Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Seselja for yet another question. I think colleagues would be aware that there are close to three million carers in Australia and I think all colleagues recognise the incredible role that they play. In this regard, the Prime Minister seeks to lead by example, on behalf of colleagues, as evidenced by the annual Pollie Pedal fundraiser which, over many years, has raised many hundreds of thousands of dollars for Carers Australia. I know it is a commitment that all colleagues share.

Being a carer can be very demanding, particularly in the prime working years of one's life. It is also important to recognise that there are many young carers in the nation. That is why the government announced in this year's budget that we would invest $33.7 million in establishing a new carer gateway. From December 2015 the national carer gateway will provide a nationally identifiable place for all carers to go for information, regardless of who they care for, so they can access information about support and referral to services. The gateway will consist of a national website with a service finder and a national contact centre as the first step in a longer-term plan to better support carers.

On budget night we announced that we would establish a gateway advisory group, co-chaired by Ara Cresswell of Carers Australia. Today I am announcing the membership of that advisory group, which will consist of people with lived experience of being a carer, people who have had to interface with the disability and aged-care systems and mental-health systems, people who will provide good advice to the government on better support for carers.