Senator SIEWERT (3:43 PM) —I move:

   That the Senate—

(a)   notes that the week of 17 October to 23 October 2010 is National Carers Week and the theme for 2010 is ‘Anyone, Anytime can become a carer’ reflecting the unexpected and indiscriminate nature of the caring role and particularly how it can impact upon people at any life stage;

(b)   acknowledges that across Australia carers are providing unpaid care and support for family members or friends with a disability, mental illness or disorder, chronic condition, terminal illness or who are frail;

(c)   recognises that unpaid family carers come from all walks of life, that their experiences and needs are diverse and that they can come into their caring responsibilities at any stage throughout their life;

(d)   acknowledges the 2.6 million unpaid family carers who provide a vital contribution to Australian society; and

(e)   recognises that more needs to be done to support the role of carers in our community.

Question agreed to.