Becoming a Carer increases one's financial, emotional and social vulnerability as we sacrifice – among other things – career, income, future income potential and superannuation, our family dynamics; and our own physical and mental health to look after someone we love.
Is that a fair price on love?
For far too long successive federal governments have treated and abused Primary Carers as a source of cheap labour to be exploited like sweatshop workers.
Primary (and usually unpaid) Carers save the government and the Australian taxpayer conservatively between $77.9, to a staggering $126.2 billion dollars a year!
It’s a national disgrace.
As Carers we need, and quite rightly deserve the same respect, proper legal recognition and comparable financial remuneration and benefits as paid support workers who take home at the minimum $24.10 / hr.
Whilst politicians, bureaucrats and peak body CEOs (who are supposed represent us) give themselves most generous pay rises, benefits and perks, a Primary Carer receiving a Carer Payment (CP) gets $3.32 / hr, whilst at the same time, a person in receipt of a Carer Allowance (CA) gets a paltry 46 cents an hour; 25 years ago it was just 23 cents an hour.
It is quite apparent the same respect, recognition, financial remuneration, statutory, legal and other benefits and security afforded to paid support workers will continue to elude Carers until we are recognised as somebodies rather than anybodies.
Now, crunching the numbers, if there are 2,650,000 Primary (unpaid) Carers in Australia saving the government - at the minimum - a whopping 77,900,000,000 billion dollars a year, the reality is each carer is worth, at the least $29,396.23 / yr.
Whilst we Carers continue to allow ourselves to be called unpaid Carers by the government, those peak bodies that are supposed to represent us, and the media, our roles, all we do, and our many sacrifices will continue to be largely unrecognised, undervalued and unrequited.
The time to do something is now!
What we allow ourselves to be called creates or negates any obligation on the part of the government, the Australian Fair Work Commission, other statutory authorities, the public service, associated providers, etc. to recognise, treat, value, remunerate and requite Carers as a valid labour force that contributes so much to the stability and growth of the Australian economy.
We know you care, and now more than ever, we need YOUR SUPPORT.
PLEASE HELP US by signing and sharing this Petition with your family, friends and local media.
Afterall, you never know when you might find yourself a Carer or in urgent need of one.