❓ Mr. Ripper questions Premier Barnett about the denial of funeral assistance to an elderly pensioner, Ilona, for her deceased son, despite public assurances of dignified burials. The Premier responds by committing to review the case.
AnsweredQoN 623Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FUNERAL ASSISTANCE — BALGA PENSIONER
Before I begin my question, I acknowledge the presence of Irene Fleming in the public gallery. I refer to the Premier’s comments in The West Australian on 31 July following cuts to the funeral assistance scheme that — People in WA will not be left unburied … This is a compassionate society and we will make sure that in extreme cases they will be buried and done so with dignity. (1) Can the Premier explain why his government has refused to provide financial assistance to 80-year-old Balga pensioner, Ilona, to bury her 48-year-old son Steven, who is Irene’s cousin? Ilona is on a Centrelink pension and suffers from a heart disease and an airways disease. Steven cared for her at her Balga home until his death on Thursday. (2) Is it not the case that following Centrelink’s refusal to help and the government’s refusal to even assess her case, the only way this family will get assistance from the Barnett government is to leave Steven’s body unclaimed in a morgue for 12 weeks until the Public Trustee buries him in an unmarked grave? Mr C.J. BARNETT
Before I begin my question, I acknowledge the presence of Irene Fleming in the public gallery. I refer to the Premier’s comments in The West Australian on 31 July following cuts to the funeral assistance scheme that — People in WA will not be left unburied … This is a compassionate society and we will make sure that in extreme cases they will be buried and done so with dignity. (1) Can the Premier explain why his government has refused to provide financial assistance to 80-year-old Balga pensioner, Ilona, to bury her 48-year-old son Steven, who is Irene’s cousin? Ilona is on a Centrelink pension and suffers from a heart disease and an airways disease. Steven cared for her at her Balga home until his death on Thursday. (2) Is it not the case that following Centrelink’s refusal to help and the government’s refusal to even assess her case, the only way this family will get assistance from the Barnett government is to leave Steven’s body unclaimed in a morgue for 12 weeks until the Public Trustee buries him in an unmarked grave? Mr C.J. BARNETT
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(2) I stand by the comments that I made in July: Western Australia is a prosperous state, we will treat anyone who is deceased with dignity and respect, and people will get an appropriate burial. At any one time there are a number of bodies at the morgue. Most of those, from my understanding, are unclaimed and unidentified. That is very sad but it is true. Ultimately, they are buried and in many cases they are never identified. I am not aware of the lady to whom the Leader of the Opposition referred, but I will certainly undertake to look at her case and if the circumstances are as the Leader of the Opposition has portrayed them, I assure him that we will do what is necessary to make sure that every Western Australian citizen is buried properly.
I refer to the Premier’s comments in The West Australian on 31 July following cuts to the funeral assistance scheme that — People in WA will not be left unburied … This is a compassionate society and we will make sure that in extreme cases they will be buried and done so with dignity. (1) Can the Premier explain why his government has refused to provide financial assistance to 80-year-old Balga pensioner, Ilona, to bury her 48-year-old son Steven, who is Irene’s cousin? Ilona is on a Centrelink pension and suffers from a heart disease and an airways disease. Steven cared for her at her Balga home until his death on Thursday. (2) Is it not the case that following Centrelink’s refusal to help and the government’s refusal to even assess her case, the only way this family will get assistance from the Barnett government is to leave Steven’s body unclaimed in a morgue for 12 weeks until the Public Trustee buries him in an unmarked grave? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(2) I stand by the comments that I made in July: Western Australia is a prosperous state, we will treat anyone who is deceased with dignity and respect, and people will get an appropriate burial. At any one time there are a number of bodies at the morgue. Most of those, from my understanding, are unclaimed and unidentified. That is very sad but it is true. Ultimately, they are buried and in many cases they are never identified. I am not aware of the lady to whom the Leader of the Opposition referred, but I will certainly undertake to look at her case and if the circumstances are as the Leader of the Opposition has portrayed them, I assure him that we will do what is necessary to make sure that every Western Australian citizen is buried properly.
(2) Is it not the case that following Centrelink’s refusal to help and the government’s refusal to even assess her case, the only way this family will get assistance from the Barnett government is to leave Steven’s body unclaimed in a morgue for 12 weeks until the Public Trustee buries him in an unmarked grave? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(2) I stand by the comments that I made in July: Western Australia is a prosperous state, we will treat anyone who is deceased with dignity and respect, and people will get an appropriate burial. At any one time there are a number of bodies at the morgue. Most of those, from my understanding, are unclaimed and unidentified. That is very sad but it is true. Ultimately, they are buried and in many cases they are never identified. I am not aware of the lady to whom the Leader of the Opposition referred, but I will certainly undertake to look at her case and if the circumstances are as the Leader of the Opposition has portrayed them, I assure him that we will do what is necessary to make sure that every Western Australian citizen is buried properly.
Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(2) I stand by the comments that I made in July: Western Australia is a prosperous state, we will treat anyone who is deceased with dignity and respect, and people will get an appropriate burial. At any one time there are a number of bodies at the morgue. Most of those, from my understanding, are unclaimed and unidentified. That is very sad but it is true. Ultimately, they are buried and in many cases they are never identified. I am not aware of the lady to whom the Leader of the Opposition referred, but I will certainly undertake to look at her case and if the circumstances are as the Leader of the Opposition has portrayed them, I assure him that we will do what is necessary to make sure that every Western Australian citizen is buried properly.
(1)-(2) I stand by the comments that I made in July: Western Australia is a prosperous state, we will treat anyone who is deceased with dignity and respect, and people will get an appropriate burial. At any one time there are a number of bodies at the morgue. Most of those, from my understanding, are unclaimed and unidentified. That is very sad but it is true. Ultimately, they are buried and in many cases they are never identified. I am not aware of the lady to whom the Leader of the Opposition referred, but I will certainly undertake to look at her case and if the circumstances are as the Leader of the Opposition has portrayed them, I assure him that we will do what is necessary to make sure that every Western Australian citizen is buried properly.
I refer to the Premier’s comments in The West Australian on 31 July following cuts to the funeral assistance scheme that — People in WA will not be left unburied … This is a compassionate society and we will make sure that in extreme cases they will be buried and done so with dignity. (1) Can the Premier explain why his government has refused to provide financial assistance to 80-year-old Balga pensioner, Ilona, to bury her 48-year-old son Steven, who is Irene’s cousin? Ilona is on a Centrelink pension and suffers from a heart disease and an airways disease. Steven cared for her at her Balga home until his death on Thursday. (2) Is it not the case that following Centrelink’s refusal to help and the government’s refusal to even assess her case, the only way this family will get assistance from the Barnett government is to leave Steven’s body unclaimed in a morgue for 12 weeks until the Public Trustee buries him in an unmarked grave? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(2) I stand by the comments that I made in July: Western Australia is a prosperous state, we will treat anyone who is deceased with dignity and respect, and people will get an appropriate burial. At any one time there are a number of bodies at the morgue. Most of those, from my understanding, are unclaimed and unidentified. That is very sad but it is true. Ultimately, they are buried and in many cases they are never identified. I am not aware of the lady to whom the Leader of the Opposition referred, but I will certainly undertake to look at her case and if the circumstances are as the Leader of the Opposition has portrayed them, I assure him that we will do what is necessary to make sure that every Western Australian citizen is buried properly.
(2) Is it not the case that following Centrelink’s refusal to help and the government’s refusal to even assess her case, the only way this family will get assistance from the Barnett government is to leave Steven’s body unclaimed in a morgue for 12 weeks until the Public Trustee buries him in an unmarked grave? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(2) I stand by the comments that I made in July: Western Australia is a prosperous state, we will treat anyone who is deceased with dignity and respect, and people will get an appropriate burial. At any one time there are a number of bodies at the morgue. Most of those, from my understanding, are unclaimed and unidentified. That is very sad but it is true. Ultimately, they are buried and in many cases they are never identified. I am not aware of the lady to whom the Leader of the Opposition referred, but I will certainly undertake to look at her case and if the circumstances are as the Leader of the Opposition has portrayed them, I assure him that we will do what is necessary to make sure that every Western Australian citizen is buried properly.
Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(2) I stand by the comments that I made in July: Western Australia is a prosperous state, we will treat anyone who is deceased with dignity and respect, and people will get an appropriate burial. At any one time there are a number of bodies at the morgue. Most of those, from my understanding, are unclaimed and unidentified. That is very sad but it is true. Ultimately, they are buried and in many cases they are never identified. I am not aware of the lady to whom the Leader of the Opposition referred, but I will certainly undertake to look at her case and if the circumstances are as the Leader of the Opposition has portrayed them, I assure him that we will do what is necessary to make sure that every Western Australian citizen is buried properly.
(1)-(2) I stand by the comments that I made in July: Western Australia is a prosperous state, we will treat anyone who is deceased with dignity and respect, and people will get an appropriate burial. At any one time there are a number of bodies at the morgue. Most of those, from my understanding, are unclaimed and unidentified. That is very sad but it is true. Ultimately, they are buried and in many cases they are never identified. I am not aware of the lady to whom the Leader of the Opposition referred, but I will certainly undertake to look at her case and if the circumstances are as the Leader of the Opposition has portrayed them, I assure him that we will do what is necessary to make sure that every Western Australian citizen is buried properly.
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