Good morning.
I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we meet, the Kaurna people, and pay my respects to elders past and present.
I extend that acknowledgement to all First Nations peoples joining us today.
I would also like to acknowledge:
- Members of the National Carer Strategy Advisory Committee, including co-chair Meredith Coote;
- David Militz – CEO Carers SA; and
- Representatives from Carer Gateway Services Providers
To all the carers in attendance today – thank you for being here and for what you do. I know the schedule of a carer can be uncertain, with plans often changing at the last minute, so I am thankful for your attendance.
It’s so great to be with you all here today.
As Minister for Social Services one of the most rewarding parts of my job is when I can talk directly to the people who government policies impact directly – particularly Australia’s three million unpaid carers.
Meeting with unpaid carers is always an opportunity to hear about your efforts to support someone in need, about the care and devotion you bring to that task.
But it is also a chance to hear about the challenges you face day to day, and to hear directly about how we can better support you.
Being a carer is an incredibly rewarding role, but we know that it is not without its challenges.
Since becoming Minister, myself and my colleagues across the Albanese Labor Government have been steadfast in our commitment to better support unpaid carers.
This year we passed legislation to change the participation limit for Carer Payment so that carers who want to work, study or volunteer can more easily and flexibly do so.
This legislation importantly removed travel, education or volunteering time from the calculation of the participation limit – along with changes to Temporary Cessation of Care days.
Shortly after announcing these changes, I spoke to Belinda, a carer for her child with a disability. In addition to her caring role, Belinda also works as a casual in aged care.
Belinda told me about how removing travel would make a significant difference to how much she could work before her carer payment was impacted and that this seemingly minor change would have major ramifications for her day to day.
In addition to this, as Minister I also launched the Carer Inclusive Workplace Initiative last year, which helps carers and the community better identify workplaces that provide flexibility and support for carers to ensure they are better supported to participate in the workforce.
Following the Jobs and Skills Summit our government partnered with Carers Australia to deliver this initiative and I thank them for their hard work in delivering it.
As of this month we now have 388 businesses registered, which is a fantastic achievement so carers can feel supported by their workplaces to better balance their employment and their caring responsibilities.
Along with this, we have further invested in support for young carers – doubling the financial support available for young carers to continue their education through the Young Carer Bursary program.
We know being a young carer can be particularly tough and education can set young carers up for greater levels of wellbeing and financial security. Our Government believes it is important to provide them with some additional support to reduce their need to undertake part-time work while studying and balancing their caring responsibilities.
This calendar year alone there have been more than 2000 bursaries awarded.
And, of course, during the last election Labor committed to deliver a National Carer Strategy – which is what brings us all here today.
I know many of you will have contributed to in various ways through its development, and I thank you for that.
I am excited to say that today we are delivering on that election commitment, by officially launching the National Carer Strategy 2024-34.
The National Carer Strategy will create better outcomes for unpaid carers in Australia, the people they support, and the broader community.
The release of the Strategy is an important step towards better inclusion and support for Australia’s three million carers.
The Strategy will ensure unpaid carers are recognised, valued and empowered.
It will ensure policies, programs and services are carer-centred, evidence-informed, accessible, equitable and inclusive.
The Strategy highlights things our Government can do to ensure carers have the right skills and support to perform their caring duties properly, as well as manage their own needs.
This includes in health and welfare, education and employment, and their social and community participation.
The Strategy has three primary objectives. We want to ensure that unpaid carers are:
- recognised, respected and valued;
- empowered to have fulfilling lives while engaging in their caring role; and
- supported in their physical and mental health, safety, wellbeing and financial security.
To achieve this, in addition to the overarching Strategy, we are also today launching a three-year Action Plan, outlining initial actions the Government will take through to 2027 to deliver on the priority areas of the Strategy.
Through the Action Plan we will make a difference to the lives of carers right now by enhancing supports carers rely on.
Because as the focus on the formalised caring environment has increased in recent years – we can’t forget unpaid carers.
Under the new Action Plan, we are taking immediate actions to support the wellbeing of carers, to keep them connected, and to help them sustain their caring role.
We will provide an additional 10,000 free telephone counselling sessions per year through the Government’s national service for carers, Carer Gateway – so that carers aren’t waiting for much needed support.
We are also extending the business hours of Carer Gateway, so carers can access support when they need it. Because we know that carers need more flexibility in the hours they can access support – and they don’t always operate on a 9 to 5 schedule.
We are expanding access to peer support groups and the Carer Inclusive Workplace Initiative through Carer Gateway – so that carers can connect with each other and learn from people in similar circumstances to them.
We are also extending the Young Carer Bursary Program for an extra two years to 2027 to support our young carers to continue their education. Being a carer shouldn’t mean young people can’t access the education opportunities they want.
We will also work to improve access to appropriate and culturally safe training to help carers build knowledge, skills and confidence in support of their caring role.
But, these are among the first steps in ensuring unpaid carers are given the support they need not just to fulfill their caring role, but to be supported in their own lives too.
They are just a snapshot of the actions being taken by the Commonwealth to better recognise and support carers.
The National Carer Strategy that we are launching today outlines the key areas of focus for the longer-term reform that we are committed to and the pathway for how to get there.
To finish, I really would like to thank every carer who took the time out of their busy schedules to contribute to the development of the new National Carer Strategy.
Whether you attended a roundtable session in person, or submitted feedback online, all of your feedback helped make this Strategy a strong document to support unpaid carers over the next decade.
Thank you as well to every member of the Advisory Committee for your leadership, persistence and expertise in developing this strategy.
Not only do you have caring responsibilities of your own, but many of you are leaders in organisations that are aimed at helping carers. I am grateful for your time and effort in helping make the Strategy a reality.
As we work to implement the actions in the Strategy and Action Plan, I am looking forward to seeing we can fulfil our vision of an Australian community in which all carers are recognised, valued and empowered with the support they need to participate fully in society and fulfil their caring role.
I hope you enjoy the rest of the morning tea today.
Thank you.