Ms McCARTHY - 2006-05-04
People who care for those with a disability are the unsung heroes of our community. Can you advise the House of any new initiatives in Budget 2006-07 that will help these carers?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arnhem for her question, because she truly understands the important role of carers in our community.
We have approximately 1600 Territorians who currently care for those who, through disability, age, frailty or terminal illness, simply cannot care for themselves without that vital support. Budget 2006-07 is really a landmark budget for the carers of the Territory, because it implements a strong social development program, introducing a carer’s card in the Northern Territory.
The carer’s card will be available to all Territorians who currently receive the Commonwealth Carer’s Allowance. It will provide a range of concessions, including electricity, water, urban bus travel, motor vehicle registration, driver’s licences, home owner rates and spectacles. We have also had an agreement from two cinemas, Birch, Carroll and Coyle and Cmax, who will provide movie discounts to holders of the carer’s card, and we wholeheartedly thank them for that support. We have also been talking to the AFL about providing discounts to AFL games for our carers.
Due to the time-consuming demands of caring for others, many carers are really quite cash poor. They do not have spare change; often they cannot undertake full-time employment and, at best, they have part-time employment. Therefore, anything that can be done to support carers to be able to move about the community and ease that financial burden is most welcome.
Budget 2006-07 commits $1m to the new carer’s card initiative, which will commence on 1 July this year. This is a government that is very proud to deliver on what is an important election promise.
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arnhem for her question, because she truly understands the important role of carers in our community.
We have approximately 1600 Territorians who currently care for those who, through disability, age, frailty or terminal illness, simply cannot care for themselves without that vital support. Budget 2006-07 is really a landmark budget for the carers of the Territory, because it implements a strong social development program, introducing a carer’s card in the Northern Territory.
The carer’s card will be available to all Territorians who currently receive the Commonwealth Carer’s Allowance. It will provide a range of concessions, including electricity, water, urban bus travel, motor vehicle registration, driver’s licences, home owner rates and spectacles. We have also had an agreement from two cinemas, Birch, Carroll and Coyle and Cmax, who will provide movie discounts to holders of the carer’s card, and we wholeheartedly thank them for that support. We have also been talking to the AFL about providing discounts to AFL games for our carers.
Due to the time-consuming demands of caring for others, many carers are really quite cash poor. They do not have spare change; often they cannot undertake full-time employment and, at best, they have part-time employment. Therefore, anything that can be done to support carers to be able to move about the community and ease that financial burden is most welcome.
Budget 2006-07 commits $1m to the new carer’s card initiative, which will commence on 1 July this year. This is a government that is very proud to deliver on what is an important election promise.
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016