A WHEEL-CHAIR bound protester today interrupted Prime Minister Julia Gillard as she made a pledge to fund the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Mel Leckie, 28, told the Prime Minister from the floor of a Sydney conference that the disability pension was so small she had to steal.

Ms Gillard had just said to disability service CEOs, "And I promise you we will be listening" when Ms Leckie, sitting in front of the podium cut her off.



"Are you aware that the disability pension is nearly 57 per cent of the national minimum wage?" she said, reading from a notebook.



"And unless you are blind or vision-impaired people with disabilities like myself are only allowed to earn a maximum of $153 per fortnight before pension payments are adversely affected."



Ms Leckie said she was disabled after attempting suicide because of bullying and as well as being confined to a wheelchair was incontinent.



"The pension alone does not cover my on-going medical needs and appointments to the point I have to go to the local rehab and literally steal disposable incontinence supplies supplies to be able to stay two nights here in Sydney," she told the Prime Minister.



When Ms Leckie had finished, the Prime Minister asked a staff member to get her details.

Ms Gillard today admitted she didn't know how to fund the $8 billion National Disability Insurance Scheme. The Opposition used the admission to stir up speculation that death duties could return.

However a spokesman for Treasurer Wayne Swan said the Government would not introduce a death duty, or the bequest tax.



"It is true we don't yet have the full details on our funding package beyond the $1 billion (in start-up money) already committed," Ms Gillard told a Sydney conference of disability service CEOs.

But she said: "To those who say the country cannot afford this reform, I say we cannot afford to any longer tolerate a broken system. A system that condemns almost half a million of our fellow Australians to a kind of second-class citizenship."

Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey was quick to Tweet: "CLEARLY JG will intro. new taxes for NDIS as per her speech today... Death Duties?"

Death duties were once a state government levy and the Federal Government rejected a "bequest tax" when it was recommended by the Ken Henry tax review in 2010, but now has limited revenue options.

A spokesman for Mr Swan today said Mr Hockey last week didn't bother turning up in the House of Representatives when legislation for the NDIS was introduced, "showing how much he cares about this critical reform".

"He says the Liberals can't afford to pay for the NDIS – he's obviously thinking of the $70 billion budget crater he announced on breakfast TV," said the spokesman.

"Unlike the Liberals, we will find room in our budget for this reform that will change the lives of hundreds of thousands of Australians with a disability and their families."

The Government is determined to push ahead with the NDIS when Ms Gillard sits down with state and territory leaders at Friday's Council of Australian Governments meeting.

"In the room will be just nine of us as First Ministers, plus our colleague representing local government. But the ten of us will be watched by 410,000 Australians," Ms Gillard today said.

"The 410,000 Australians living with disability who are waiting to see their lives transformed.

"Five of those Premiers and Chief Ministers agreed earlier this year to be part of the NDIS launch sites. So this Friday, on behalf of all Australians with disability, I will be holding those five Premiers and Chief Ministers to their word, as they will be holding me to my word."

The Prime Minister made clear the Government was prepared to make "tough decisions which also happen to be the right choices" to pay for an NDIS.

She said the same had been done to fund what Ms Gillard called "landmark reforms" such as pension increases and paid parental leave.

She listed as examples the means-testing the private health insurance rebate, closing fringe-benefits loopholes, eliminating tax concessions on superannuation for high income earners, and abolishing tax concessions for golden handshakes.

"But be in no doubt about the commitment I bring to the NDIS," said Ms Gillard.

"As the 12th biggest economy in the world. We will fund it. As a nation with a big and generous heart. We will fund it. As a government that gets the big things done. We will fund it."

The Henry review recommended: "A bequest tax levied at a low flat rate, and designed to affect only large bequests, could be an efficient and equitable component of Australia's future tax system.

"A tax on bequests would fit well with Australia's demographic circumstances over the next 40 years. Between 2003 and 2030 the proportion of all household wealth held by older Australians will more than double," the review said.

"Large asset accumulations will be passed on to a relatively small number of recipients, many of them in middle age."

Originally published as Wheelchair-bound woman heckles PM