Prime Minister Scott Morrison has received a tsunami of pushback after making ableist comments at the election debate.
During the debate an audience member shared her experience with the National Disability Insurance Scheme as a mother of an autistic son.
She questioned Morrison about the government's decision to slash NDIS funding.
He told the woman he's been “blessed” with two daughters that don't have a disability.
“Jenny and I have been blessed - we’ve got two children who haven’t had to go through that,” he said, "and so for parents with children who are disabled, I can only try to understand.”
In unsurprising news, the people of Australia weren't too happy with these ableist comments.
Members of the disability community and allies took to social media to express their anger with the Prime Minister and his hurtful words.
Autistic woman, activist and former Australian of the Year Grace Tame took to Twitter with her thoughts on the PM.
"We live in a world where the odds are stacked against disabled and abused people, governed - for the most part - by abled people who haven't been abused," she says, "solutions are typically designed by those with no lived experience, who are ignorant of our needs."
Disability activists Carly Findlay, Hannah Diviney and Chloe Hayden reminded the Prime Minister that disabled children aren't "burdens" to families and society.
"Contrary to belief Prime Minister disabled people are worthy," says Hannah Diviney, "we deserve a system that supports us - that sees potential and possibility, not burden and struggle."
Since the backlash Scott Morrison has attempted to apologise for his ableist remark, however, he also suggested this all was taken out context.
"I accept that it has caused offence to people," he says, "I think people would also appreciate that I would have had no such intention of suggesting anything other than [that] every child is a blessing.
"But I can appreciate particularly that some of the ways it was communicated, and the way it was sought to be represented by our political opponents in the middle of an election, that it could have been taken in different context and I'm deeply sorry about that."
IMAGE HEADER: The Australian
