Julia Irwin (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The budget announced by the Treasurer included some financial relief for carers, but again we have seen the government turning a deaf ear to the most important need for carers—that is, greater access to respite care for the aged and disabled living in the community. In the area of aged care, while the Treasurer would have us think that he understands the effects of an ageing population on the economy, what he seems incapable of understanding is the effect of an ageing population on those taking on the responsibility of caring for aged relatives. And it should not go without notice that many of those carers are themselves ageing. For many, caring for a spouse in later life is a far harder job than anything they undertook in the paid workforce. Caring for a loved one can involve every waking hour and many in between. As a consequence, the carer’s own health often fails and that leaves both the carer and the infirm in need of full-time support. Just having the time to visit a doctor or a hairdresser can be a luxury for many carers, and even thinking about a holiday can only be a dream.

Caring for an aged relative from a non-English-speaking background can add to the time and dedication required of a carer. Limited radio, television and other media in foreign languages can require added input from the carer. There is a growing need not only for respite care but for forms of day care which cater to the special needs of people whose English language skills have faded and who have reverted to their native language. One program to meet these dual needs is planned by the Cardinal Stepinac Village in the Fowler electorate.

Cardinal Stepinac Village provides accommodation and aged care for people of non-English-speaking backgrounds. While its residents are largely of Croatian background, the village provides services for a range of cultures and languages. The village presently provides an unfunded service providing casual day care when carers have urgent needs to attend to. This extends to the village’s ‘Be our guest’ program, which provides weekly short-term visits by the elderly, again without government assistance.

The Cardinal Stepinac Village was approved in the 2006 funding round for an additional 15 residential care places, but it is also seeking to expand day care to cater for day visits to the centre by aged persons in the region. The village proposes to build a day care area at a cost of $800,000 and a community interaction hall at a cost of $1.7 million. These facilities would not only provide the much needed respite for carers but would also provide care which would improve the quality of life of the aged clients.

On a number of occasions I have had the pleasure of visiting Cardinal Stepinac Village at Christmas and other festive times. It is a joy to see the village residents as they take part in games and festivities that remind them of their childhood in a far away country. Having an understanding of the culture can make all the difference between a soulless and sterile environment and one which can provide an atmosphere where joy and love of life can prevail, even for the frail aged.

I mentioned the cost of the planned projects. I have to add that, even with the great generosity of the local Croatian community, these facilities will require funding assistance from the state and federal governments if they are to be built. I have on previous occasions related to the House the selfless generosity of the residents and families of Cardinal Stepinac Village. The village raised $25,000 for the victims of the Canberra bushfires. They raised over $80,000 for the victims of the Asian tsunami. All they ask now is the help of governments to extend their care to an even larger group in the community, in the special way that only they can.