Kym Richardson (Kingston, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today in support of the motion moved by my colleague the member for Riverina on the appalling state of adequate accommodation available for disabled children. I call on the Labor state governments—as the Prime Minister recently did at the February COAG meeting—to pull their weight in this area. In particular, I call on the South Australian state government to substantially increase the funding, services and infrastructure significantly lacking in my state. This motion notes the problems of ageing carers who are unable to find accommodation for the disabled child for whom they care and who, at the same time, are often faced with the need to move into supportive or aged care facilities themselves.

I have met with constituents in my electorate of Kingston who are faced with that heartbreaking problem. Quite often, it is grandparents who come to my office about this situation. They come as the primary carer of a disabled child. Invariably, they have struggled internally to accept the fact that they themselves need to move into an aged care facility. But imagine their torment when they discover that, despite making that decision, it is not possible because they are unable to find accommodation for the disabled child or disabled adult they care for. This leaves many ageing carers in a situation where they are forced to remain in their homes, without the support they so desperately need and in the precarious situation where they are vulnerable to accident and/or injury.

This motion recognises the $200 million package announced by the Prime Minister to assist parents to establish private trusts for the future care of disabled children as well as the role of the expert advisory panel in advising on the implementation of the package. I support the member for Riverina in her call for the minister to instruct the panel to investigate the merits of establishing a new financial and insurance product to assist all parents of disabled children in planning for the future care of their children and/or adults. This issue must be addressed. The disabled are some of the most vulnerable in our community. They lack the ability to conduct their daily lives without the assistance of their dedicated and tireless carers. We cannot simply ignore the plight of carers and the disabled children to whose lives they bring meaning. We must address the very real problem which exists when it comes to finding them appropriate accommodation.

The final part of this motion calls on both the state and federal governments to work together to urgently resolve the accommodation and care crisis which is facing not only the disabled but their carers as well. When it comes to important issues such as this, we must put politics aside and work together to provide for this group which has so often been forgotten in the past by governments of all colours and at all levels. In South Australia we face a crisis when it comes to disability services, not only in relation to accommodation options but in relation to services across the board. The only way that crisis is going to be adequately solved is through cooperation between all levels of government, not just state and federal but also local. I support this motion because it is a very practical step towards assisting the families of people caring for children with disabilities. We must raise awareness about the needs and plight of the disabled as well as those who undertake the often thankless job of looking after them. They are inspirational people who deserve the support of government.

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