We encourage you to share your personal journey of caring, as an introduction, before using your choice of the commentary we provide below. 

Carers Can’t Quit. Please give us a better deal. 

Did you know 11.9% of the people in your electorate are carers? There are over 3 million carers in Australia? These carers are not paid and look after a friend or family member who needs assistance. Anyone, at anytime, anywhere, can suddenly become a carer, ready or not.

The Carers Wellbeing Survey, conducted over the last four years, shows that the wellbeing of carers is slipping across all measures.

• Poverty – carers are 3 times as likely to be poor or very poor compared to other Australians[1]
  • Financial stress – compared to 48.5% of Australians, 61.7% of carers report experiencing at least one significant financial stress event in the previous 12 months, such as being unable to pay bills on time, going without meals, or having to ask for financial assistance[2].
  • Lowered well-being – carers (57.7%) are twice as likely to have low well-being compared to other Australians (23.8%)[3]
  • Lowered educational outcomes for young carers[4]

As my elected representative, you can make a difference by committing to delivering five key improvements for carers in the next government term. In summary, they are;

1. Cost-of-living support;
   1. For Carer Supplement Recipients, being a one-off 50% ($300) increase in the $600 Carer Supplement to be delivered in July 2025.
   2. Increase the base rate of the Carer Allowance by 15%
   3. Investigating superannuation contribution. Let’s take Super on the Carer Payment seriously. Starting with economic modelling to assess adding superannuation contributions for carers. This will give us clear recommendations, including the costs and benefits of adding superannuation to the Carer Payment. This report would include the exploration of other economic models and options supporting a fairer retirement age for carers.
   4. Increase the Young Carers Bursary from $3,768 to $4,500 in recognition of the increased cost of living of young carers and increase annual bursaries from 1,592 to 3,500 to meet the demand from eligible young carer applicants.
   5. Expand funding to $2M over 3 years for the Carer Inclusive Workplace Initiative. It works with employers to reduce barriers to employment, because we know Carers do better if their caring responsibilities can be accommodated within paid employment.
   6. Earlier recognition of carers. $3M over 2 years to support our work to recognise and support carers earlier in their journey. Often support lags for years, let’s work with the health care sector to get information to carers when they become carers.    

These initiatives are practical, well-researched outcomes that align with the National Carers Strategy delivered by the Government in October 2024. I would like to know your position on these initiatives. Will you support the carers in my electorate?

I look forward to your response.