Carers – Unsung and ignored heroes of the aged and disability care systems.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC), a carer is a person who provides any informal assistance (help or supervision) to people with a disability or older people (aged 65 and over). The questions about carers are only asked of people who are living in households and providing unpaid care.*
Carers provide care and support, in their homes, to family members or friends who are aged or have a disability. They are one of the groups most impacted by the lack of vision of our Federal Government. Supporting these people is important to Independent candidate Suzie Holt, who has met with carers to hear their concerns during the election campaign.
Local carer advocate Mr George Helon is the fulltime 24/7/365 primary carer of his mother who has Lewy Body Dementia. He himself is also disabled with severe mobility issues and chronic health conditions. He told Ms Holt that according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics there are 3 million unpaid carers in Australia. Of those carers, 38.6% have a disability themselves, there are 391,300 carers aged under 25, and there are over half a million carers in Queensland alone.
Mr Helon said that the major parties “have had ample opportunities over the years to appropriately acknowledge the plight of carers, to properly and legally recognise us, to afford us the same legal and statutory rights, entitlements, and benefits as paid support workers, and rightly remunerate carers for all our selfless efforts and personal sacrifices so that our financial needs and future security are sufficiently addressed.
Unpaid carers don't just play an integral part in Australia's aged care and health systems, they underpin them.”
Additionally, Sue Waters, 2025 Toowoomba Citizen of the Year and Founder and Facilitator of Darling Downs Warrior Carers Support Group (DDWCSG), states that carers need better information about the supports available to them.
She suggests having information available to the public in all places where people are likely to sit and read it, such as in hospitals and doctor’s surgeries. Young Carers especially need to know what supports they are eligible for.
She also advocates for aged and disabled carers to automatically stay on a Carers Payment when they become of Aged Pension age.
Ms Holt agrees and says that it is vitally important to support the role of carers in our community, with politicians listening to people on the ground.
“They deserve national attention, decisive action, and lasting reform. Carers all too often find themselves out of pocket for essential products and services for their loved ones, as well as gap fees and fees for respite. Caring without appropriate supports takes a significant toll on their careers, health, finances, and quality of life.”
