A landmark report on the status of unpaid carers in Australia was released and tabled in parliament earlier today, recommending a range of ways unpaid carers can be better supported.
The report, titled Recognising, valuing and supporting unpaid carers, came out of a parliamentary inquiry launched in June by the Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs. The request for an inquiry was brought forward by Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth.
The inquiry sought to scrutinse the array of challenges that unpaid carers face in Australia, specifically looking at how the Carer Recognition Act 2010 (“the Act”) could be amended to improve support for unpaid carers.
According to the Committee’s report, about 2.2 billion hours of care goes unpaid in Australia. Estimates indicate if these hours were to be replaced with formal paid care, it would amount to nearly $80 billion. In Australia, women make up the vast majority of unpaid carers.
Twenty-two recommendations from the report will appear before parliament today, as the Committee, headed by member for Macquarie Susan Templeman, awaits the government’s response.
“Despite the best of intentions, the Act has not encouraged a cultural change in how public service agencies and their associated providers interact with and support carers,” Templeman said.
“This is because the Act is unenforceable, contains weak and vague statements without clear calls to action, and relies on a voluntary and inconsistent reporting system with little oversight or accountability.”
In her statement tabling the document, Templeman spoke of the desperate need to address how unpaid carers are treated in Australia.
“Carers often sacrifice their careers and retirement plans, education goals, social lives, and health and wellbeing to look after the needs of others, and many do so with little support,” she said to parliament today.
“However, demand for unpaid care is expected to outpace the number of carers taking on caring roles in the future.
“If we do not look after carers now, Australia will need to address an increasing carer deficit in the future as our population changes.”
What are the recommendations?
The report recommended the modernisation and extension of the definition of “carer” in the Act to be more inclusive of all carers in Australia, ensuring the definition is consistent across all states and territories.
The Committee also recommended improving access to support, counselling and respite options for unpaid carers, including specific options for First Nations, LGBTQIA+, culturally and linguistically diverse, and young carers.
Recognising the pressure placed on women in Australia to provide majority of unpaid care in Australia, the Committee recommended encouraging more men to take up caring roles, addressing the disadvantages that women face as a result of carrying the burden of care.
There were several other key recommendations from the report, which Templeman said is vital for the government to consider in a potential amendment of the Carer Recognition Act 2010.
“It is critical that carers have the right to be acknowledged as partners in care, to be involved in planning and policy development, to be provided with information regarding the person they care for in order to provide care, and to be able to access flexible work arrangements,” Templeman said.
Templeman took over as chair of the Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs from the late Peta Murphy, who died in December 2023 after a long battle with breast cancer.
“I acknowledge the important work of the former Committee Chair, the late Peta Murphy MP, who led this inquiry until her death in December 2023,” Templeman said.
“Peta was committed to making a difference in public life and brought compassion, intellect, integrity, and good humour to her work with the Committee and in everything she did.”
Image: Susan Templeman MP.