Submission

Response to Department of Social Services Issues Paper: A stronger, more diverse and independent community sector

17 November 2023 – 164.65 KB

Carers Australia welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Australian Government Department of Social Services Issues Paper: A stronger, more diverse and independent community sector. Carers Australia consider the current reviews into the not-for-profit and community sector vital to improving the outcomes and experiences of Australian communities, as well as the sustainability of the sector moving forward. Overall, Carers Australia is broadly supportive of all five focus areas identified by the Department and explored within the Issues Paper. Within this response we will address each focus area, considering our experiences as a Community Sector Organisation (CSO) and national peak body.

Submission

Response to National Autism Strategy

2 November 2023 – 185.15 KB

Carers Australia supports the Australian Government's decision to develop a person and family-centred National Autism Strategy that addresses whole-of-life needs for autistic people. In response to the Strategy, we have made five recommendations to ensure carers are considered.

Submission

Response to Senate Community Affairs Committee Inquiry into Disability Services and Inclusion Bill 2023

5 October 2023 – 175.5 KB

Carers Australia welcomes the opportunity to provide a submission to the Senate Standing Committees on Community Affairs Inquiry into the Disability Services and Inclusion Bill 2023 [Provisions] and Disability Services and Inclusion (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2023 (the Bill). Carers Australia supports the introduction of this Bill to replace the Disability Services Act 1986 and will use this submission to speak to the areas of the Bill that have direct relevance to Australian carers of people living with disability. 

Submission

Supplementary Evidence for Inquiry into the recognition of unpaid carers

25 September 2023 – 188.45 KB

Further to evidence provided to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs, Carers Australia submits this supplement to the information previously provided.

Submission

Second submission – Recognition Matters

15 September 2023 – 659.72 KB

Recognition Matters: Strengthening the Carer Recognition Act and carer representation within Government This is the second submission Carers Australia has provided to assist with the Committee’s work. The first response outlined key information about Australia’s carers, information on Carers Recognition Acts across Australia, and examined the extent to which the introduction of the Federal Carer Recognition Act 2010 is reflected in other legislation directly affecting carers. This submission assesses more deeply the effectiveness of the national Carer Recognition Act and its Statement for Australia’s Carers. Much of this response will focus on identifying the necessary changes needed to the Act to enable better carer recognition outcomes.

Submission

Carers Australia Issues Brief – Inquiry into the recognition of unpaid carers

13 September 2023 – 1.73 MB

This Issues Brief has been developed to inform the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs (Committee) for the Inquiry into the recognition of unpaid carers (Inquiry) adopted on 13 June 2023, following a referral from the Minister for Social Services, the Hon Amanda Rishworth MP. This Brief outline key information on Australia’s carers, information on the Carers Recognition Acts across Australia and, in particular, the national Carer Recognition Act, and the extent to which the introduction of that Act is reflected in other legislation which directly affects carers.

Submission

Response to the Department of Health and Age Care Consultation on New Aged Care Act: the Foundations (Consultation 1)

6 September 2023 – 520.52 KB

While we have a strong understanding and focus on the impact of a new Aged Care Act (the ‘Act’) on older people receiving aged care services, this submission is specifically focused on the inclusion and rights of carers under the Act.

Submission

Response to Australian Government Department of Social Services Consultation: Disability Services and Inclusion Bill 2023

14 August 2023 – 205.89 KB

In this response, Carers Australia highlights several opportunities for the new Act to accurately recognise and incorporate carers within the context of the Statement for Australia’s Carers under the Carers Recognition Act 2010.

Submission

Response to Australian Government Department of Education Review to Inform a Better and Fairer Education System

10 August 2023 – 185.85 KB

Our response aims to provide the Review Panel with a deeper understanding of the perspectives of Australia’s 2.65 million unpaid carers and the education system. As such, this response primarily covers the questions raised in Chapter 2: Improving student outcomes, and Chapter 3: Improving student mental health and wellbeing, of the Consultation Paper.

Submission

Response to the Joint Committee on Human Rights: Inquiry into Australia’s Human Rights Framework

6 July 2023 – 336.24 KB

Carers Australia's submission to the Australian Government Joint Committee on Human Rights: Inquiry into the Australian Human Rights Framework raised that carer’s rights are not well reflected in the United Nations treaties which are the basis for much of the Framework.

Submission

Response to the Senate Standing Committees on Community Affairs (Legislation Committee): Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Strengthening the Safety Net) Bill 2023

4 July 2023 – 910.77 KB

Carers Australia's response to the Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Strengthening the Safety Net) Bill 2023, which will amend the Social Security Act for some of the cost-of-living support measures in the 2023-24 Budget. Within we raise issue with definitions and highlighted that recipients of any social security payment may also be a carer, not only those that receive the Carer Payment or Carer Allowance. As well as questioning why, an increase did not also occur for the Carer Payment in the recent Budget, and again asked for a broad review of economic and financial support for carers.

Submission

Response to the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing Consultation: A New Model for Regulating Aged Care Consultation Paper No.2

23 June 2023 – 331.2 KB

Carers Australia welcomes the opportunity to respond to stage 3 of the consultation process to develop the new regulatory model for aged care by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (the Department), specifically to provide comment on the second consultation paper with details of the proposed model (the Consultation Paper). We applaud the actions to increase protections for older people and empower them to exercise their rights in the context of a reformed and improved aged care system, and firmly believe these rights must be outlined in a Statement of Rights to be included in the new Aged Care Act.