Geoff Lyons (Bass, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend FESTofALL, the launch of the young carer festivals in Launceston. The festivals allow young carers to recognise the good work they do, meet other people in similar situations, build support networks and, most of all, have some fun. This was a fantastic day which provided me with the chance to meet with many young carers, hear their stories, participate with them in some great activities and enjoy the food, entertainment and atmosphere of an AFL game day in Launceston.

The FESTofALL provided these inspiring young kids and their families with the opportunity to see some of their favourite AFL stars in action by attending the Hawthorn versus North Melbourne match at Aurora Stadium. The 'Hawk Walk' from City Park through the streets of Launceston to the ground was followed by lunch at Hawks Central with the Hawthorn mascot, 'Hawka'. The traditional meat pie and Coca-Cola went down a treat with many of the kids, as they watched a magic show and honed their footy skills with some handball and kicking competitions. The game itself was also thoroughly enjoyed by all. Even a young one-eyed Kangaroos supporter, who before the game could only cheer for the Roos, came up to me at three-quarter time, tugged on my jacket and said he was now barracking for the Hawks. It really was a tremendous day. These young people had a great time and deserve a break from the extra day-to-day duties they take on in their role as carers.

A young carer can be any young person from five to 25 years of age who provides regular, sustained care to another person without payment for undertaking this role. There are a variety of situations where young individuals take on a caring role, whether this is for someone with a disability, a medical condition, a mental health issue, a drug or alcohol problem or frailty due to old age. Young carers come from a variety of family situations, including traditional two parent families, single parent households, living with grandparents or extended families. In Tasmania alone, there are some 2,500 young carers. On average, these kids dedicate around 27 hours a week to caring, with many reporting that they often miss out on school and are sleep deprived because of these extra duties they take on. These duties can range from providing assistance with general household tasks to mobility and personal care. Often, the time that these young individuals dedicate to their families can prevent them from enjoying social interaction with others their own age, contributing to a feeling of isolation and being without a supportive peer environment.

The FESTofALL is an initiative under the federally funded National Carer Strategy to support young carers, who are some of the more vulnerable members of our communities. I am pleased and proud that the government has committed $1 million in new funding to provide more of these types of events in each state and territory. The festival in Launceston was just one of the many activities taking place across Australia which are raising awareness of the role of carers, improving the identification of young carers in the community and increasing the social interaction of these young people. The next event to be held in Tasmania will be a day out at Zoodoo, a wildlife park in Richmond. Participants will have the chance to meet and feed a variety of animals and enjoy activities like face-painting, balloon animals and a merry-go-round. I will be encouraging young carers from around the state who did not get to attend FESTofALL to take part in some of these activities.

I would like to congratulate everyone who was involved in making FESTofALL such a wonderful event. I thank all the sporting and community clubs, particularly the under-14 northern Tasmanian basketball team for their time and effort in supplying the food and drinks on the day. Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank each and every one of the young carers I met at FESTofALL for their hard work, dedication and compassion in their role as carers. I thank them for their willingness to share their stories with me and for including me in what was a fantastic day of fun and football in Launceston.