New plan to support unpaid carers

It’s National Carers Week, and as such, the federal government is investing to help unpaid carers find and retain sustainable work.

The week marks a time to celebrate Australia’s 2.65 million unpaid workers, but according to Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth, it’s also about acknowledging the many challenges.

“Australia’s ageing population, cost-of-living pressures, and evolving lifestyles are reshaping the landscape of caregiving,” said Ms Rishworth.

“Just as workplaces have adapted to accommodate parents caring for children, it is crucial that we acknowledge the unique challenges faced by carers and provide them with the support needed to thrive in their careers.”

On 19 October, the federal government announced that it will:

1. Deliver on a National Carer Strategy
2. Launch the Carer Inclusive Workplace Initiative
3. Extend the Carer Gateway

One of the most pressing of these challenges is finding and retaining the kind of work that can cater to unpaid caring duties. It’s this barrier that’s being addressed by the Carer Inclusive Workplace Initiative. Today, we’re considering what the initiative might look like and how carers could benefit.

The initiative

Last year, Australian unions, employers, governments, and civil society members gathered at Parliament House in Canberra for the Jobs and Skills Summit. Of the many items on the agenda – from unemployment to migration, gender pay, and renewable energy – it’s the concerns raised by carers around finding and retaining sustainable employment that the initiative aims to serve.

In partnership with Carers Australia, the government has committed $2 million towards the initiative over three years to 2024–2025. The initiative will “help employers develop and adopt practices that support employees with caring responsibilities, making their workplaces more inclusive for carers”, said Ms Rishworth.

The goals appear to be twofold. Firstly, the initiative aims to incentivise employers to hire and retain staff with external, unpaid carer duties. Central to this aim will be creating a framework that rewards these employers through recognition and accreditation.

For instance, participating employers can receive a government-endorsed “carer inclusive workplace logo.” To this end, the initiative will “enable businesses, in particular small businesses, to self-identify as a carer-inclusive organisation without the time commitment and cost associated with a full accreditation process”, said the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Secondly, the initiative aims to support employers in the development and implementation of carer-supportive practices. It is unclear what form this will take; however, education and support resources will likely play a key role.

Informal carers

An informal carer is a family member, friend, or community member who provides care to someone within an existing relationship without remuneration. Nearly 2.65 million Australians care for people with a medical condition, disability, mental illness, or age-related frailty.

“Carers play a crucial role in sustaining the viability of the care and support economy,” said the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Indeed, 80 per cent of older Australians who receive assistance in the community get it from unpaid carers. In 2020, the value of unpaid care was estimated to be $77.9 billion, and in that same year, the cost incurred by unpaid carers in the form of unpaid earnings was $15.3 billion.

That said, informal care services delivered by friends or family are preferred by many to more formal services. Informal care often plays an important complementary role in support of formal arrangements, and it is therefore important that arrangements are made to help unpaid carers continue delivering help without too great a cost to their career and lifestyle.

As noted by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the cost of unpaid care duties can often be heightened among Australia’s Indigenous populations, where such duties are often a kind of cultural or kinship obligation. The benefits of family caregiving are many, but the costs can compound pre-existing financial distress.

The other changes

Alongside the initiative, the federal government announced it would deliver on a National Carer Strategy and extend the existing Carer Gateway. While the strategy has yet to be properly fleshed out, it is expected to be delivered by the end of 2024.

According to Ms Rishworth, the strategy will provide a framework for the coordination of carer policy across various portfolios and will be developed in consultation with carers across Australia.

The extension of the Carer Gateway service for another two years will help carers to continue getting in touch with a range of free, targeted supports such as counselling and emergency respite. This year, the service has seen a monthly average of 323,938 website visits and 20,642 phone calls.

“We do know, of course, that carers – and particularly those unpaid carers, caring for parents, caring for mums and dads, caring for indeed family members right across the board – often don’t ask for help,” said Ms Rishworth. To that end, the Gateway is designed to decrease the barrier to entry for unpaid carers in need of assistance.