Gary Humphries (ACT, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Ageing, Senator Santoro. Given that this is Carers Week in Australia, will the minister inform the Senate about steps the government is taking in Australia to support carers?

Santo Santoro (Queensland, Liberal Party, Minister for Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Humphries for his question and acknowledge that whenever I talk to carers in the ACT they invariably refer to Senator Humphries with great affection and in particular talk about his support for carers within the ACT. As Senator Humphries has said, this week is Carers Week, and the Australian government acknowledges the enormous work provided by our nation’s 2.6 million carers. The theme of National Carers Week this year is ‘Anyone, Anytime’, in acknowledgement that any one of us could become a carer at any point in our lives. The Senate on Monday unanimously supported a motion cosponsored by Senator Humphries, Senator McLucas and Senator Siewert which acknowledged carers work right across Australia for the people that they care about.

To demonstrate this government’s support for carers, yesterday I announced a $12 million dollar commitment to provide counselling training and education for those who look after elderly and disabled relatives. This is a two-year funding agreement with Carers Australia, an agreement which will help this outstanding organisation improve even further the services it provides to carers across the country.

Before the launch of Carers Week yesterday morning I was delighted to spend some time with the president and CEO of Carers Australia and discuss with them ways government can work with them to even further support carers. To support Carers Week the Howard government has provided $190,000 for activities, including yesterday’s launch, at which the number of my parliamentary colleagues were present. I take this opportunity to thank them, including you, Mr President, for demonstrating their support for Australian carers. These funds are in addition to the millions of dollars provided to the Ageing portfolio as well as to the Human Services portfolio, which provides the carer allowance and carer payment at a cost of well over $2 billion each year. In the Ageing portfolio, funding under one of the key carer support programs, the National Respite for Carers program, has grown more than ninefold to around $168 million in 2006-07.

The Howard government also committed $207 million in the 2005 budget to give carers better choice and access to the respite care that best meets their needs. This included $95.5 million for respite care to assist employed carers continue in their employment, $61 million for overnight community respite to increase respite care in community respite houses and $41.8 million for residential respite funding to increase respite care in aged care homes. We will also be providing nearly $7 million to the national peak body, Carers Australia, for them to continue to carry out the very good work in providing information to support carers, education, training and a more specialised counselling role.

It may be of interest to senators who are not already aware of the fact that one in every eight Australians performs a caring function. We acknowledge them this week and thank them for all that they do. It may also be of interest to senators that over 450,000 carers are in fact the primary care givers for the people that they are looking after. That is an onerous responsibility which all of them carry out with great dignity and affection.

Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.