Court SimonSIMON COURT (ACT): Thank you. I just want to ask the Minister to reflect on the role of care and support workers. What do these workers do and why are they important? Well these workers care for the most vulnerable people in our communities. They care for people in aged-care facilities who may suffer from dementia may have a whole lot of physical issues that make them extremely vulnerable and at times anxious about the person who cares for them and they come to rely on these support workers in a way that is akin to relying on a family member.So this pay equity claim or this proposed settlement while it resolves an immediate problem for the Government which is that time had run out on the existing legislation and so they've offered a 4.6 percent pay rise—significantly less than the cost of living is increasing right now Minister—actually if we take a step back and look at what is the role of these support workers how do they help the people they support to live their best lives I'd actually have to ask you Minister as a member of this Government are you actually valuing the people that these support workers care for highly? Because if we look at say for example the way that carers are funded to support children with disabilities who want to attend their local school there is an extremely convoluted process to apply for Ongoing Resourcing Scheme funding ORS funding.Many parents have told us as we've gone around the country asking people what the problem is in your community that's important to you they've said Actually it's getting the ORS funding and a suitable carer to support my child going into mainstream education so that they can have the benefit of the educational opportunities that my other children do who don't need this support." So while this piece of legislation brought to the House under urgency addresses a short-term need around the legislative fix to make sure that these care and support workers are actually compensated fairly—although a 4.6 percent pay rise when inflation is running at almost seven doesn't seem to cut it—we need to ask the Government: what are you doing to support the entire sector? Because during the last couple of years when we've had the COVID lockdowns parents have not been able to access carer support hours and actually have that respite care that enables families to stay healthy and allows particularly children or older people who live in family homes who might have dementia or other significant needs that place a burden on families—those families are suffering because they haven't been able to get access to the carer support that they need.There is a risk—a significant risk—that if these workers aren't paid adequately and actually aren't supported adequately with training and development they will leave this profession and the families who depend on them will then be left all at sea. Parents might be unable to work if they can't get support for a child with a disability. Family members who have an elderly person living with them might not be able to work. So it has a massive knock-on effect to the economy and to the health of communities. So Minister I'd just like you to address in your response what this means this settlement this Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlements Amendment Bill and what's the wider context. What's next Minister? Because this is an issue that affects many many families people with children adolescents as well as elderly people. Thank you Minister."