Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, has welcomed the recent announcement that $100,000 in funding has been provided by the Coalition Government to support the Gippsland Carers Association (GCA).

“Gippsland Carers Association is an entirely self-funded, voluntary group of family carers and supporters of people with a disability, mental illness or aged frailty.   “Their vision is that people with dependent disabilities have the same rights as every other citizen to have access to living and support choices, sufficient to sustain a community participation standard equal with everyone else, a vision I personally endorse.

“In Gippsland alone there are more than 26,000 family carers, of whom more than half are primary carers.  GCA has worked vigorously to change the way society supports and thinks about those children and adults with dependent disabilities,” said Mr Bull.

Making the announcement on behalf of Minister for Community Services, Mary Wooldridge, Gary Blackwood said “The Gippsland Carers Association has worked tirelessly to highlight to both State and Federal governments the challenges carers face.

“The carers of Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley do an amazing job and in turn the Coalition Government has provided this funding to support the work they do.”

Mr Bull said, “GCA's contribution is wide-spread and well recognised across the nation.  This funding will help assist in some way to reduce the administrative burden and allow them to focus on their policy of ‘breaking the silence’ and the need to support and acknowledge the important role of carers.”