NATIONAL CARERS WEEK

Ms JODIE HARRISON(Charlestown)This week is National Carers Week, a chance for us to recognise the extraordinary contributions of informal carers across New South Wales. One in eight people in our State are carers. This means a person who is giving regular, ongoing assistance to another person without payment for the care given. They provide hundreds of millions of hours of unpaid care for family members and friends every year. They report high levels of stress and depression, and often are not adequately supported in their caring roleespecially this year, during the course of COVID-19, where many have been unable to access their support networks. Too often, the hard work and tireless effort of carers goes unremarked upon and unacknowledged, even though what they do is so important. I want to change that. Today, I would like to thank each and every carer in the Charlestown Electorate and across New South Wales.

A Community Recognition Statement is an opportunity for an MP to give a short speech praising the work of an individual or group in the local community. If you have any ideas about people I can recognise with a Community Recognition Statement, please email and let me know!