Carter KahurangiKAHURANGI CARTER (Green): Thank you Mr Speaker. I take this call on behalf of the Green Party to stand alongside our disabled communities across the motu who have consistently been gaslighted disregarded and disrespected by this Government. I start my kōrero with the words of Minister Louise Upston on RNZ just yesterday morning: There has been a lot of scaremongering out there which I wanted to stop. It is grossly unfair that people are using this to concern and worry disabled people. That is not the case." What we are witnessing is not just a series of policy decisions but a glaring manifestation of systemic ableism. Ableism operates by determining whose lives and contributions are valued and whose are dismissed. Under the current Government it is alarmingly clear that those born poor marginalised disabled and without access to stable housing are not prioritised. Under this Government the worth of individuals is measured by their economic contribution and they're fit with a narrow often arbitrary definition of productivity. This fundamentally ignores the reality that navigating a bureaucratic system riddled with penalties and barriers is a monumental challenge in itself. When preparing for my kōrero today I was reminded how this very Government have treated our disabled communities over the last six months. In March changes restricting the flexibility of disability support funding and crucial equipment and modification access were introduced overnight without any consultation—completely ignored. The minimum wage exemption which ensured 900 disabled workers were treated with respect and dignity—scrapped. The transfer of disability support services from Whaikaha to the Ministry of Social Development without consultation to a ministry in which disabled people have very little trust—extremely distressing. Policy guidance Needs Assessment and Service Coordination services and Enabling Good Lives cite curtailing access to residential care while also indicating cutbacks to community support putting money before human rights—damaging. What this means for our disabled communities is that these changes result in limited access to essential services like housing public transport healthcare and fair wages. It impacts their daily lives by making it harder to secure a home get around receive proper medical care and earn a decent income. These are the real-life realities of this Government's decisions. We must confront the reality of the situation: this is a systemic and targeted assault on our disabled communities.When the community voices concerns about the Government's ableist agenda we are met with dismissive remarks from the Minister who claims "There's been a lot of scaremongering out there which I wanted to stop". This belittling language is an attempt to undermine valid concerns. Let's instead consider what the community itself is saying. To the Minister I ask: who is truly engaging in scaremongering the experts within our community or this Government? Is it Dr Huhana Hickey Māori lawyer and disability advocate underscoring the importance of inclusion: "We don't know if the Māori voice around disabilities will continue because we're not sitting at decision-making tables and that's where we all need to be."? Or rather does she think it's Prudence Walker Disability Rights Commissioner who highlighted her worry: "I'm concerned by the return to placing disability support services within an agency that is not specifically designed to meet the needs of disabled people. We had begun to move beyond this approach … But it appears this is being disregarded before Whaikaha had the chance to demonstrate enduring success". Despite the grim reality faced we are committed to a future where everyone can thrive not just survive through affordable accessible housing income and disability support."