Kate Chaney (Curtin, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—Carers play an essential and undervalued role in the Australian community. In my electorate there are many people quietly supporting others. They might be caring for a child with an intellectual disability, a partner with multiple sclerosis, a parent with dementia or a friend with mental health issues. For example, Denis and Elizabeth are in their early 80s and are parents of a 44-year-old son with Down syndrome. They're struggling with many systems and services such as the NDIS, Centrelink, Medicare, medical professionals, banks and employment providers to plan for the future of their son when they're no longer around to care for him.

I thank all the witnesses who gave evidence to this inquiry—people like Denis and Elizabeth—many of whom shared their difficult personal stories. I was struck by their generosity and selflessness. They play such an important and, often, silent role in holding our community together, and recognising and supporting them is so important.

While caring is done with love, it does have an impact on the carer. Caring can and, most often, does affect employment, financial security, housing, superannuation, health, wellbeing and relationships. Carers like Denis and Elizabeth need to be recognised and supported. They need to be recognised as experts in the care that their son requires, and they need support to navigate systems to ensure he's housed, cared for and supported in life.

The Carer Recognition Act 2010 does not work particularly well in this regard. The act has an aspirational statement for Australian carers, but this statement does not create any enforceable rights. I sincerely hope that the recommendations of this report are taken up by the government.

My take on the evidence we heard was that the most important thing is the creation of enforceable rights to assist carers when they're interacting with the services they need to support the person they care for, and recommendation 4 seeks to progress this. There are also recommendations about better defining 'carer'; what Public Service agencies need to do for carers; accessing better supports, including counselling, training and respite; complaints; and an income tax credit for carers returning to the workforce. The report includes issues that need to be addressed in the new National Carer Strategy, including targeted supports for particular groups and a community education campaign. For Denis and Elizabeth, implementing these recommendations would mean that the services that they're dealing with recognise the vital role they play and that they know how to access respite and other supports when they need them.

I also want to pay tribute to the chair of the committee during the hearings, the late member for Dunkley, and those who cared for her during her battle with cancer. As someone who was on the receiving end of caring support during the hearings, the evidence must have been very close to home for her. Despite this, she performed the role of chairing these hearings with her usual compassion, professionalism and courage.

I commend the report to the House.

See this speech in context