Morrison on Thursday tried to clarify his comments,claiming others had twisted his words,and said he did not think Yeoman thought his words were offensive or hurtful.
“I don’t think anyone would seriously think that I had intended anything different to that ... Catherine certainly didn’t convey to me that she had taken it in that way,” he said.
But Yeoman,who met with Morrison after the event,told this masthead:“That was his perception.”
“He did not ask me about it directly ... It was a poor choice of words and I do believe every child is a blessing.
“I don’t want this comment to overshadow the intent of the original question.”
Morrison said he meant no offence,but accepted that it had offended people,and apologised.
Yeoman said her major issue remained that the Prime Minister did not answer the question about funding cuts.
“We did have to make some decisions about which therapist to cut. We’re looking down the thing and we’re like,does he need to be toilet trained or does he need to speak – these were the decisions we had to make.”
Catherine Yeoman
“It’s fair enough to say that he would talk to me separately afterwards but he didn’t answer the question to the room,” she said.
Yeoman,who entered the debate as one of dozens of “undecided” voters,told this masthead she was facing tough decisions with how she would vote in the upcoming federal election.
She said it would be largely determined by how fair and transparent the NDIS process would be in the future.
Amid widespread reports of cuts in NDIS funding,researchers from UNSW recently pointed to a four per cent cut in the average plan per participant - $71,200 to $68,500 - between 2020 and 2021. They cautioned that some participants would have been worse affected than others.
Yeoman said Morrison and his staffer approached her after the debate and took her details.
“He did live up to his promise. He came directly to me ... I have had a phone call first thing this morning very early from the PM’s office and they’ve invited me to call again,” she said.
“Anthony Albanese also came and had a chat,which was very kind as well. That was just off to the side,so I appreciate that quiet moment as well.”
Her son has just had his first review through the NDIS,after he was diagnosed about two years ago.
“I’m told that intensive early intervention is the best strategy for Ethan,” she said,explaining that she was informed,before he turned five,there would be a possibility to essentially rewire his brain,adjusting neuro pathways for future development.
“On one hand,I’m told,‘do as much as you can,but we’re going to take away more of your funding’,” she said. “Just a total mismatch of messaging.
“It’s a kind of sliding doors moment – there’s a pathway in the next year for Ethan. He’s going to go that way into the future or he’s going to go that way into the future depending on how much I invest in his therapy now.
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“When I had my funding cut,I can’t honestly reduce his therapy bill and send him on that path,that downward path.”
Yeoman said she felt immense pressure to work more hours,which took her away from Ethan,to invest in his future with a therapist.
“We did have to make some decisions about which therapist to cut. We’re looking down the thing and we’re like,does he need to be toilet trained or does he need to speak – these were the decisions we had to make,” she said.