Fed: PM accused of misleading disabled over payment cuts

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Fed: PM accused of misleading disabled over payment cuts

SYDNEY, Aug 7 AAP - The federal Opposition today accused Prime Minister John Howardof misleading recipients of disability payments by wrongly implying the government's reviewprocess had been suspended.

Labor community services spokesman Wayne Swan today called on the government to suspendpayment cuts until it had looked into claims they were being made wrongly and unfairly.

Mr Swan accused Community Services Minister Amanda Vanstone of "bullying" and of singlingout some of the most vulnerable people in society for "savage cuts".

Mr Howard said on Monday that Senator Vanstone was concerned about reports some carerswere having their $87 fortnightly allowance eliminated despite no change in their circumstances.

The prime minister said the government would look into the matter by the end of this week.

But despite the prime minister's comments, recipients still face having their paymentscut if they do not provide Centrelink with documentation as part of the review, Mr Swansaid.

And those who have already had their payments cut are left with nothing while the reviewof their cases is itself being supposedly reviewed.

"There are people being stripped of the allowance as we speak," Mr Swan told radio 2GB.

"And people who have (already) lost their allowance are just in limbo.

"There are no plans from Senator Vanstone to restore the allowance until they finish the review."

Mr Swan said people who heard or read Mr Howard's assurances that the matter was beinglooked into could be misled into thinking there was a suspension of the initial reviewprocess.

"There are others who think that the process has been stopped as the prime ministerimplied and if they fail to submit their forms to Centrelink in the next few days or weeksthey will be automatically removed from the allowance," Mr Swan said.

He said Senator Vanstone was committed to removing a quota of 30,000 disability paymentsout of the 70,000 under review, regardless of the merits of the case.

"The truth is she's a bully," he said.

"She is out there singling out some of the most vulnerable people in our society withsome of the most savage cuts."

AAP jh/hn/ldj/jlw

KEYWORD: DISABILITY