Jeremy Rockliff,Minister for Community Services and Development
The Tasmanian Liberal Government acknowledges the invaluable role unpaid carers play in our community, and we thank and commend Tasmania's hard working and dedicated carers for their commitment to supporting their family and friends.
One of our key election commitments was to commence consultation to inform the development of Tasmania's first Carer Recognition legislation, which will formally acknowledge the thousands of carers in the Tasmanian community and promote and value the importance of care relationships.
I was pleased to meet with our Carers Issues Reference Group last week which fulfils our commitment to start these discussions in our first 100 days, to discuss the value of the legislation, including a set of principles outlining the significance of care relations and the way organisations interact with people in care relationships.
The group is considering the development of a discussion paper for wider consultation later this year.
We are also pleased to announce funding to help more organisations and individuals celebrate National Carers Week, with applications for the Tasmanian Government's Carers Small Grants Program 2021-22 now open.
This program will fund organisations to deliver events during National Carers Week and increase awareness of services available to carers, building on our new Supporting Tasmanian Carers: Tasmanian Carer Action Plan 2021-24, which supports the important and critical role of the over 80,000 informal carers in Tasmania.
The Carers Small Grants program is two-tier, providing:
- Grants of up to $2,500 for projects that support the health and wellbeing of carers; and
- Grants of up to $5,000 for events to celebrate Carers Week, which will run from October 10 to 16 this year, or for community events that benefit carers in 2021-22.
Unpaid carers play a vital role in the health, wellbeing and security of their family members and friends who need support and assistance, and we acknowledge those carers who were at the forefront during COVID-19 and stepped up to ensure that people in their care were protected.
