Carers Australia

Australia has over 2.7 million carers. Carers are people who provide unpaid care and support to family members and friends who have a disability, mental illness, chronic condition, terminal illness, an alcohol or other drug issue or who are frail aged. The chances are you are a carer, need a carer or know a carer. Unpaid carers provide an estimated 1.9 billion hours of care every year, saving the Australian Government up to $60.3 billion annually. Yet many carers are in poor health, and face financial hardship and social isolation. That's where Carers Australia comes in. We are a national peak body representing Australia's carers, advocating on their behalf to influence policies and services at a national level. We work collaboratively with partners and our member organisations (the Network of state and territory Carers Associations) to deliver a range of essential national carer services. Carers Australia works to improve the health, wellbeing, resilience and financial security of carers, and to ensure that caring is a shared responsibility of family, community and government. We strive to raise awareness of the needs and issues facing carers. We achieve this through representing carers in meetings with politicians and policy makers, in our research and policy submission, and by working closely with the media. We offer a range of services and programs to help carers and their families, including our Better Start program, the Carer Advisory Service, the National Carer Counselling Program, Mental Health Carer Counselling, and the Young Carers Program and Young Carer Bursary Programme. We can help you find the support you need to keep on caring. Carers Australia acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land, and pays respect to Elders past, present and future.