Carers ACT have called the lack of funding for the ACT Carers Strategy in the 2021-22 Budget a huge disappointment to the 50,000 unpaid family and friend carers in the ACT community, and claimed the absence of funding puts the Strategy’s continued implementation at risk.
Labor and the Greens had committed to progress actions under the Carers Strategy in their Parliamentary and Governing Agreement, to introduce legislation to formally recognise the essential role carers played in the community, and to develop a mentoring program and respite handbook and supports for carers.
But Carers ACT CEO Lisa Kelly said her organisation still awaited funding to fulfil this commitment and the broader commitment that the Government made to carers through the Strategy.
The ACT Carers Strategy, developed in 2017, provides the framework to achieve a ‘Canberra that Cares for Carers’. Unpaid carers save the government an estimated $77.9 billion annually across Australia in replacement care, Ms Kelly stated. While caring was rewarding, it came at a cost to the carer’s health and wellbeing.
“Every day, more than 50,000 family and friend carers in the ACT provide daily support and assistance to people with disabilities, chronic health, and mental health conditions, who are frail aged, or who require palliative care,” Ms Kelly said.
“Every day, they face challenges and difficult choices as they navigate their way through complex systems, family and work obligations, financial pressures, and the constant worry about the future. They do so with minimal support and recognition.
“Carers have some of the worst health outcomes and lowest wellbeing of any group in the community. An investment in carers is essential as it is an investment in the health, wellbeing, and economic outcomes of the community.”
National Carers Week, beginning on Sunday 10 October, celebrates and recognises the role of carers. During this time, Carers ACT will urge the ACT Government to announce funding to implement the ACT Carers Strategy in its entirety.
Ms Kelly said it was time the Government fulfilled their commitment to carers in the same way carers committed to providing care every day.
“This year, more than ever, we need to acknowledge the role carers have played during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ms Kelly said.
“Carers have risen to the challenge and have kept some of the most vulnerable people in our community alive and safe. This often came at the expense of carers’ economic stability, health, and wellbeing.
“Carers have made sacrifices that exceed what was required from an average person, and they have lived with a constant fear and anxiety, often without complaint.
“The time to show our support is now,” she said.
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