Canberra shows support for royal commission into disabled abuse

A MOTION supporting a royal commission into the mistreatment of people with disabilities has passed federal parliament, with the Prime Minister vowing to seek further advice from the states and territories on the issue.

The Coalition Government backed the motion in the House of Representatives yesterday, four days after it passed the Senate without their support.

“I take the issue of abuse and neglect of people with disability very seriously, and so does the government I lead,” Scott Morrison told parliament yesterday.

Despite backing the motion, Mr Morrison stressed that the states and territories have previously rejected a call for a royal commission. He will be seeking further advice from them.

Labor has accused the Gov- ernment of dragging the chain on setting up an inquiry, considering it voted against it last week.

But Opposition Leader Bill Shorten welcomed the motion’s success yesterday and called for a decision on the inquiry’s timeline.

“It has been on the books for too long, this proposition,” he told parliament.

Mr Shorten stressed royal commissions — which can only be called by the executive — have previously been called without the support of states and territories.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt agreed with the Labor leader on the need for a timeline.

“What we need now is action. People have been waiting for a very, very long time,” he said.

Mr Morrison earlier told parliament it’s vital there is bipartisanship on the issue of caring for people with disabilities.

He said at no point had he opposed the royal commission.

That came after the prime minister allowed the longest question time on record on Thursday, avoiding a potential vote on the motion.

Mr Morrison said he understood there would be no opportunity for the matter to be discussed in the Lower House Thursday, as it was in the pro- cess of transmission from the Senate.

Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John, who uses a wheelchair and is a vocal advocate for disability rights, had raised the issue in the Upper House.

He tweeted Mr Morrison “well done” yesterday, after which he asked for a timeline and Mr Morrison told him: “I’ve said what I said.”

“Not a good start,” Senator Steele-John wrote on Twitter.