Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Industrial Relations) Share this | Hansard source

One other matter, which I am sure is very critical to many parents, is in relation to the carer adjustment payment that is under review. Indeed, there is currently consideration as to how parents would be eligible for the payment. As I understand it, the payment is an interim ex gratia payment that the government is offering while a wide-ranging review is underway, and the review is examining eligibility for carer payments and the payments affected in providing a safety net for carers of children with a severe disability. There was a very positive story—and I am happy to say it was a positive story—about a difficult situation for parents who are looking after their four-year-old child who is quite severely disabled and is indeed eligible for this payment. It was in the Herald Sun only some months ago. It indicated that the Prime Minister announced that Tyler Fishlock, who is the young lad who is a cancer survivor, was a recipient of the payment. I have had a series of constituents contact my office who find themselves in a very similar position to that of the Fishlock family. Firstly, I was wondering how long the review will go. Some of these families have contacted the department by way of phone, but they are not sure whether they would be eligible or not. Because the matter is under review they do not know whether they will ever be eligible. But so far it has been very difficult to explain why their position is so distinctly different from that very difficult case for the Fishlock family. I was wondering whether the minister could comment on how the review is going and whether I can give some certainty to the families who are in what I would argue is a similar situation.

See this speech in context