An informal carer is a family member, friend or community member who, without remuneration, provides care to someone within an existing relationship. Almost 2.65 million Australians care for people with a disability, medical condition (including terminal or chronic illness), mental illness or a person who is frail due to ageing. Carers play a crucial role in sustaining the viability of the care and support economy.
While this Strategy is focused on paid care and support, a significant amount of care is provided informally by carers. For example, of those older Australians receiving assistance in the community, about 80 per cent receive it from unpaid carers.40
The contribution of Australia's informal carers to the economy and society is substantial. In 2020 alone, the value of unpaid care was estimated at $77.9 billion.41 There are also significant socio‑economic costs borne by both carers and their families, including lost earnings for time out of paid employment to care for a loved one. In 2020, the lost earnings of unpaid carers were estimated at $15.3 billion, or 0.8 per cent of GDP.42
For some, being cared for by a family member or friend is preferred over receiving formal care and support services. Informal care also plays a vital complementary role to formal care and support services, and many people receive assistance from both formal and informal carers. For example, of older people who require assistance, only 1 per cent receive formal care and support only, while 62 per cent receive a mix of formal and informal care and support.43
Consideration of our First Nations people
For First Nations people, providing supports for community members often falls within expected kinship responsibilities and cultural obligations. While this has numerous advantages, it can also mean that First Nations carers are more likely to be unpaid carers for a person with disability than are non-Indigenous Australians.44 Overwhelmingly research describes desires among First Nations people for more support for caregiving within families.45
While caregiving within families is important for these communities and has many advantages, First Nations carers, especially those in regional and remote areas, experience particularly high levels of unpaid care, economic exclusion and underutilised service delivery avenues.46 As a result, they are particularly vulnerable to severe financial distress and often have to forgo essential items to cover the costs of daily living.47
Becoming a more carer-friendly nation
It is critical that formal care and support systems be designed to effectively support informal carers as well as improve outcomes for the people needing care and support. For example, respite, which gives carers important breaks from caring, must be available, high quality and support smooth transitions in order to provide its intended benefits.
The Australian Government provides a range of supports for carers through Carer Gateway including counselling, peer support, coaching, tailored support packages (including planned respite), emergency respite and information and practical advice. The Government also supports carers by providing financial assistance through payments and concessions as part of Australia’s social security system. Yet, the annual Carer Wellbeing Survey suggests that carers have worse economic, health and wellbeing outcomes than those without caring responsibilities. 48,49 A lack of support and employer flexibility also poses a barrier to workforce participation for many carers. This is problematic as workforce participation is a key protective factor for carer wellbeing.50
As increasing numbers of Australians need care and support, more people will be balancing the demands of work and informal care. In 2021, an estimated 1.4 million Australians (12 per cent of employed people) were providing informal care while also working.51 Survey data indicates only half of working carers felt they could discuss their caring role with their employer/supervisor and 15.8 per cent had not told their supervisor about their caring obligations.52
To address these challenges, workplaces and society more broadly need to become more carer-friendly. Given that women make up 72 percent of primary carers, a more carer-friendly society would also support women’s workforce participation.53
Objective 1.6
The contribution of informal carers is valued, and they are supported to sustain their caring roles
How will we get there?
The Australian Government is developing a Carer Inclusive Workplace Initiative which will educate employers and empower carers to improve carer inclusivity in Australian workplaces. The Carer Inclusive Workplace 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. The initiative is expected to be launched in late 2023.
The Australian Government is providing over $838 million over four years to 2025-26 to support informal carers. Carer Gateway is the Government’s national carer support service for all carers, providing early intervention and preventative support to help them in their caring role and participate socially and economically.
- Productivity Commission, ‘Caring for Older Australians: Productivity Commission Inquiry Report – Volume One, No. 53,’ PC, 28 June 2011 [24].Return to footnote 40 ↩
- Deloitte Access Economics, ‘The Value of Informal Care in 2020,’ Deloitte Australia, May 2020, [25].Return to footnote 41 ↩
- Deloitte Access Economics, ‘The Value of Informal Care in 2020.’ [28]Return to footnote 42 ↩
- Australian Bureau of Statistics , ‘Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia, 2018,’ ABS, Australian Government, 2019,accessed April 2023.Return to footnote 43 ↩
- AHRC (Australian Human Rights Commission), Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women's Voices): Securing our Rights, Securing our Future Report, AHRC (Australian Human Right Commission) 2018 [327].Return to footnote 44 ↩
- AHRC,Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women's Voices): Securing our Rights, Securing our Future Report.Return to footnote 45 ↩
- Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women’s Voices): Securing our Rights, Securing our Future Report (2020). Australian Human Right Commission. P. 327Return to footnote 46 ↩
- Walsh & Puszka (2021) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices in disability support services: A collation of systemic reviews, Commissioned Report, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, Australian National University.Return to footnote 47 ↩
- This survey is conducted by Carers Australia and the University of Canberra.Return to footnote 48 ↩
- Schirmer J, Mylek M and Miranti R, ‘Caring for Others and Yourself: 2022 Carer Wellbeing Survey – Full Data Report,’ Carers Australia and the University of Canberra, October 2022.Return to footnote 49 ↩
- Ai Group (Australian Industry Group), ‘Ai Group Submission for the Work and Care Inquiry,’ Senate Select Committee for Work and Care, Submission No. 41.Return to footnote 50 ↩
- ABS, ‘Unpaid Work and Care: Census,’ ABS, 28 June 2022, accessed April 2023.Return to footnote 51 ↩
- Schirmer et al, Centre for Change Governance and NATSEM, University of Canberra, ‘Caring for Others and Yourself: 2021 Carer Wellbeing Survey,’ Carers Australia [13]. Return to footnote 52 ↩
- AIHW, Informal Carers, 2021, accessed April 2023.Return to footnote 53 ↩