NSW — The NSW
Government plans to marginalise the disability vote at
the NSW State Election by setting up segregated voting
centres for people with disabilities.
John Ryan, the Shadow Minister for
Disability Services said that the Labor Party had angered
people with disabilities in recent years and cynical
attempts to make it difficult to vote would not
succeed.
The Minister for Disability
Services John
Della Bosca confirmed Mr Ryan’s suspicions in
Question Time today but
refused to distance himself from the plan which was
originally canvassed by the Electoral Commissioner, Colin
Barry, during a meeting with representatives from the
disability sector.
“People who have disabilities
should be voting at their local polling booths like you
and I and the Government should be doing everything in
their power to make this happen. We don’t send sick
people to the hospital to vote” Mr Ryan
said.
Mr Ryan said that the NSW Electoral
Commission should provide the personal, equipment and
resources needed to support people vote
locally.
The Labor Government has waged war
on disability services over the last 10 years. In 2004
they cut funding for disability education and have failed
to create enough supported accommodation places to keep
pace with demand.
Mr Ryan said that he would support
people with disabilities to choose where they vote, where
they are educated and where they live.
