Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I do not know why you would want to thank the honourable member for Shortland for the outrageous comment that she just made. I think that it is very important in a compassionate society that carers, who do a wonderful job and who are very compassionate towards family members, are assisted as part of the safety net by the general community as much as is humanly possible, but it would be entirely wrong to take the view that the government of the day has the responsibility to look after people from the cradle to the grave. Historically, people have been largely responsible for looking after family members and one ought not to accept as a matter of right that the community ought to take over what has traditionally been the role of the family.

However, I want to commend the member for Braddon for this motion on Carers Week, and I want to thank the member for Shortland for contributing to it—and the member for Throsby will no doubt be making a contribution as well. I think all of us would probably agree that we really want to give honour to those carers in our community who make significant personal sacrifices of their time and energy to care for those who for various reasons, whether they happen to be disabled, suffering illness, frail or elderly, simply are unable to continue to care for themselves.

Mr Deputy Speaker, you might be surprised to know that there are upwards of 2.5 million of these dedicated people in Australia today. That is a significant proportion of our total population of approximately 20 million. About half of those carers are primary support providers. It is the effort of carers that helps to deliver an improved quality to the life of those suffering various debilitating conditions, and it is generally the case that the carers receive little acknowledgment or thanks from the wider community for the work they do behind closed doors in their homes or in the homes of their loved ones. That is not to say that the community ought to have the primary responsibility for reimbursing those carers for the work that they do for their loved ones or family members.

Depending on the severity of the conditions suffered by the loved one, it is also understandable that a number of carers may not receive any recognisable acknowledgement or thanks from the person they care for either, so it is important to remember to recognise the invaluable work of these people. It is a job that must be done and the carers are, in the majority of cases, the only ones able to do it. They may have no choice; the alternative would be to walk away from those loved ones and their needs, which would be unthinkable to anyone with a common sense of humanity, compassion, dedication and family values. It also means the carers are shouldering a heavy workload, one with significant personal cost, so carers should be honoured and held in the highest regard. It is important that the work of carers is recognised by Australian residents generally, by all levels of government, by business operators and by educational institutions such as universities and schools. Just as recognition continues to grow for the disabled and the positive contribution they are able to continue to make to our Australian society, similar recognition and support must go to carers.

Australia recently held Carers Week. I reckon that is a great week, because we are able to hold these people up as role models. This week took place from 15 October until 21 October, with the theme ‘Anyone, Anytime’. This tag line highlights the fact that carers are often placed into such roles suddenly, unexpectedly and with little choice. They are confronted with a loved one who requires significant assistance in his or her daily life and often the carer is the only person able and willing to meet that need. As a result, it is not uncommon for carers to feel a bit alienated from the outside world. Some of them have admitted to feeling guilty if they go out and enjoy an activity without the person they are caring for. Loneliness and depression can eventuate. These are issues that are out of sight and out mind to the general broader community. Carers Week each year also aims to highlight the fact that there is support that is available and to advise carers and their loved ones of this support.

I recently had the pleasure of announcing Australian government funding of $239,536 for Suncare Community Services—an organisation in my electorate dedicated to providing respite to carers on the Sunshine Coast. These funds were allocated from the Working Carers Lifestyle Options Regional Program for a project designed to provide extended respite services to employed carers. Right across the country we have enormous government support for carers. At times maybe the support could be more, but I think this government, more than any other, recognises the wonderful role of carers. In this parliament, this forum, I want to thank carers for the wonderful work they do.

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