Fed: Changes in carers' allowances
CANBERRA, Aug 12 AAP - Parents of children suffering six forms of disability will automaticallyqualify for carers' allowances from today in what the opposition described as a partialgovernment backdown.
Added to the list of recognised disabilities is Down Syndrome, Cystic Fibrosis, uncontrolledEpilepsy, moderate Haemophilia, Phenylketonuria and Fragile X Syndrome.
Down Syndrome and Fragile X Syndrome, previously only recognised for children undersix, are now listed until a child's 16th birthday.
Family and Children's Services Minister Amanda Vanstone said parents of children sufferingthese disabilities who have lost their allowances through a review would have them reinstated.
About 5,000 carers have lost their allowances during a five-year review.
Senator Vanstone defended the government's delay in recognising the disabilities, sayinginformation to justify their inclusion had been gleaned by reviewing 41 per cent - ormore than 20,000 - cases of disability allowances.
"We didn't have the information in the first place," she told reporters.
She expected a net additional cost to the government from the new listings.
But opposition family and children's services spokesman Wayne Swan questioned why disabilitiessuch as Down Syndrome and Cystic Fibrosis had been removed from the list when the reviewbegan in 1998.
The government was maintaining its target of removing carers' allowances from 30,000families, he said.
"What in the hell was she doing taking them off in the first place?" Mr Swan said.
"Her statement today is an admission that they set out to target families irrespectiveof the degree of disability and irrespective of the expense and the time that familiesput into caring for their children.
"Essentially you've got a partial backdown that will benefit the few and the many willcontinue to be targeted and punished by this heartless minister."
AAP rmg/sb/cjm/de
KEYWORD: DISABILITY
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