Jim Turnour (Leichhardt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support this very important legislation. The Social Security Legislation Amendment (Improved Support for Carers) Bill 2009 is primarily focused on increasing support and recognising the vital role of carers in society. Specifically, it aims to improve assistance to carers of children with profound disabilities. I want to start my remarks by making some general comments about carers and the need for us to provide support for them. Whether it is caring for elderly parents, children with illnesses or someone with a disability—whether that is psychological or physical—carers work behind the scenes. They do not always get the credit they deserve and they make incredible sacrifices.

As somebody who has only in the last couple of years had a child and has learnt the unconditional love that is involved in that relationship and as someone who has friends with children, including children with disabilities, I know the efforts and the unconditional love that is involved in providing that support in that relationship. This legislation is particularly important in providing support to families and parents who are carers for young children with profound disabilities. It is particularly important legislation because those people are very much the unsung heroes of this community. They not only provide the love and support to their children that we all give our children; they also, well beyond the time when their children are babies, in many instances have to help them with bodily functions and other things that are not so pretty, but that is a normal part of their lives. They are tremendous Australians; they are tremendous citizens. It is great to be here in parliament to support legislation that is hopefully going to improve their lives.

The Rudd government recognise the important role that carers play. We have sought, including with this legislation, to support them where we can. In the first stimulus package that we brought down last year we delivered stimulus payments to carers. The economic stimulus package provided $1,400 to carer payment recipients in general and $1,000 to carer allowance recipients for each person cared for under that program. The carer payment provides income support to people who, because of the demands of their caring role, are unable to support themselves through substantial workforce participation. Carer payment is subject to an income and assets test and is paid at the same rate as the social security pension. Carer allowance is an income supplement available to people who provide daily care and attention to an adult or a child who has a physical, intellectual or psychiatric disability which is permanent and likely to affect the person for an extended period. Both of those groups, whether they give full-time support or receive an allowance, received support through the first stimulus package.

Last year we also extended the utilities allowance for the first time to all recipients of carer payment and the disability support pension. In addition, the government has increased the telephone allowance to $132 a year for carer payment recipients with a home internet connection. The 2008 budget also contained an $822 million package to support and recognise carers. Last night in the budget we made specific commitments for carers.

It is really important in a First World country like Australia that we do provide support to the most disadvantaged in the community and also to those who are providing support to those people who need support, whether they are young children, elderly or other people who need that support. We can only do that, though, if we run a responsible budget and we keep the economy strong, because in the end we need to make sure that the funds are there to pay these bonuses, pensions and other things. In last night’s budget we recognised that and we brought forward some important payments for pensioners.

The government is committed to supporting carers. They do one of the most difficult jobs day in, day out—there is no doubt about that. As the Treasurer stated last night, good carers are among the unsung heroes of our community. Because of the financial difficulties they face, this budget introduces a $600 a year carers supplement for all carer payment recipients on top of an increase in their pensions—increases for singles of $32.50 approximately per week and for couples of $10.14 per week. I know they will be welcomed. Recipients of the carers allowance will also receive an additional $600 a year for each eligible person in their care. They do the hard work and they need the support. I am proud to be part of a government that is providing some additional support to carers. They need more and we always need to do more, but it is good to be able to continue to make an effort to provide them with support.

This legislation is particularly focused on increasing support and recognising the vital role of carers with young children. The bill provides part of the government’s response to the report of the Carer Payment (Child) Review Taskforce. The task force was established in March 2007 to examine the qualification criteria for carer payment and to consider the effectiveness of the payment in providing a safety net for children with a profound disability or severe medical condition. The task force recommendations are set out in the report entitled Carer payment (child): a new approach. The measures contained in this bill implement recommendations of that task force. The amendments will deliver a new, fairer set of qualification criteria for carer payments paid in respect of the child.

Whether you are on the opposition side or on the government side of the House, you will have had carers visit you in your offices. One of our jobs is to represent people and at times take up issues that they have with government departments. I am sure members would have had people in their offices who have sought to receive a carer payment and to get their child recognised as somebody that needs support. They need to provide that care and have been caught up in a bureaucratic system that does not recognise the difficulties that they are facing. They want to simplify it down to what they see effectively as a tick-a-box system. An important outcome of this review was recognising that we need to make improvements, particularly around how we look at assessing the ability of people to access carer payments. It is really good to be able to see this legislation come before the parliament.

The legislation ensures that in the future the decisions are based on the level of care required rather than the rigid medical criteria currently used to assess qualification for the payment. There are important and substantive changes that will give carers a fair go. For the first time there will be access to carer payment paid in respect of a child on a short-term or episodic basis. Sometimes you need to have carer payments paid on a short-term basis. We see people go through referrals and they make an application to receive carer payment or the carer allowance and they are knocked back. They have to appeal and they go through that process. Often it can be for a short period of time. This legislation allows for them to access payment in respect of a child on a short-term or episodic basis.

There will be more generous arrangements for carers of children who are in hospital so that carers can keep their carer payment and carer allowance when the child is in hospital. I have had constituents come to me when somebody has gone into hospital and their payments were then under threat. Their child is in hospital and they need to continue to get the income support that they have been receiving. It is very important that that is continued. This legislation deals with that issue.

The qualification rules will also be relaxed in the tragic situation of a person caring for a child with a terminal illness. It is a tragic situation for somebody to see their child die before them. What a terrible thing to happen to anybody. Your heart goes out to those people. We need to make life fairer and recognise those difficult situations. A person in receipt of a carer payment in respect of a child will also become automatically eligible for carer allowance. This is going to provide additional support to many families.

Administration of these claims will be improved, with better claims processing and the capacity for more complex claims to be handled by a dedicated complex claims assessment team. When people make a claim and get knocked back and they are struggling at home because they have to care for somebody, they have to deal with a bureaucracy. When it is not working out for them, they come to see members of parliament and we struggle to work through the issues with them. This legislation, building on the review process, is going to assist us in helping those people. Hopefully, not too many more will end up in the offices of members of parliament needing that support.

In conclusion, this legislation is very important. I am very proud to be here supporting this legislation. Carers are a valued and important sector of our communities. They sure are in my electorate of Leichhardt, as I know they are all across the nation. I therefore commend this bill to the House and salute the carers all across the nation.

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