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

by leave—I move:

That the following matters be referred to the Community Affairs References Committee for inquiry and report by 27 March 2014:

(a) the prevalence of different types of speech, language and communication disorders and swallowing difficulties in Australia;

(b) the incidence of these disorders by demographic group (paediatric, Aboriginal and Torres Islander people, people with disabilities and people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities);

(c) the availability and adequacy of speech pathology services provided by the Commonwealth, state and local governments across health, aged care, education, disability and correctional services;

(d) the provision and adequacy of private speech pathology services in Australia;

(e) evidence of the social and economic cost of failing to treat communication and swallowing disorders; and

(f) the projected demand for speech pathology services in Australia.

Question agreed to.

Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the following matter be referred to the Community Affairs References Committee for inquiry and report by 30 September 2014:

Grandparents who take on the primary responsibility for raising their grandchildren when parents are unable or unwilling to do so, through a formal or informal care arrangement, including:

(a) the practical challenges facing grandparents raising their grandchildren, and their support needs;

(b) the role and contribution of grandparents raising their grandchildren, and how this should be recognised;

(c) other challenges that grandparents raising their grandchildren face in undertaking their role, including in circumstances complicated by family conflict, mental illness, substance abuse, homelessness, child abuse or neglect, or family violence;

(d) the barriers that grandparents raising their grandchildren face in acquiring legal recognition of their family arrangements, including Legal Aid entitlements for grandparents seeking to formalise their custodial arrangements through the Family Law Courts;

(e) the practical measures that can be implemented by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments and the community sector to better support grandparents raising their grandchildren, including key priorities for action;

(f) the specific needs of particular groups within the caring population, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander grandparent carers, grandparents caring for grandchildren with disability, grandparents from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, grandparents with mental health needs and grandparents with an informal care arrangement for their grandchildren; and

(g) other related matters.

Question agreed to.