16-October-2008
Goldstein Media Releases, Community
National Carers Week, to be held from 19 to 25 October, will further raise awareness of the wonderful role that carers play in our community and will also provide a platform to discuss how best to improve their lot in life.
There are over 2.6 million carers throughout Australia, providing over 1.2 billion hours of care each year, but they are often the unsung heroes of our community, according to Andrew Robb MP, Federal Member for Goldstein.
“I have seen first hand the invaluable work that carers carry out in Bayside and National Carers Week is a fitting way to honour those in our community who make significant sacrifices to care for those who can’t care for themselves.
“I welcome the Rudd Government’s recent announcement to provide carers a much needed $1,000 payment for each eligible person in their care and additional one off payments to pensioners. The Coalition has long been advocating for financial relief for pensioners who are doing it extremely tough and this assistance is very much overdue but it is still only a short term fix for a longer term problem,” Mr Robb said.
As part of the National Carers Week a range of events will be held throughout Victoria, including a free lunch on Thursday 23 October at The International of Brighton, organised by the Bayside City Council in partnership with the Commonwealth Carer Respite Centre.
“The previous Coalition Government had a proud record in supporting careers with funding in real terms increasing by 440% over the course of its term and covering nearly 350,000 additional recipients. The Coalition introduced a Carer Bonus payment, which the Rudd Government threatened to scrap, and extended the eligibility for both the Carer Payment and Carer Allowance.
“The Coalition also, for the first time, recognised young carers by funding the Young Carers Summit, providing $27.5 million to allow young carers to access respite for education, training and recreation,” Mr Robb said.
Further information on National Carers Week can be obtained through Andrew Robb’s office on 9557 4664.
Media contact: 9557 4644