Submission

Carers Australia Submission to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing on NDIS Rules: New Framework Planning

13 April 2026 – 568.04 KB

Carers Australia supports the intent of the NDIS New Framework Planning Rules and highlights the essential role of unpaid family and friend carers in achieving accurate, fair, and sustainable plans. The submission calls for carers to be explicitly included in support needs assessments, planning, and review processes to improve outcomes for participants, reduce errors, and strengthen NDIS integrity in line with the NDIS Act.

Submission

NES submission

20 March 2026 – 710.02 KB

The National Carer Network recommends amendments to the National Employment Standards to better support workers with caring responsibilities. Drawing on carers’ lived experiences, the Network proposes clearer definitions of ‘carer’ and ‘caring’, improved personal/carer’s and unpaid carer leave provisions, and fairer evidence requirements. These changes would help carers stay in work while also improving employee retention and productivity for businesses.

Submission

Services Australia myGov Policy Framework submission

20 March 2026 – 335.98 KB

Carers Australia’s submission on the myGov Policy Framework recommends simplifying identity verification and providing assisted pathways to improve access for carers. It highlights the critical role carers play acting as proxies when managing accounts on behalf of care recipients and the digital barriers carers face, including low digital confidence and limited access to reliable internet and private spaces.

Submission

2026 Pre-Budget Submission to Treasury

9 February 2026 – 1.16 MB

Carers Australia’s Pre-budget Submission puts forward seven targeted initiatives to strengthen carer recognition and support. The initiatives will help carers reach their full potential, undertake their caring role more effectively, help deliver more sustainable health and care systems, address inequities and improve productivity. All the initiatives deliver on commitments under the National Carer Strategy 2024-2034 and the National Carer Strategy Action Plan 2024-2027.

Submission

Submission to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care: Edition 3 of the National Quality and Safety Health Standards

26 November 2025 – 437.22 KB

Carers are people who provide unpaid care and support to family members and friends who live with disability, mental illness, chronic conditions, terminal illness, alcohol or substance addictions, or who are frail aged.

Submission

Submission to the Economic Reform Roundtable on the productivity potential of 3 million carers

15 September 2025 – 684.2 KB

Carers Australia is working with the Government to promote carer contributions to the economy and support the Productivity Commission's "five pillars" projectThe contribution of Australia's 3 million friend and family carers is estimated to be $110 billion in annual replacement care costs, or 98% of the Government's health spend for 2024-2025. So carers are critical to the sustainability of everyone's health and care.

Submission

Submission to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into the Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement

27 March 2025 – 753.21 KB

Carers Australia considers that carers often suffer poor mental health as an outcome of caring, and recognises them as a Priority Group for inclusion in policy frameworks, integration across priority ares and a new or revised agreement to support optimal carer mental health outcomes. Further, Carers Australia calls for streamlined processes, centralised information, integration, training and awareness.

Submission

Submission to the ABS Consultation on Measuring the Labour Contribution of Unpaid Care in the Labour Account

20 February 2025 – 704.08 KB

Carers Australia presents 4 Key Recommendations to ensure the Australian Bureau of Statistics Labour Account accurately accounts for care labour contributions. Further, Carers Australia highlights issues with the current categorisation of unpaid carers, care definitions used in the Information Paper, and measurement of unpaid care.

Submission

2025 Pre-Budget Submission to Treasury

31 January 2025 – 621.36 KB

Australia's carers urgently require cost-of-living support by way of a one-off increase to the Carer Supplement, an increase to the Carer Allowance, exploration of economic models and options to support carers in retirement, a permanent increase to the amount of the Young Carer Bursary and the number of bursaries made available, continued funding of the Carer-Inclusive Workplace Initiative, and a campaign that ensures carers are recognised and referred to support services at the time of diagnosis for the person they care for.

Submission

Submission to Department of Social Services on Foundational Supports

6 December 2024 – 401.23 KB

Foundational Supports have the potential to address many inequities and gaps in Australia’s current disability support system. However, at the moment it is a high-level model which will require a lot of implementation detail and investment to fulfil its promise. We recommend that Carers Australia has the opportunity to provide direct input into the co-design of supports, to ensure they meet the needs of carers.

Submission

Submission to the Department of Health and Aged Care Consultation: Funding of Aged Care Services

5 December 2024 – 214.17 KB

This submission highlights Carers Australia's key concerns with the Release of the draft of Funding Rules.

Submission

Submission to the Department of Social Services on the National Carer Strategy

5 November 2024 – 358.71 KB

The National Carers Network is strongly supportive of a National Carer Strategy that will speak to carers and give them confidence that their voices have been heard.