Interview with Ben Fordham on 2GB
E&EO
BEN FORDHAM:
Stuart Robert is the Minister for Government Services and the NDIS, he joins me on the line to talk about other matters, but I want to kick off with this one if I can. Good morning, Stuart Robert.
MINISTER ROBERT:
Hey Ben, how are you?
BEN FORDHAM:
Good. This is an issue close to your heart. How will you be voting?
MINISTER ROBERT:
Well, it is a procedural motion in the Senate. It didn’t go to a formal vote and I believe it just sort of went through in the voices, so I’m not too sure what form it’ll come down into the house. But we’ve got a, ostensibly, a standing Royal Commission called a National Commissioner Bill in the Senate and that will solve the issues people are looking to solve by having a standing Royal Commission, so I reckon we should just get that Bill passed.
BEN FORDHAM:
You have a look at the number of suicides 16 In three months, 500 in 20 years, more people die when they return from active service than when they’re overseas fighting on behalf of Australia, you’re a former ADF member, don’t you think we deserve a Royal Commission?
MINISTER ROBERT:
We deserve a standing Royal Commission, Ben, absolutely. So I was the Veterans’ Affairs Minister when…
BEN FORDHAM:
[interrupts] What is the difference between a Royal Commission and the standing Royal Commission?
MINISTER ROBERT:
The National Commissioner is a standing coronial Royal Commissioner with every single power of a Royal Commission, I mean, every power. Power to force witnesses, power to take information on oath or affirmation, you see the Royal Commission is for a set time, and it’s going to set Terms of Reference only, the National Commissioner is established in perpetuity. That means you don’t just get a report—I don’t want to report into veterans suicide—I want a National Commissioner who will investigate every suicide… that will look at systemic issues. Not today, not tomorrow, next month, next year, but next decade. That’s the difference.
BEN FORDHAM:
Okay, if I can ask you a question in your role as the Minister for the NDIS, we spoke last Friday to the Home and Away actress Penny McNamee who’s trying to save a camp called Camp Breakaway. This is an incredible retreat for children and adults with disabilities, usually they fund the whole thing through weddings, they have weddings at the same venue that pays for the kids to go on the camps, but no weddings in 2020 means no camps in 2021. I know you’ve taken an interest in investigating all of this, you’ve got some advice for everyone who’s a fan of Camp Breakaway.
MINISTER ROBERT:
The beauty of the NDIS, it funds individuals, packages, either to do camps, capacity building, funding for respite, any Australian with disability with that funding in their package can use it at Camp Breakaway, and I would really encourage them to do so.
BEN FORDHAM:
Okay, if they can’t get up and running at the moment because at the moment they literally have no cash left, Minister, so if they needed a short term bridging fund would you be able to help out with that.
MINISTER ROBERT:
Yeah, the NDIS law actually specifically precludes that, unfortunately, and that is a challenge because the NDIS is all about the individual and it funds individuals, and those individual supports then go to organisations. That’s the great challenge, that’s where state governments generally step in. But if there is a whole swag of Australians are looking for respite or capacity building through camp structures, and they descend on that facility, I think we might see some change.
BEN FORDHAM:
Okay, so you need everyone to mark down Camp Breakaway on their NDIS forms.
MINISTER ROBERT:
I think it’s something they should keep top of mind, absolutely.
BEN FORDHAM:
Good on you, Minister, have a good weekend and thanks for your time.
MINISTER ROBERT:
Thanks Ben.