The Federal Community Services Minister has sparked a new row with the states by proposing to negotiate with them individually to fund disability services. Months of talks have failed to produce a national funding agreement for the disability sector. Senator Vanstone has sent a new letter to the state ministers responsible for disability services, telling them she will consider separate agreements with individual states. "There are states that are anxious to get this money and if they want to proceed and not be held up by the other states, I don't believe the Commonwealth should stand in their way," she said. But that idea has not impressed the Queensland Minister, Judy Spence. "She is trying to divide and rule but the states are determined to progress this collaboratively," she said. The West Australian Minister, Sheila McHale, agrees. "A multilateral agreement has been negotiated for the last 12 years and for the minister to break that now is quite unacceptable," she said. The state ministers have asked for another meeting with Senator Vanstone on the issue. Source www.abc.net.au ###