Pauline Hanson has long viewed people with disabilities as a threat that needed institutionalisation. Her outburst yesterday against disabled kids, whom she maintains should be withdrawn from mainstream schools, is only the most recent iteration of it.
Back in 1998, Hanson’s One Nation released a policy for “the disabled” ahead of the October federal election. In it, she made clear her dislike of de-institutionalisation of people with disabilities.
“The policy of shifting the emphasis away from ‘centre based care’ of the mentally and physically disadvantaged to community based housing will be reassessed.”
Why did Hanson have a problem with community-based care for people with disabilities?
“Much of the community concern at present stems from fear that residential areas will suffer from inappropriate placement of intellectually disabled people with anti-social behaviour.”
While Hanson was pandering to bigoted stereotypes about disabled people, the tragedy is that people with intellectual disabilities are significantly more likely to be victims of crime than either people with other forms of disability or people without disabilities. Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows that people with an intellectual disability are around twice as likely to be the victim of a crime. This has been backed by other, older studies conducted well before Hanson vaulted to prominence in the 1990s.
And people with intellectual disabilities are massively more likely to be the victims of sexual assault — and much less likely to report it. In particular, as one study found, “it is predominantly women with a disability who continue to be the victims. The gendered pattern of sexual violence persists across diverse abilities and indeed across the lifespan.” A Senate inquiry in to violence, abuse and neglect of people with disabilities in both residential and institutional care unanimously recommended a judicial inquiry or royal commission into the whole area in 2015.
Regardless, Hanson continues to see disabled people as some sort of threat to and problem for the rest of us. Bigotry, it seems, never changes. Stupidity certainly doesn’t.
Terrible comments, but what else would you expect from “please explain”? I’m happy because hopefully it will erode her support in the upcoming Qld Election. Surely you can see through her nonsense Banana Benders?
I fear not. My own experience is that Hanson supporters tend not to be across her policies. Mostly they have heard a couple of things they agree with – usually that some “others” are unworthy (beneficiaries, foreigners etc) – they don’t seem to worry much about actual details.
As a Banana Bender sadly I feel you’re right. Her reprehensible comments probably won’t even register with most of her supporters. They’re too busy skulling the Koolaid. A la Donald Trump they just tune out the objectionable and concentrate on the one or two topics that are all consuming to them: “Ban the Burqa, Ban the Muslims, Foreigners are stealing our jobs” etc.
Not that they’veever met any “foreigners” mind you. Their biggest overseas trip was to Bribie Island.
Unfortunately the Deep North has a rich and well-documented history of vomiting up detestable political smegma. It was one of the reasons I fled overseas in the late 1970’s.
“… pandering to bigoted stereotypes about disabled people.”
This is Hanson’s MO, or basically “pandering to bigoted stereotypes about ________ people” (insert non-white, non-able-bodied group du jour).
In the eyes of Pauline Hanson and her suppprters, only people who are exactly like them are deserving of respect. Everyone else is to be tolerated at best, attached if expedient.
Nasty piece of work.
Bernard- it is unusual for you to support Hanson-The tragic statistics based on facts of intellectual disabilities being more likely to be victims of crime and sexual assault (which is also a crime) whether reported or not, is because the other disabilities are visible. So by exposing the intellectually disabled to normal life, without adequate support, being in place increases the likelihood of being victims of crime.
Unusually Hanson is correct in the case of education.
Teachers are primarily trained to teach and educate that is their profession the primary task is not managing disruptive behaviour in classes. Behavioural management is not their primary professional role.
The normal parent and child have the expectation when they send the child to school muscle most of the time will be spent in education not trying to normalise the abnormal behaviour of the in the classroom. This is why teachers are resigning in droves or being stressed.
This, one thinks, is what Hansen is trying to say-but she may have missed the educational opportunities due to behavioural disruption in her classroom 🙂
Oh dear, I would suppose you actually think you talked sense in that ridiculous monologue of bigotry.
Firstly, abuse of the disabled is more likely in institutions where they are concentrated (do some research), and secondly, if you were to ask a teacher (which you obviously have never done), they’d tell you that disruption from disabled kids is the least of the criterion causing them to leave the profession. Teachers nether expect, nor prefer, rooms full of obedient little conformist clones, which might be your preferred expectation of education.
Thirdly, having listened to Hanson for decades, I would very much doubt that compassion has anything to do with her thought processes. She’s just not that bright, and her handlers aren’t particularly competent.
It could be alleged that Hanson herself has an intellectual disability. There’s a mountain of quotes which may point to it.
Here we go again! The comments by Hanson ( I am not a supporter by the way) have raised the ire of the Permanently Outraged Mob.
Is it because of who said it or what was said? Is is not self evident that, if teachers spend more time with the slower members of the class, then the quicker members get less attention? Would this then result in them not progressing as far or as fast as they could?
Israel seems to have a good idea where Autistic children are recognised early. It is accepted that Autistic people often have very special talents and abilities. These are brought to maximum fruition in their own educational system. These now exceptionally talented people are then employed in Israeli Industry or Defense Force for the benefit of Israel.
Smart hey.
There is a good reason why it is called the Autism Spectrum.
Yes, some are super brilliant nerds who behave a bit oddly. Geniuses even.
At the other end are autistic people who have never spoken or shown signs of being aware of others, and who may have difficult behaviour ( aggression, wailing etc).
All should be catered for in the way that is best for them.
Well, I do not identify as permanently outraged, but I am outraged when pollies vilify teachers. The latter profession is a noble profession, 12…u, a noble profession.
OK, LM,
I’m in agreement with U.
Teachers are well under appreciated and Paid.
I don’t think anything I said was negative towards teachers, What was it that offended you?
Nothing you said. Teachers are favourite whipping boys of all the conservatives. I suspect it is something to do with being successfully unionised more so than educational outcomes. And no one could ever accuse PHON of being do-gooders.