Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Families and Social Services, Senator Ruston. Can the minister please advise the Senate how the Morrison government is delivering stability and certainty in the support provided to our unpaid carers who help the aged, those with disability, those with mental illness or those with long-term physical illness?

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Hughes for the question, understanding your long-term personal interest in carers in Australia. We all know that our unpaid carers make an absolutely invaluable contribution to society. Every day, 2.7 million Australians actually care for somebody who requires a little extra help, and we believe—the Morrison government believe—that it is absolutely important that we continue to provide assistance to those carers to enable them to continue that very, very important role.

Just recently, we introduced the largest reform to carer services in more than a decade. Last month we announced $493 million for 10 not-for-profit organisations to roll out a very detailed and integrated carer support network across the whole of Australia. We did this because we had a strong budget that enabled us to do it. But can I acknowledge that the Carer Gateway was actually an initiative designed by carers for carers, and I thank Carers Australia and their subsidiary organisations. I particularly thank Ara Cresswell, the CEO of Carers Australia, for the extraordinary effort that she and her team put in to work with the government to develop this proposal. It's a fundamental shift away from the crisis driven system that we've had in the past, and it's about putting prevention and intervention—and early intervention, particularly when it comes to respite care—at the very forefront of this initiative. We believe that is important that we get in there and help carers before they reach crisis point, not after the crisis has befallen them.

By 2022, these reforms will have delivered a fivefold increase in the number of support services for carers across Australia—that is, from 130,000 instances of support to 700,000 instances of support. This is an example of the Morrison government providing stability and certainty, delivering on our promises and helping Australians help themselves.

Scott Ryan (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator Ruston. Senator Hughes, a supplementary question?

Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, will our unpaid carers continue to receive support services during the transition to the new Carer Gateway?

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) | Link to this | Hansard source

Absolutely. Existing service delivery will overlap with the new services to ensure continuity and a smooth transition to the new, improved services. As I said, this new model is a model that was designed by carers for carers. We want to make sure our unpaid carers can be assured that they will be able to continue to access the kind of support that they have in their local area. But we also want to make sure that they will be able to get not only that support but also, in most instances, better support. Service providers are required to ensure that unpaid carers will receive at least like-for-like services, and probably improved services, in their local area.

Our reforms, as I said, have been co-designed with the industry peak body, Carers Australia. In the words of the chief executive of Carers Australia, Ms Ara Cresswell:

The new regional network of service providers will play a significant part in delivering necessary supports for Australia's family and friend carers, providing an increased range of service types and improved access.

(Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hughes, a final supplementary question?

Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

What impact will these reforms have on the provision of respite for carers?

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a very important question from Senator Hughes. We understand the importance of accessing respite care, because we understand that people do need a break. That's why we have invested almost $500 million in these reforms that, as I said, will deliver a fivefold increase in the kind of support that is able to be provided to our carers. This investment includes an $84.3 million investment in the 2019-20 budget to increase respite service for carers and to provide more support, particularly for young carers. The funding provides for additional complementary, short-term and emergency respite for carers, because we recognise the interdependency between the needs of carers and the needs of the people who care for them. We understand that only a strong, responsible budget will deliver this for our unpaid carers, and we will provide the certainty and stability to enable unpaid carers to continue their valuable work.