Unpaid carers, national peak bodies and support organisations to appear before parliamentary committee

THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs will hold public hearings on Thursday, August 24, and Tuesday, August 29, as part of its inquiry into the recognition of unpaid carers to shed more light on the challenges faced by unpaid carers and inform recommendations to amend the Carer Recognition Act 2010 (the Act).

Chair of the Committee, Peta Murphy MP, said, "On Thursday, we will hear from carer support groups and organisations, national peak bodies, and four individual carers. This hearing will be an opportunity for diverse voices to contribute to discussions about the value of unpaid care and the unique requirements of specific cohorts.

"Hearing from individual carers will also offer a closer look into the daily realities of unpaid carer responsibilities and highlight the emotional, financial, and logistical aspects of their roles," Ms Murphy said.

On Tuesday,  the committee will hear from carer support organisations from various states and territories, as well as organisations dedicated to assisting specific groups of unpaid carers, including young carers and those tending to children with cancer.

Ms Murphy said, "Not all unpaid carers are expressly identified or recognised in the Act. Hearing from these support organisations will help inform the Committee make its recommendations to government on how the Act can be more inclusive and better recognise the needs and challenges of unpaid carers."

Programs for the committee’s upcoming hearings will be made available on the inquiry website here.

Public hearings details

Date: Thursday, 24 August 2023
Time: 10am to 3:30pm AEST
Location: via videoconference

Date: Tuesday, 29 August 2023
Time: 10am to 4pm AEST
Location: via videoconference

The hearings will be live streamed on the APH website: www.aph.gov.au/live.

Further information about the inquiry, including published submissions, hearing dates and transcripts, are available on the inquiry webpage.

 

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