Wednesday, 19 February 2020

Ministers statements: carers package

Mr DONNELLAN (Narre Warren North—Minister for Child Protection, Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers) (11:36): I rise to update the house today on the marvellous work that the Andrews government is doing with our carer community—that community that looks after loved ones, that carer community that is very much invisible in many ways in our community—and the great work they do for others. We have 700 000 unpaid carers, many of them doing work 24 hours a day. The greatest problem for carers, more than anything else, is, I guess, poorer health outcomes and poorer educational outcomes for younger carers. In many ways they are not good at caring for themselves, which is a corollary of the great work they do with others.

Last week I was down at Mullum Mullum Creek in Ringwood along with the member for Ringwood, who has a long-time involvement in health services; the member for Ivanhoe, my parliamentary secretary; the Maroondah mayor; and councillors to announce the next stage of our $50 million package to support carers: four new statewide partnerships and 94 local community projects for carers.

Among the statewide projects is one called Pathways for Carers, put together and run by a marvellous, energetic carer, Mel Spencer; and Jack Mulholland from the City of Maroondah—and could you find a more empathetic, caring individual than Jack Mulholland, who has done so much work with autism and carers over so many years? I would also like to acknowledge Fred Brumhead, who heads up Interchange Outer East. This is very much a program about getting carers together to talk and to share the burdens they carry each day for us and the great work they do.

This program will be run out across the state along with carers hubs in neighbourhood houses and projects to help young carers stay engaged in school. I want to thank Carers Victoria, Interchange Outer East, Access Health and Community, Little Dreamers Australia, the Financial and Consumer Rights Council, the Municipal Association of Victoria and Neighbourhood Houses Victoria, for the work they are doing with us. It is very much across the— (Time expired)