Kara Cook (Bonner, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week, I had the pleasure of hosting the Wynnum First Nations Allies for a roundtable at my office. They are a local community group committed to supporting First Nations peoples through truth telling, relationship building and advocacy for structural change. The allies meet monthly, host guided cultural and art tours, and host elder-led sessions about lived experiences. We discussed Closing the Gap—the progress made and the work we must do—and the parliamentary inquiry into hate, racism and violence directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Conversations like this matter, and I want to thank the Wynnum First Nations Allies for their very important work.

As a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, I'm encouraging everyone in my community and certainly right across our country to have their say on how we can create a safer and more respectful Australia through the parliamentary inquiry into hate, racism and violence directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The committee will examine systemic racism, the influence of online platforms and the initiatives that aim to combat racism. The inquiry will also look at the threat posed by ideologically motivated extremism towards First Nations people, and the role of intelligence and law enforcement agencies in protecting the community from that threat. Submissions to the inquiry are now open and will close on 1 May. There will also be opportunities for the community to contribute at hearings right across the country in the coming months.

I recently had the privilege of opening the Specialist Dementia Care Program Unit at EM Tooth's Residential Aged Care Home in Manly in my electorate of Bonner. Dementia touches many lives in this country. There are over 411,000 Australians who live with dementia. For those with dementia, about one per cent have very severe behavioural or psychological symptoms and cannot be cared for in mainstream aged-care services. That is why I'm so proud to be part of the Albanese Labor government that is providing a $197 million investment for the Specialist Dementia Care Program right across the country, including a $4 million investment for the unit in my community in Bonner. The program funds specialist units to provide the care for people with severe behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, and aims to reduce and stabilise symptoms so that those living with dementia can transition into less-intensive care settings.

I want to acknowledge those who play a crucial role in caring for someone with dementia at home or in aged care. There are 1.6 million Australians who are doing this each and every day, often unseen. This includes families and aged-care workers. The EM Tooth Residential Aged Care Home is one of a network of 35 units delivering this program right across the country. It is also the first service operating in Brisbane's southside, providing vital care for those with severe dementia, and guidance and support for their families. At the opening of the service, I was so delighted to meet with many families whose family members who were being cared for in that unit, and to meet with some of those in the unit. When I toured the unit, it was an absolutely beautiful space. It has a real cottage-like feel and it is right on the doorstep of Moreton Bay, with an incredible outlook and a real sense of community. We are so lucky to have this in our community in Bonner and it was an absolute privilege to be at the opening.