A couple of updates this week. First, the Australian Government has introduced new legislation to review the Carer Payment (Child). The new legislation may allow more than 19,000 additional carers of children with disabilities and chronic illness to access the payment.
Under the old legislation, eligibility for the payment required that the child be "profoundly disabled". Under the new scheme, payments will be based on an assessment of the child's actual care needs, as certified by a medical practitioner. See this site for more information.
Second, changes to social security legislation that come into effect on 1 July 2009 mean that Centrelink will now recognise all couples, regardless of sexual orientation or the gender of the partner. For more information, read Centrelink's brochure, "Couples are Couples".
Finally, don't forget to check out Cancer Council's Understanding Cancer publication - Caring for Someone with Cancer.
Have a good week.
Louisa
