6 years ago
NEW CARER SUPPORT SERVICES DELAYED
SENATOR CAROL BROWN
The Turnbull Government yesterday announced a delay to the implementation of important new support services to Australian carers.
The ability for carers to access new services through the Carer Gateway has been delayed until October 2018.
The establishment of a network of Regional Delivery Partners to help carers access a range of local services has also been delayed until September 2019.
Carers are the main source of support for the people they care for and their own needs often go unnoticed.
This is why the Minister for Social Services, Dan Tehan and the Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services, Jane Prentice need to give carers an ironclad guarantee that the services they are currently receiving will continue uninterrupted until the transition to the new model occurs.
The Turnbull Government must guarantee that there will be full consultation with carer organisation and carers while the scheme is being developed.
The Turnbull Government also sneakily announced that it would introduce a $250,000 family income test threshold to the Carer Allowance payment.
Labor has requested a full briefing as this announcement provides little detail on the proposal.