Local Government News

Larry Anthony
National News

New offices to support carers

It was only fitting that yesterday, in the middle of Carers Week, I and my parliamentary colleague Ian Causley, opened the new offices of the Commonwealth Carelink Centre and Commonwealth Carer Respite Centre in Alstonville.

Having both services now conveniently located together at the local shopping centre will assist carers even more as there is easy access, with parking at the door, and carers requiring advice or assistance from both agencies can easily be dealt with.

The interview rooms will also be a bonus, allowing carers to discuss their concerns in private.

It really is a one-stop shop now and I am sure already many carers have already found that to be an advantage.

These are wonderful services full of committed and caring staff and it is always a delight to visit them.

The Australian Government provides about $1.5 million a year to support them.

In our region alone there are 6,000 primary carers, many of whom receive little or no assistance often due to lack of information or a feeling that they can manage without help.

Often they do not recognise themselves as carers.

Carers really are unsung heroes.

They undertake their role for the greatest of all reasons – love.

Without them there would be a greater reliance on paid and other forms of care within and outside the home, which would involve substantial costs on the Australian Government, and ultimately the taxpayer.

Conservatively it is estimated that the 2.3 million Australian carers save our economy about $20 billion a year.

As a community we must develop a culture that values the role played by carers in a realistic and meaningful way.

We must ensure that caring is seen as a normal everyday activity just like parenting and childcare, and not just as a private matter that is managed within families.

On behalf of the Australian Government thank you to all the carers for what you are doing.

Children's Week

This week is also Children's Week.

As Minister for Children and Youth Affairs I am proud to be part of a Government focused on improving opportunities for all Australian children.

In my development of the National Agenda for Early Childhood the three key areas of attention have been early child and maternal health, early learning and care and building child friendly communities.

We recognise that helping children means helping parents and the Government is giving more assistance than ever before directly to families.

Unfortunately, supporting Australian families does not seem as important to Labor, judging by its announcement this week that it will cut family assistance payments by dumping the baby bonus scheme we introduced last year.

That is despite the bonus having provided more than 120,000 families with more than $40 million in direct assistance.

Larry Anthony MP
Federal Member for Richmond
Minister for Children & Youth Affairs
PO Box 6996 Tweed Heads South 2486 ph: 07 5524 2466 fax: 07 5524 9366
www.larry.com.au Toll Free: 1800 812 125 larry.anthony.mp@aph.gov.au

Ian Causley
Canberra Connection

Historic week for Australian parliament

Today and tomorrow, US President George W Bush and China's President Hu Jintao will address Members, Senators and invited guests in Canberra.

Some Australians have political criticisms to make of these two national leaders but staging infantile protests is not the way to address the issues.

President Bush and President Hu will be in Australia as leaders of the two most powerful countries in the world, not as party politicians, and should be welcomed graciously.

They are guests of the Parliament and of the Australian people and should be received accordingly and treated courteously.

HSC underway

As the school year draws to a close I take this opportunity of wishing all Higher School Certificate students the best for their final assessments.

Education does not simply serve the economy. It is fundamental to the maintenance of democracy and to the formation of each of us as caring and responsible people.

I wish all students well in their future endeavours.

I would also like to invite students to contact my office to receive a copy of an information booklet, which contains important information for people intending to apply to study at an Australian university under the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS).

HECS Information 2004 includes information on how HECS works and who is eligible. It also informs students of important deadlines they need to know and their obligations under the scheme.

Please phone 1300 301 735, or call into 63 Molesworth Street to pick up a copy of the booklet.

Connecting all Australians

A unique telephone service is making a real difference to the lives of people who are deaf or have hearing or speech impairments by connecting them with their families and friends all over Australia.

The National Relay Service, the only service of its kind in Australia, provides specialised telephone access via telephone typewriter (TTY), modems, or re-speaking support.

The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and has two relay centres in Brisbane and Melbourne.

For more information please phone 1800 555 660 voice, 1800 555 630 TTY, 1800 555 690 fax, or visit www.aceinfo.net.au.

Help beat breast cancer

Federal Nationals Member for Page Ian Causley joins Sarah O'Hare, patron of the Australian Breast Cancer Foundation, to promote Pink Ribbon Day.

Monday is Breast Cancer Day and I encourage all Northern Rivers residents to wear a Pink Ribbon to honour the women in their lives.

The Pink Ribbon is a national symbol of support and recognition for those who have experienced breast cancer.

Every hour an Australian woman is diagnosed with breast cancer and worldwide more than one million will develop the disease this year. The Pink Ribbon has become the symbol of hope that we can prevent breast cancer and find a cure for those affected.