Caring Fairly was launched on 21 August 2018 at Parliament House, Canberra, by a founding coalition of over 20 NGOs, peak bodies, and community organisations from across Australia.
The Caring Fairly coalition has developed evidence-based policies in eight key domains that will improve the situation for unpaid carers in every Australian electorate.
Recent news coverage of the Caring Fairly campaign
There are 2.7 million unpaid carers in Australia – more than 10% of the population. This includes 240,000 mental health carers who provide vital support to people living with mental ill-health.
In Australia mental health carers alone provide $14 billion worth of caring services every year but in 2015 the government spent only $1.2 billion on mental health carer services to support them.
Many live in poverty or severe financial insecurity because caring for a loved one at home prevents them from getting or keeping paid work.
Many young carers have poorer educational outcomes and lower employment opportunities because their caring responsibilities affect their school attendance.
Australia’s ageing population means an increasing number of Australians will struggle to earn income because of caring responsibilities at home.
This system is unfair, hurts us all, and needs to change.
'Probably each and every one of us knows somebody who's caring for somebody else – reach out to them and ask how you can care for them.'
'Every day I am faced with the constant battle of do I stay at work and earn a wage, or do I leave my job and go back on Centrelink so I can be there for my husband?'
'I am excited about the Caring Fairly campaign because it brings together lots of diverse organisations to argue for and campaign for the needs and rights of carers.'
'My fear is we will see an emerging human right issue on a national level. The solution is for us to come together and join our voices. Together we can make a difference.'
'It's really vital that government recognises the importance of this unpaid workforce throughout Australia – and that mental health carers are able to access the supports that they need, when they need them.'
