Monday, 18 May 2020
Australian Greens Disability Rights spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John has called on Government Services Minister Stuart Robert to accept the Federal Court ruling that NDIS participants can use their funds for sex work.
Steele-John also said Minister Robert’s proposal to change NDIS rules, stopping participants from making claims for sex services, rather than accept the outcome of the court case were “a new low”.
“The suggestion that granting disabled people their basic human right to sexual expression will somehow destabilise the financial sustainability of the NDIS is ridiculous,” Steele-John said.
“The NDIS was designed to give people choice and control over the supports they need to live a good life; any attempt to curtail the rights of individual participants by the Minister is a direct attempt to undermine the whole intention of the scheme.
“I am very concerned that Minister Robert continues to escalate this matter, despite a Federal Court ruling against him.
“The desexualisation of disabled people is a key factor in a lot of the abuse situations we end up in and it is disappointing to see the Minister responsible for the NDIS continuing to push that as the official government line.
“Disabled people shouldn’t be denied access to their basic human rights just because this government can’t get their head around the fact that disabled people have sex!”
