Carers Week - 15-21 October
There is an estimated 2.6 million carers in Australia. Carers are usually family members who provide support to children or adults who have a disability, mental illness, chronic condition or who are frail aged.
Carers can be parents, partners, brothers, sisters, friends or children. Some carers are eligible for government benefits while others are employed or have a private income.
"Carer's Week is important because it recognizes those in our community, usually parents or other family members, who are caring for relatives and loved ones who, whether due to old age, illness or a disability, need assistance and support" Ms Maria Vamvakinou stated today.
"There are an estimated 4000 carers in my electorate of Calwell. Carer's are ordinary people who take on the enormous responsibility of looking after someone in need of ongoing help and support, and they often face enormous challenges in doing so. Theirs is an extraordinary act of compassion, dedication and often personal sacrifice."
"Whilst it is important to recognize the extraordinary role carers play in the lives of those they look after, it is also important to provide them with real and practical help, and there is no doubt that the federal government could be doing more in this area." Ms Vamvakinou said.
"Caring for a parent, a grandparent, a partner, or a child with a disability often involves enormous financial costs, which further compound the personal sacrifices and emotional strains that carers face on a daily basis."
"Whilst there is support and assistance available to carers, such as the disability support pension, it still leaves many carers struggling to make ends meet. If we are going to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary role carer's play, we should also recognize that they often need extra assistance and support themselves."
"Most primary carers simply can't work because they are full-time carers, and many primary carers worry about what will happen to their loved ones when they are no longer able to care for them. For example, a parent of a child with a disability worries about what will happen to his or her child when they are no longer around to care for them."
"The government has recently announced a new initiative which allows carers to put aside up to $500,000 into a trust for the future care and accommodation of their loved ones in the event that they are no longer able to look after them. Under the new initiative, this money can be put aside without it affecting social security or Veterans' Affairs means tests and gifting rules."
"Whilst I welcome any new initiative designed to further help and provide support for carers, the reality is that few are in any sort of financial position to be able to make regular contributions to a trust fund."
"What I have sought from the government is an assurance that this does not spell the end of free Community Residential Housing, and the beginning of a system where those with money are given preferential treatment over those without."
"This is of grave concern to me, and I know that it also concerns carers in my electorate who I have spoken to. Their fear is that if they cannot afford a trust fund for the future care and accommodation of their loved one, such as a child who they have been caring for because of a disability, that child will miss out on suitable residential accommodation and support services after they are gone."
"As it stands, there is no way near enough community residential housing available for those with a disability in need of ongoing help and support."
Women comprise 54 per cent of all carers and 71 per cent of primary carers.
The majority of carers are of workforce age (18-64 years), representing 75.6 per cent of all carers
All figures and further information can be found at:
http://www.carersaustralia.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view &id=31&Itemid=107
Media Contact: Alex Kouttab 0417 541 465
