Another fine article, Jean. After years of neglect and buck-passing,we look to this new government for some social justice in the area of disability. That it could even consider ditching the carers bonus beggars belief. Lifelong carers of the disabled are the most disadvantaged, exploited and abandoned group in our society. In other developed countries, carers of Jean's age have a chance to put their feet up and enjoy a well-earned spot of retirement. Carers my age (57)are looking forward to it. This is because governments assume responsibility for the care of disabled adults after a certain age. The state of play in Victoria is revealed today in the Auditor General's report on disability accommodation. The Department of Human Services is unable to help 1370 people or 30% of those requesting support while the demand is growing by 5% annually. Here in NSW we look to Victoria as comparatively well-serviced. Successive governments have turned their backs on this sector and left caring families to struggle largely unsupported. It would seem that despite a lot of election promises, nothing is going to change any time soon.

Flattery, lobbying and rational argument should be effective methods for achieving goals but experience over many years using these techniques with politicians and governments of all persuasions has proven fruitless - mostly because carers are almost voiceless. It is hard to spend time lobbying when you are occupied 24/7.
A small band of intrepid campaigners contested senate seats in the last federal election because flattery, lobbying and rational argument has failed time and again. Carers come from all cultures, creeds, races, economic demographics and political persuasions. Mostly they don't give a fig about politics but they are forced to do so because experience has shown there is no other way.
Mrs Tops' excellent dissertation points out many of the reasons why carers need any (and every) help they can get, like the bonus, and hang onto it for dear life because experience has shown its nigh impossible to extract any assistance from any government, so they give up nothing.
Many people understand the carers' plight and are sympathetic but in many cases an increase in people's understanding is necessary, this is absolutely correct and this is especially so for politicians. However, the problem is not that politicians need help to gain this understanding, the problem is that one must first get them to take notice and listen, then they will understand. How do you get them to listen?
Well...They might be now!

I provide 24 Hour care to a person with a disability (PWD.) I am not on a carers pennsion I am on a carers allowance of $50 a week. I get 2 hours of respite care through my local council and they send me the bill. I would not need respite if I did not have a PWD. Any other care has to be paid for ny me. $50! Its a joke. I broke my back in 3 places and could not get out of bed. I could not get respite for my PWD. I was stuck in bed giving commands from the bed. My PWD went without food for two days and was unable to bathe. I tried to organise extra support though the duty worker and I was unable to get help. It was Christmas and I had the PWD for 5 days straight with no help. I was on Morphine. Respite is impossible to get and it is just disgraceful that any Leader would deny a once off bonus. I believe there should be an entitlement to repsity as in aged care and I should be entitled to 69 days a year as in aged care. Steffy

So carers aren’t maligned? As the fulltime sole parent carer for my two adult children with multiple disabilities for over 30 years, I could regale you with any number of occasions that as a carer I have been maligned, bullied by bureaucracy and my views and opinions discounted. Maligning of carers alive and well. Following the announcement of continuance of the Carer bonuses for this year by the Prime Minister yesterday ABC News reported the following:
Inflation Concern
But a leading economist says the Federal Government’s task of reining in inflation has been made much harder by its backdown over the carer’s bonuses
Last year the overall lump-sum payment cost $1.7billion
Chris Richardson from Access Economics told The World Today that someone has to to feel the pain from Government budget cuts or interest rates will rise again
“inflation is rising because times are very good in Australia” he said
“we need to wind that back and either the government takes hard decisions somewhere, or the Reserve Bank makes those hard decisions for them”

This could be viewed as a somewhat mischievous statement with the implication being that carers are the ones responsible for inflation and that carers are the most deserving of feeling financial pain. I find his statements to be extraordinary given that it was Access Economics that identified the cost savings – now $36billion annually- that the unpaid labour of family carers generates for the Australian economy. I wonder if similar comments were passed by the plantation owners in America’s south when slavery was abolished!
Felicity Maddison

Again Jean Tops spreads more light than heat. She is even-handed in her criticism of the policy shortcomings of both sides of politics with respect to carers and the people with disability. She has walked the walk and she has all the credibility to talk the talk.

Exhortations to be flattering and positive towards politicians are simply patronising and insulting. To borrow from the Homer Simpson Book of Political Commentary --- derrrrr,--- be nice to the pollies in case they throw us some crumbs from the table of plenty? --- been there - done that - ain't gonna happen. Surprisingly carers are highly educated, highly intelligent but worn out by the effort of care particularly when unsupported while raising a young family. Utterly enervated by the effort to survive the busyness of family life as well as caring for a disabled family member, child or relative they can rarely effectively engage in the political process,(let's face it everything is politics; many times these are single parents doing it on their own because marriage/relationship breakdown is about 20% above the national average. This leaves little time to contribute to blogs, read the papers, write letters to the editor. prepare submissions, sit on boards (parent-carers are too emotional), or to challenge the prevailing "we know best/better' brigade.

Only when their other children are older do they have some opportunity to raise their head and take a good look around at exactly what is lacking for the people with disability for whom they care and at their own life situation.Look out for the new breed of carers who don't "do" "gratitude" very well but who do "do" "ferocity" quite nicely.

Jean Tops is an inspiring carer-activist who can hold her own in any political company and her input into the public debate is unfailingly powerful and enlightening. Her exclusion from the policy-making table for decades is a loss to the body politic of Australia and her continued exclusion will show that no-one in power intends to make the lot of people with disability and their carers any different or any better.

Carer's,disability & other pensions.

According to Political correspondent Laurie Oakes - the past week with all it's mindless kafuffle, was deliberated choreographed by a few " chaser " Parliamentary Journalist who - bored with the Daily sittings, decided to raise heckles, create bedlam and put some life into a otherwise ennui proceedings by a thoroughly discredited beatup of " carer's pensions, bonus's & other welfare benefits ". A Canberra insider for yonks, he readily conceded it was all a whimsical hoax, even though it ran the media gamut for eight whole days, Nationwide !

As if it mattered much to Tracey Grimshaw, or enigmatic Anna Coran who dragged in all those bleeding hearts with all their pitiful stories of woe and despair into the studio limelight ! All told, the fiasco succeeded.

New boy on the block Kevin Rudd, to his credit deftly handled the media scuffle, despite the rapturous baying of effeminate comedians Abbot and Turnbull. It's about time they lifted their game and gave viewers less-of-the-same.

Parliament is blissfully descending into a chaotic fish market ! What a sorry spectacle Mr Hocking !

Given the plight of Carer's and their wards, mealy-mouth Govt handouts don't provide real sustenance let alone basic comforts afforded other welfare recipients. Parliamentarians have never been noted for their largess except for the Remuneration Tribunal Inquiries ! Short term, the much mooted razor gang for all it's vitriolic, is but a toothless harridan !

Careful, read my lips.