circus threads, please share your bouquets and brickbats for particular items in the mass media, or highlight cogent analysis elsewhere, on any current sociopolitical issue (the theme of each edition is merely for discussion-starter purposes – all current news items are on topic!).
96th Down Under Feminists Carnival 
Media Circus: Sets The Bar For Ministerial Conduct Impossibly High edition 
Media Circus: ASIO chief slammed for expert advice edition 
Staring at men’s crotches 
Hoyden About Town 
I’m very worried about the future of the NDIS. The dedicated Disability ministry has been axed, wrapped into Social Services.
And Social Services has been handed to Christian Porter, one of the worst possible choices when it comes to the NDIS. Christian Porter is from WA, and has been a fan of WA’s “My Way” disability services system, which is currently on trial here against the proper national NDIS. The trial isn’t finished – but WA politicians and disability service providers (but very noticeable, NOT people with disabilities) have been using the media to declare My Way the victor: because they’re “saving” $10 000 on average per package. Where are these savings coming from? No one will say. You can sign Samantha Connor’s petition to try to get them to listen to people with disabilities and give the NDIS a full trial here. As the petition says, “there are indications that the My Way scheme will result in poorer outcomes in choice and control, with significant concerns about the workability of the scheme in regional and remote areas.” People nationally should be concerned about this, now that Porter’s in charge.
Christian Porter has completely changed the language about the NDIS. When it was brought in, the language was about choice and control, providing reasonable and necessary supports to people with disabilities, assisting people with disabilities to achieve our goals and be involved in all aspects of community life. Porter is already well into spin territory, talking about cost efficiency, being “generous” and supporting the most “vulnerable”. From the article, this chilling note: “Mr Porter has previously backed tough and twice-defeated welfare measures in the budget, including making young people wait a month for the dole.”.
And more from today’s Australian: “NDIS is ‘being left on the shelf’”.
“A senior West Australian government employee has spoken out about internal manoeuvring in the administration that is pre-emptively favouring the full rollout of the state’s disability system in preference to the $22 billion National Disability Insurance Scheme.
The employee raised concerns that the Barnett government was incorporating plans for the state-based My Way without making provision for the NDIS.
This comes as the federal member for Pearce, Christian Porter — the former WA treasurer and attorney-general — is sworn in as the new Social Services Minister with carriage of the NDIS and future negotiations.
The bureaucrat says she had argued that the trials of the two schemes had not been completed and nor had a proper assessment been completed.
She was told the future seemed preordained.”
This shouldn’t be about saving money. I don’t know how you can call supporting someone to get basic care generous. Unless of course you assume that they have a whole heap of carers around to share the care and any financial help to pay someone to do it professionally is a nice extra. Or financial assistance to purchase mobility aids or things to make life more easy to navigate. Supporting the most vulnerable is worrying too. Is this another way of saying invisible disabilities are as good as imaginary?
“You” being the government generally and the responsible Minister.
To me, his language is about entrenching the charity model, when we’ve worked so hard to get governments to acknowledge the social model/human rights approach.
That makes sense. It’s not good but it fits.
I haven’t looked into the details of the $100 million anti-domestic violence package. I hope (although sadly do not expect) that it is going to experienced specialist and primarily secular organizations*, with a very generous share towards Indigenous specialists in Indigenous experiences of domestic violence.
Does anyone know more?
* I think there is some place for organisations that are, perhaps not religious in the sense of being under the authority of organised religion, but knowledgeable about one or more faiths and able to work with victims of that faith.
I’m not sure of the exact amount. I have read variously $100 million, $36 million and $40 million. At least there is some money being spent on it.
From what I heard this morning this money is going into services such as legal advice in hospitals for victims of DV and prevention programs. The funding for shelters was strangely absent from the reporting from this.
Also largely absent from the reporting is the fact that this $100 million comes after a $300 million cut during the reign of Abbott. So services are still suffering from those cuts, not to mention the closing if shelters in NSW. For comparison, the government spends $500 million on school chaplains.
http://www.womensagenda.com.au/talking-about/editor-s-agenda/another-woman-is-brutally-murdered-and-another-headline-gets-it-wrong/201510016329#.Vg1KYmbSXML
For anyone who saw the headline that stated a selfie led to murder.