DCA provided comment on a discussion paper, released by the Department of Social Services earlier this year, about the National Carer Strategy. We welcome the government’s intention to appoint a lived experience Carer Advisory Committee to provide guidance on the development of this strategy.
Our comments focused on the issues carers face at work – whether they are balancing unpaid caring responsibilities with paid work and/or returning to the workforce after a period of full time caring.
DCA fully supports the focus on complexity and intersectionality in the discussion paper and notes that because the vast majority of unpaid carers are women, the impacts on gender equality and economic security for women are significant.
We also note the unique experience of caring as a First Nations person, people from different cultural backgrounds, LGBTIQA+ people and younger people.