Wyatt Roy (Longman, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Thursday last week I had the privilege of spending some time with some of the most selfless people in my local community—a large number of carers. These carers organised respite care and made other arrangements so that they could share their stories with me, and I am very grateful for that. I thank everyone who attended and revealed their concerns to me.

The stories I heard served as a timely reminder to me that the work carers do is, in many cases, forgotten, undervalued and taken for granted. As a society, we take for granted that people are going to care selflessly for those they love. Carers provide countless hours of unpaid work—work that would otherwise place a significant burden on government. Carers need a hand up, not a handout, and they deserve a fair go.

One of my constituents, Renee, shared a moving personal experience with me. In a previous state election campaign, the state Labor government promised to build the Caboolture Health Hub, a local facility that would house children’s therapy services. True to form, the Labor Party broke yet another election commitment. The Caboolture Health Hub has to date failed to materialise and children’s therapy services have been moved to North Lakes, over an hour’s trip on public transport. For people like Renee, this means that it is almost impossible for her son to get the care he needs. This is an often difficult process for parents of disabled children. This again reflects the Labor Party’s inability to provide local services in my community. There are many, many more stories I could share, but I know my time is limited.

There is a common theme that emerged from my conversations with carers. Services available to them are fragmented and uncoordinated. Many carers are unaware of the full range of services that they are able to access. In many cases, bureaucracy is making the lives of these families harder, not easier. There is uncertainty and stress surrounding changes to funding models, and families are uncertain and nervous about what this is going to mean for them and their loved ones.

There was not one request I heard that was unreasonable. The carers in my community are asking for a hand up, not a hand out. They are asking for coordinated and appropriately targeted assistance to make their lives a little bit easier. This is the job of government. It is the job of the government to look after the most vulnerable members of our community and to support those who care for them. As is the case with most of us, these people want to contribute to their community in a meaningful and dignified way. The message that I am hearing loud and clear is that they are simply not receiving the support that they need. There must be a commonsense approach and a focus on this vital sector.