Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to add the Greens’ support for this motion. It has been clear for quite some time that the Commonwealth State/Territory Disability Agreement needs some review. When I came new to this portfolio I very quickly became aware that there were significant problems in this sector. In Western Australia alone there is still a vast amount of unmet need for carers in this sector. In fact, we do not really have an understanding of the unmet need in Western Australia because people have actually given up asking. They are so sick of filling in complicated forms that they do not apply anymore. Many carers have said to me that they feel like it is a race to compare how bad your situation is before you can get attention. People are so demoralised by this.

I have heard many disappointing and distressing stories. Just recently I was in Albany and met with a well-known person in Albany who told me the story of what had happened with her husband who suffered from dementia and how hard it was for her to get respite care. They found that what was happening in Albany was that places that should have been reserved for people for short-term respite—to give carers of people some respite—were being filled by long-term patients because it was more economically viable for the centres to fill their places with long-term patients. While that of course is good for the long-term patients and meets a need there, unfortunately there are many people who are missing out because all they need is respite for short periods of time—and they are not getting that.

I have also learned of a change in service provider. While I am not in any way disparaging the service provider it was changed to, what was explained to me was the complicated nature of trying to get service there now and that people are confused about where to go for service. There was not a seamless changeover. I understand that is happening in other regional centres—that there have not been seamless changeovers of care providers who have contracts to provide some of the services. I also understand that there is very little idea of the unmet need for care providers in other states.

I have looked at the first, second and third agreements between the states, and I think there has been a definite shift of Commonwealth responsibility onto the states. To tell you the truth, I am absolutely sick of hearing issues being batted between the Commonwealth and the states: ‘Oh, that is not a Commonwealth responsibility; that is a state responsibility’ or ‘That is not a state responsibility; it is a Commonwealth responsibility.’ Carers and people in need are the ones who suffer. Access Economics produced a report late last year that showed the benefit of carers in the community. Millions and millions of dollars worth of care is provided by carers for people in need of care. The report highlighted the absolute value of the care that is provided for people in the home and the work that carers do.

The report also highlighted the fact that if we as a nation do not get our act together and look at what is happening, long term and into the future, we are going to have an even bigger problem than we have now with the needs of carers and the needs of people who require care. It is absolutely essential that we look not only at how we can meet the needs of carers right here and now but also at what our long-term problems could be. As I have highlighted in this place on a number of occasions, I believe there are a number of clauses in the agreement that give the Commonwealth clear leadership responsibilities and provide the mechanism for the Commonwealth to provide leadership and show the way in trying to get to the bottom of this issue.

There are ongoing issues with people who are on carer payments or carer allowances and the discrepancies between the two and how hard it is to access one and the other. These are all unnecessary burdens on people who are only doing good for our community. Even if you do not want to pay attention to the fact that they are supporting our community, on an economic basis alone, one can see that they are making this country a better place. I absolutely endorse this referral motion. I think it is high time that we looked at this agreement. It is clearly not working in a number of areas. We need to look at what is working and what is not working, learn the lessons and fix this area—because it is the people in the community and the carers, who unselfishly give hundreds and hundreds of hours to this community, who are suffering. So let’s get our act together, let’s review it and let’s move forward into the future instead of backwards.