Page 505 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 23 February 2010
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The other issue that must be mentioned here today relates to the provision of residential care. That is not always the ideal option for anyone, but for some the burden of caring becomes too great or just impossible through illness or other issues. This is where we see the system under pressure; this is where we see the burden on our hospital system. Indeed, I have been very vocal in this place about the care needs of a particular individual who, instead of being housed in appropriate accommodation as a matter of urgency, was left to the care of the hospital system for over two years. A two-year wait for suitable accommodation; this is a shameful situation and one that we cannot allow to happen again. Indeed, as I understand it, it still has not been fully resolved to date.
There is the issue of young people with a disability, more often than not an acquired brain injury, consigned to aged-care facilities in the absence of specifically tailored accommodation to suit their needs and their generation. This is another issue highlighted in the media recently. Aged-care facilities are not the place for these young people, and the duress and pain and the feeling of helplessness experienced by the carers of these young people is a growing issue in the community. Government at a federal level and here at the local level must start thinking outside the square in terms of provision of care and start looking at the real needs.
ACT Labor made a number of commitments going into the last election to Carers ACT and, through this peak body, to the carers in our community. A couple of these commitments have been delivered, but others have been less forthcoming. The bigger ticket items, such as the $800,000 over four years to fund a carer advocacy service, still remain an unfulfilled promise.
I take this opportunity to remind the government of this commitment and remind them that, despite the need for financial constraint and efficiency dividends across government agencies, it is imperative that the community sector remains well supported. In saying this and in looking for efficiencies as such, the government would be well advised to have a look at the interaction between the agencies and see if there is not a better way for government departments to communicate with each other and, in turn, create better operations between each other.
When I saw this item of business on the notice paper today, I was reminded in particular of a number of individuals I have met over the past 18 months. There are some individuals who I would like to recognise by name here today who are not only responsible for caring for a loved one but also for coming up with initiatives and agitating for change at all levels: the Hillier family, Linda and John, who maintain a vigilant eye on government process and their rights as carers and the rights of their teenage children who both have disabilities; Alison McGregor and Esther Woodbury, who, with unwavering conviction, are lobbying politicians from all sides for support for the community living project; Greg Jones, who, while not a Canberra resident, has advocated for inclusion and equity for people with a disability across Australia, including for his own son, paralympian Lachlan Jones; Estelle Sydney Smith, who cares for her daughter with a disability and the rest of her family while maintaining an active presence on school boards and various other committees; Anita Gordon, who fights for her rights and is not afraid to speak out as the parent of a young adult with a disability and her own rights as a person with a disability; and Bob Buckley, Monique
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