Page 1860 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 19 August 1992
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The carers pension will be extended to people caring long-term for non-pensioners and non-beneficiaries aged more than 16. This will encourage home provided rather than institutional care and will extend support to a group of carers currently ineligible for assistance. People receiving the carers pension have an additional two weeks respite per year, taking the total amount of allowable respite to six weeks. Also, new measures will allow carers to spend up to 10 hours per week in employment, education or training. This is a major step in assisting those on the carers pension to receive the education and employment opportunities that were previously restricted and that are also part of the underpinning of this Federal budget in relation to training and work access.
We all know the hardship that many pensioners face in Canberra, particularly in these cold winter months. Pensions will be increased from January next by $6 per fortnight for a single pensioner and $10 for a pensioner couple. This comprises a bringing forward of the March 1993 indexation plus an above indexation increase. Other concessions, such as hearing aids and telephone allowances, will also be extended further into our older community. The national action plan for dementia, which will begin this financial year, will focus on the needs of people with dementia as well as providing support and training for their carers, aged care assessment teams and the service providers.
Madam Speaker, we also welcome the initiatives being taken to assist members of our community from non-English-speaking backgrounds, particularly in the area of employment. New measures taken to boost English language training include an additional $105m nationally over four years to help job seekers overcome language barriers hindering their efforts to find work. Together with current budget allocations, a total of $317m nationally will be available over the next five years to help these job seekers. This consists of $156m to fund ESL, or English as a second language, tuition places, and $160m for income support. Also, an additional $7m has been allocated to the workplace literacy program for a three-year period beginning this financial year. This funding is expected to provide assistance to about 6,000 workers in our work force. It is a great pity that our people on the other side of this chamber are not here to hear all of this very good social news.
The ACT has an excellent record in the quality and provision of public housing. I am particularly pleased to see that, through the continuing support and expansion of the Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement, our community can look forward to improvements in the provision of housing with a guarantee from the Commonwealth of funding for the next four years. The proposal to provide additional funding in community housing will lead to greater community participation in the provision of accommodation. The Commonwealth, in its proposal to allow funds to be used to subsidise borrowings by community housing organisations, will also permit an expansion in housing opportunities. Commonwealth funding for both the supported accommodation assistance program and the housing and community care program will continue on a dollar for dollar basis in meeting the needs of those members of our community who are homeless and those who need our support to remain in their homes during their frail years. I am particularly sorry that Mr Cornwell is not here to note that.
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