Speaker staunch on deaf MP’s technology funding

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Wed, 15 Feb 2012 6:29p.m.

Speaker Lockwood Smith and Green MP Mojo Mathers

Speaker Lockwood Smith and Green MP Mojo Mathers

By Tova O’Brien

New Zealand's first deaf MP, Mojo Mathers, has used her maiden speech in Parliament to take a dig at the speaker, Lockwood Smith.

She is involved in an argument with him over the money to fund support staff for the electronic note taking she needs to do her job.

In a day of firsts, New Zealand's first deaf MP gave her first speech in Parliament - the first ever maiden speech to be translated into sign language.

Ms Mathers used it to flare up debate over funding for a note taking system she needs to do her job.

“Funding for electronic note takers and equipment should not be coming out of my support budget, which all members receive, because no MP with a disability should be expected to fund their participation in the house in this way,” she says.

Support from her party is unwavering.

A meeting set down for March will decide whether her note takers will be paid for by Parliament, the Greens want it brought forward urgently.

“Every hearing member of Parliament makes use of the sound system in the debating chamber that was upgraded at a cost of nearly $1 million,” she says.

But the speaker’s office says it is not urgent and that Ms Mathers can participate now - just not at Parliament's expense.

“I think it is a matter of urgency and it would show good faith if they did,” she says.

The Government signed up to a United Nations disabilities convention. It says disabled people have the right to hold office and perform all public functions at all levels of government, with the use of assistive and new technologies where appropriate.

“Parliament needs to make sure that she can engage both in the house and with her constituents, and at the moment I don't see that happening,” says Paul Gibson, Disability Rights Commissioner.

All MPs get funding for 80 hours of support staff a week – that is $120,000 of tax payer money per MP. And all of this is on top of their existing salaries.

So arguably the Greens have the money to pay for the system but they say that is not the problem – it is the principle of the matter.

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Comments

21 Feb 2012 08:13p.m.

Carlos wrote:

So he should be.....she doesn't even have an electorate seat !

16 Feb 2012 08:01p.m.

Kiwi wrote:

May be cutting the number of BMWs could help? We have a brave woman here who is naturally disadvantaged and here we have some Gentlemen who instead of supporting her are ensuring that she stays that way. And they call themselves Honourable.

16 Feb 2012 01:29p.m.

AT wrote:

Electronic note taking machines should also be made available to MPs non-proficient in Spoken English...at their requests, no ifs or buts.

16 Feb 2012 11:16a.m.

ian wrote:

Enough is enough, just get on and do the job you were elected to do. I trust that you are not one of those list members, with no electoral responsibilities.

15 Feb 2012 11:24p.m.

Matthew Whitehead wrote:

The support staff allowance is not intended for language barriers or disability issues- those have seperate systems for funding which are collectively handled by Parliament, not Parties or MPs. The support staff budget is intended to help MPs manage their time more effectively or hire people to help with research, and Mojo deserves to be able to use her support budget for that purpose, too, so that she can be just as effective as hearing members of parliament. With the facilities already in place for the use of Te Reo Maori in the House, it would not have been too hard to treat real-time transcription of the debate under the same principles, especially seeing as NZSL is afforded equal status to English and Maori under law.

15 Feb 2012 10:04p.m.

katrina wrote:

Govt should pay for the equipment required but she should pay for her own staff out of her support allowance as that is what it is for. As for the Maori interpreters they should be paid for out of their support staff as well as I do not believe that any of the Maori MPs do not understand or speak English (they certainly speak english on TV) They are just milking the system.