Steve Fielding (Victoria, Family First Party) Share this | Hansard source

Firstly, I will declare an interest in the Social Security Legislation Amendment (Improved Support for Carers) (Consequential and Transitional) Bill 2009 and the Social Security Legislation Amendment (Improved Support for Carers) Bill 2009: I have an intellectually disabled sister, and my parents are carers 24/7 still. I am sure there are many other members in this parliament that could probably claim the same thing too, so I am not trying to say anything special about that. But certainly, anyone who is a carer is doing a tremendous job and mostly under very strenuous and difficult circumstances.

Australians love their sporting heroes. Our children revere them and idolise their every move, while as adults we pin the hopes of the nation on them and share in all their successes. In fact, we love them so much that out of the 49 times that the Australian of the Year award has been bestowed on an individual, on 11 occasions it has gone to a sports star. As I glanced at the list of recipients of this award, I also saw scientists, entertainers, environmentalists and business people, each one a role model for all Australians. But one thing that did stand out from among this list was the absence of a group of ordinary Australians whose contribution to society has touched so many. By this I mean those people who act as carers for those in need. They are the unsung heroes. Maybe they are not given the Australian of the Year award but they are, in every way, deserving. They do not get any glory or tickertape parades. In many cases, they have more reasons to cry than to celebrate. They do not ask for rewards or grand recognition; what they do ask for, however, is a fair go.

That is what this Social Security Legislation Amendment (Improved Support for Carers) Bill 2009 is about. It is about making life easier for those who have enough on their mind as it is. It is about going some small way towards helping those people who spend their days helping others. Family First supports the amendments to the Social Security Act and the Social Security (Administration) Act put forward in this bill and sees them as a positive first step to improving support for carers. Family First is particularly pleased that this bill deals specifically with carers who look after children, given that almost one quarter of all primary carers help children with a disability, and almost two thirds of these carers spend at least 40 hours per week in their caring role. The changes proposed will mean that more people will become eligible for carer payments. These income support payments are by no means adequate compensation for the care provided in many cases but they do go some way towards alleviating the financial burden imposed on those who are unable to support themselves through participation in the workforce.

I want to highlight the changes to the qualification rules for those caring for children with a terminal illness as something which particularly pleases me. Under the current laws, carers—in many cases a parent—are required to get a medical professional to certify that the child with a terminal illness will not live substantially longer than 12 months. For a highly civilised society, this is a highly uncivilised way of doing business. It is hard to even begin to imagine the trauma of having to care for a child with a terminal illness. I have three children of my own and being in such a situation would, no doubt, be my biggest nightmare. I welcome the new changes to the qualification rules, which are far less intrusive and demonstrate far greater compassion.

Family First also welcomes the changes that will see carer payments being granted to those looking after children under the age of 16 who require care on an episodic basis. Having a child who requires care for a period of at least three months can be an incredible burden on a family member and it is important that carer payments be extended to include these situations. Family First supports this bill and will continue to support all future endeavours by the government to improve the conditions of carers in our community.