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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-10-19 Daily Xml
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National Carers Week

Mrs HURN (Schubert) (15:22): I start by acknowledging all the carers who are here with us in the gallery today in what is National Carers Week. So many people have shared really eloquent experiences and reasons for why, together with the honourable member from the other place, Heidi Girolamo, and the member for Adelaide, we are wanting to establish this parliamentary friends group. It is really important, but what I want to say is that we all see you.

We all have our personal experiences but often, as carers, so much of the focus is put on the person you are caring for, and often there can be mixed emotions about who is looking after you because you give so much of yourself obviously for the people you are caring for.

My nan was a carer for many years. My pop was a double amputee above the knee, and that happened very late in life—so some really big adjustments have to happen. As I am looking out and seeing all of you, I am really looking forward to hearing all of your individual stories as we are having our refreshments in the other place and to pick up on some of the actions that we can do here in the parliament, working in very much a bipartisan way to make your lives easier.

Having a lived experience and sharing that is really critical to be able to start and to generate that change, and to see so many of you here today is really fantastic. I know that many members are focused on this, but I give a particular shout-out to the younger carers. I can see some of you here in the chamber, and there are a number of them in my local electorate of Schubert. You carry the burden with such passion and ease, and the minister was just reflecting on it earlier.

Young people in particular do not necessarily see themselves as being a carer. You see it as something that you do out of the love and compassion of your own heart just to be able to help your brother or your sibling, so I think that that is particularly so impressive. But it does come with significant burden, and that is something about the mental health aspect, which the member for Frome, who is also the shadow minister for mental health, and I and right across the chamber are really passionate about.

If I could speak about something at the local level, this is part of the reason why I am spurred on to push for a Headspace to be established in the Barossa Valley. I think that support for young people, regardless of whatever challenge you are going through, is absolutely critical. In my region of the Barossa, which in many ways is just a stone's throw from this place, it is only an hour away, the access to the mental health services is really frighteningly scarce and the additional challenge and the build-up of emotion that that puts on young people is something we need to address. That is why we have launched a campaign, myself and the federal member for Barker, Tony Pasin, to establish a Headspace in the Barossa.

One thing that I have found particularly affronting in a recent report that came out is that when it comes to access to health care and psychologists and psychiatrists across the state, internationally Adelaide is on par with countries like France and Norway, but if you are in rural South Australia you are actually on par with a country like Mongolia. I do not understand how that is possible in this day and age, and that is something we need to address.

Having a one-stop shop for people of all ages, particularly young people at such a critical part of their learning and their growing in their journey to wherever else they are going, I think is really important. Having a bricks-and-mortar one-stop shop is critical in helping to break down the stigma of mental health, to help people work through the challenges of mental health. That is just one aspect, and that is speaking with my local member hat on.

To all of you here, again, we do see you and we sincerely thank you for all the work you do. I have not been a carer myself, but having seen loved ones perform that duty I know it comes with mixed emotions and I know that often you can feel as though you are not supported yourself, so that is something I think, together with the member for Adelaide and with the honourable member from the other place and across party lines, we can work together on and really make sure we see some action in that space. Thank you.

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