This Election: It’s Time for Real Change!

Three things we primary Carers have that can tip the result of this federal election: we are 3 million in number with thousands in each electorate throughout Australia; only 600 odd thousand Carers get any form of financial assistance from the federal government, and we have this our national Petition with almost 26,000 signatures.

Carers are the mainstay of the aged care, health and disability sectors. We save the government billions each year, yet are treated like monkeys to be thrown a handful of peanuts for our selfless efforts and personal sacrifices.

Both the Federal government and the Opposition have had ample opportunities over the years to properly 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 appropriately remunerate Carers for all our selfless efforts and personal sacrifices so that our financial needs and future security are sufficiently addressed.

And even when the most recent federal budget was handed down, primary Carers weren’t even acknowledged by either the government or the opposition for all we do in saving the government conservatively between $77.9 to a staggering $126.2 billion dollars each year.

National and state Carers peak representative bodies have had ample time to get us the recognitions we seek, but they have – according to many of you - failed miserably.

As the former Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam touted in his 1972 election campaign – “IT’S TIME!"

IT’S TIME for us Carers to take the initiative and opportunity to push for immediate and tangible change.

IT’S TIME to give all incumbent politicians and aspirants a big kick in the what’s-its-names.

We have the ability to turn the tide of this election and get candidates elected that are at the least empathetic to our struggles and actually engaging with us.

The election campaign is a pivotal opportunity to push for policies that improve the lives of Australia’s 3 million Carers.

I am asking you all to maximise this once in a life opportunity to bring about real change for Carers and put this Charter of Commitment to Carers to your local candidates and circulate it widely.

To access, read, save and print (A3 for better readability) our Election 2025: Charter of Commitments to Carers, CLICK HERE

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Election 2025: Charter of Commitments to Carers

Carers are seeking Six (6) Policy Commitment Priorities from all Candidates.

PRIORITY 1: Amend the Carers Recognition Act 2010 to clearly define and delineate Carers versus Paid Support Workers and ensure penalties are both included and enforceable for any misrepresentation.

PRIORITY 2: Amend as required various Legislative Acts to set the Basic Rate of Support (BRS) for those receiving Carers Allowance (CA) to twenty-five percent (25%) of the Age Pension – Partnered Rate (AP-PR).

PRIORITY 3: Immediately present a new Bill, or initiate Legislative Amendments to various Acts as required to introduce a Carers Allowance Transition (CA-T) benefit.

PRIORITY 4: Immediately present new Bills, or initiate Legislative Amendments to various Acts as required to enshrine the legal recognition of Carers and to guarantee them access to tax and income-test free superannuation savings and benefits.

PRIORITY 5: Immediately initiate a show-cause program – and survey all Carers nationally - to ensure having and funding peak representative bodies is of any real value for the government’s investment in them, and that they are actually serving the advocacy and service needs of Carers nationally.

PRIORITY 6: Immediately table the national Petition ‘Time to Recognise and Care for Unpaid Carers!’ (Signed by almost 26,000 supporters) to the Australian Parliament in order to bring the suffering, plight and needs of Carers to the attention of the people of Australia and effect the proposals therein.

To access, read, save and print (A3 for better readability) our Election 2025: Charter of Commitments to Carers, CLICK HERE

Written and Authorised by George William Helon: Toowoomba, Queensland 4350