Sharryn Jackson (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I also am pleased to rise in support of the Social Security Legislation Amendment (Improved Support for Carers) Bill 2009, along with the many members who have spoken on this bill in the parliament today. As many have said, the primary purpose of this legislation is to broaden the eligibility criteria for access to the carer payment for people caring for disabled children. I am pleased with this change and I know that the emphasis for the new test which will be applied for eligibility will depend far more on the question of the level of care required by the child and not on the actual medical condition. I think this shift in policy is a good thing, not only at a practical level in terms of the numerous forms that parents are required to complete but also in terms of ensuring greater consistency between the test for eligibility for carers payment and the test for eligibility for carers allowance.

As the minister indicated in her second reading speech, only 7,000 children are presently being cared for by carer payment recipients; and yet we are aware that at least 113,549 carers are receiving the carer allowance. It is estimated that the bill will make carer payments available to another 19,000 carers of children with a disability. As at June 2008 in my electorate of Hasluck there were some 570 recipients of the carers payment and 2,355 recipients of the carers allowance. I trust that more carers will be eligible for those following the passage of this bill.

I must say that I am extremely fortunate to have terrific relationships with many carers and carer representatives in my electorate, especially Carol Franklin and her family, who are constituents of mine from Huntingdale. I first met her when I was doorknocking in the 2001 election campaign. Carol has given me an introduction to two wonderful organisations: firstly, CASA, which stands for Caring About Supported Accommodation—an organisation of the families of children with a disability who advocate for and support other families with disabled children—and, secondly, DDC, the Developmental Disability Council of Western Australia. They are terrific advocates for families who care for people with disabilities.

I, along with a number of other Western Australian politicians, also participate in something called the Politician Adoption Scheme in Western Australia. I have spoken of my adopted family, the Harris family, before in the House. My involvement with them gives me a unique and valuable insight into the day-to-day issues they confront with Lisa’s care. I was also privileged at one time to be the chief of staff to the Hon. Bob Kucera, who was the Western Australian Minister for Disability Services. That experience also gave me a unique and valuable insight into disability services in Western Australia and into the wonderful job undertaken by many carers. We were also fortunate to be involved in the establishment of the Western Australian carers council and to finally see them given a voice to directly advise government and also to advocate on behalf of carers in Western Australia.

One thing I have to say is that there have been numerous reports and inquiries into the issues affecting carers and those they care for. Indeed, the reform in this legislation was recommended by the Anthony Blunn task force report, Carer Payment (child)—a new approach: report of the Carer Payment (child) Review Taskforce, which was released in 2008. Most recently—and I know other speakers have addressed this—the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family, Community, Housing and Youth released its report on the inquiry into better support for carers, entitled Who Cares ...?: report on the inquiry into better support for carers. It is a good report and I commend the committee for their work. I support its recommendations, but I am sad to say that in many ways the report confirms what we already knew. Carers do it tough. Their health suffers more, both emotionally and physically, as they work 24/7 with the only end in sight sometimes being the death of the person they care for or, indeed, their own death. Many suffer great anxiety wondering what, if something happens to them, will happen to the person that they care for. Will they be adequately catered for? Will they have appropriate accommodation, support and care?

Carers are also under enormous financial stress. Carer payments and various disability subsidies are still, in my opinion, woefully inadequate and often misconceived. Carers are not the same as those who are, for example, unemployed or on Newstart. They perform a very different function in our society. Not only is their capacity to earn an income restricted during their lifetime of care, they also incur additional expenses to accommodate the disability or to provide higher quality care to the person with the disability. They are, frankly, at a lifelong disadvantage. Even if their care requirements ease, their education and careers are interrupted and they have no superannuation for the time spent caring. Not only that, many of them report that there are a multiplicity of services usually out there to assist them, services provided by all three levels of government—federal, state and local. They are community services, not-for-profit services and, of course, services in the private sector. Many of these services are insufficiently funded or have large lists of unmet needs in their local area, especially, I have to say, in the area of respite.

They tell me that sometimes the sheer number of agencies and different service eligibility requirements are in themselves a problem for tired and distressed carers to navigate. Some carers cry out for case managers or individual local-area coordinators to assist them with their myriad concerns. Others just seem to be concerned at the amount of money that so-called middlemen divert from limited and scarce funding in the disability services and care sectors. What we do know is that no two care situations are the same. There is no one solution that fits all. Carers want different types of support and respite, for some a weekend or a couple of months off, for others help with the housework or some sort of in-home care. I guess the one thing we still know and should often recognise is that we owe them a great debt.

The legislation before the House takes another small step towards easing the burden on and simplifying the system for carers. I know these amendments are being well received by carers. I was fortunate to have the Hon. Jenny Macklin in my electorate last month at a lovely afternoon tea where she met with a number of local carers and people from carer organisations, as well as representatives of the local council. Not only did these individuals get the chance to raise their issues directly with the minister; it was also an opportunity for the minister to give them some feedback on the steps being taken by the Rudd Labor government to address their concerns. I did say they raised a number of issues with the minister, but I am pleased to report that they certainly were very glad about the changes proposed in this legislation. I know that group of carers will also applaud the announcements regarding carers in last night’s budget. I can say that I was delighted.

There are some 500,000 carers across Australia and they will receive a new, permanent carer supplement to help them meet the significant financial challenges they face as part of the government’s secure and sustainable pension reform. Around 140,000 carers who receive a carer payment or a related income support payment will also receive pension increases as part of the budget reforms. It is well known that from 20 September 2009 there will be increases in the carer payment of $32.49 per week for singles on the full rate and $10.14 per week combined for couples on the full rate. The government will also provide carers with better financial security by replacing previous ad hoc bonuses with a legislated annual supplement. I believe that supplement payment will certainly assist and help carers manage their own financial circumstances and allow them to plan their household budgets and expenditures just a little bit more easily. The new supplement will also provide some 450,000 recipients of carer allowance with $600 for each person that they care for.

It is not only me surmising how well these payments were received. I mentioned my constituent Carol Franklin earlier in my address. Let me read an email I received this morning from Carol:

Hi Sharryn,

Great news for Carers and People with a disability in the Budget. Now we have to work on the 68 recommendations in the Better Support for Carers report. (HA!!! HA!!!)

Now you can congratulate your government in the fact that they included Carers and People with Disabilities in the Pension increases, they usually get forgotten.

Regards, Carol Franklin

The government’s secure and sustainable pension reform builds upon the government’s 2008 extension of the utilities allowance to carer payment recipients, now valued at $518 a year. It also builds upon the government’s reforms in this legislation to the carer payment which will, as I say, expand the payments for parents of children with severe disabilities from 1 July 2009. I congratulate the government on these small steps to provide better support for carers and I look forward to dealing with the recommendations from the House standing committee’s report. I commend the legislation to the House.

See this speech in context