In this edition: Our commitment to diversity and inclusion, 2023 Carer Wellbeing Survey, The Australian Carers Guide, Carers Australia 2023 – 2024 Federal Budget plus much more!
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Message from our CEO
The Productivity Commission has released a position paper – A case for an extended unpaid carer leave entitlement.
The paper looks at the social and economic impacts of extending unpaid leave so that working carers can care for their loved ones.
However, the Commission found that few employees would use an unpaid leave entitlement, and what most working carers of older people wanted, was greater access to flexible working arrangements.
Tap on the link below to read the report in more detail and have your say on the findings.
Debra Cottrell
Chief Executive Officer
A place where you belong
As part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, we have launched a Rainbow email - a dedicated contact channel for people from LGBTIQ communities to connect with us.
As a Rainbow Tick organisation, we work to ensure people from LGBTIQ communities feel safe, supported, and free to be themselves when engaging in our services.
That’s why we are excited and proud of our new rainbow email address rainbow@carersqld.com.au – an organisational-wide, culturally-safe referral and enquiries channel staffed by our LGBTIQ employees.
This service will help remove the barrier of doubts, fears and stigma for LGBTIQ members of our communities seeking to access our supports and services.
When you connect with us, you will speak directly with one of our many LGBTIQ team members to be welcomed and treated with respect and dignity.
Carers Queensland NDIS Local Area Coordinator (Rockhampton) and Rainbow Responder, Lauren, said working for an organisation that is stepping up to the table is incredible. She reflects on the importance of offering a tangible, culturally-safe and accessible pathway for people from our LGBTIQ communities.
“Our organisation is thinking outside the box to offer a unique experience to the people we walk alongside. It makes me feel emotional. For I know if I had access to something like this, as a young and frightened person, life could have been made that little bit easier.”
Carers Queensland is a place for everyone. rainbow@carersqld.com.au
#APlaceWhereYouBelong
Begin a new future that's all about you
We understand what it is like to care.
We are here to make your life easier and will help you create your new future.
Your Caring Way (a Carers Queensland initiative) offers FREE employment services and SUBSIDISED training options for unpaid carers.
We’re here to listen, assist in learning, and create a personalised step-by-step plan towards achieving fulfilment in your own life. Whether it’s studying, volunteering, or finding a job, we can help you get started in many ways.
More than 600 carers accessed training, and over 200 carers gained employment last year with Your Caring Way’s support. You can be one of them.
Let us support you while you support your loved ones.
Your new future begins today...
Learn new skills and get a job in community services at no cost.
This program supports eligible customers in receiving training and job-ready skills. If you are 25 years or older, living in Brisbane, Moreton, or Ipswich, and looking to learn new skills and start your career, this program is for you.
Flexible training... delivered with care.
Unlock your potential with our new way of training. Our new model of training is making life better by delivering a range of courses to meet the needs of our diverse and caring communities.
Caring for others and yourself: the 2023 Carer Wellbeing Survey
If you are a carer, we want to hear from you.
The survey asks you to share your experiences – past and present – of being a carer and the support services you use, including the Australian Government Carer Gateway.
Your feedback will be used to strengthen carer advocacy, shape national policy about the current wellbeing experiences of carers, and how support can be improved for carers across Australia.
The survey is undertaken by Carers Australia, the Department of Social Services and the University of Canberra.
Carers who complete the Carer Wellbeing Survey will enter into a draw to win a gift card.
Sharing your experiences makes a difference.
Happy International Women’s Day!
International Women’s Day on 8 March has been marked as Global Day of Observance by the United Nations since 1977.
This year’s theme Cracking the Code: Innovation for a gender equal future, highlights the role that bold, transformative ideas, inclusive technologies and accessible education can play in combatting discrimination and the marginalisation of women globally.
Across the globe, many women and girls are excluded from the digital world and aren't able to access even the most basic technologies.
If we are to reach a gender equal future, we must crack the cultural, economic, social codes and behaviours that entrench society.
This IWD, UN Women Australia will explore how innovation, inclusion and education have the power to disrupt “business as usual” and crack the code to a gender-equal future.
Evaluation of the National Plan to Respond to the Abuse of Older Australians
The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) are conducting this evaluation in collaboration with the National Aging Research Institute (NARI).
This project is funded by the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the impact of this National Plan in driving responses to reduce and prevent the abuse of older Australians, with the aim of generating evidence to:
- assess of the value of the current National Plan, and
- inform the future planning of similar activities beyond 2023.
How to participate
If you are aged 18 and over and live in Australia, you are invited to participate in this online survey to help them understand:
- what people in the Australian community know about elder abuse
- what people in Australia know about services and information to help people experiencing elder abuse
- how awareness of and responses to elder abuse can be improved.
The survey closes Friday 7 April 2023.
Changes to the management of No Interest Loans
Carers Queensland has facilitated the No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) application process and management for more than ten years.
As of Friday, 31 March 2023, while Carers Queensland will continue to facilitate the loan application process, Good Shepherd will take over the management of the loans.
All carers who have an outstanding NILs loan will receive a letter in the mail to explain the changes to the management of NILS and the documents to support them through this transition.
For more information about this transition, please get in touch with Good Shepherd Australia on
13 64 57 (option 3) or email nilsteam@goodshep.org.au.
Download the LAC Connect app today!
Everything you need in the palm of your hand.
NDIS participants, their families and carers can now access a new app to help people with disability connect to Carers Queensland support.
The LAC Connect app, launched in August, provides accessible and relevant information on the supports and services Carers Queensland offers, including:
- your LAC appointments in one place
- workshops and event links for easy registration
- links to support programs, information and resources
- showcasing our latest news, stories and podcasts.
LAC Connect has been developed to be responsive to the needs of people with disabilities and their families and gives greater control over how they engage with us.
The new app will also connect users to information and resources from Carers Queensland’s other programs, including our Carer Program and Training Program.
The Australian Carers Guide Autumn Issue has just landed
We are excited to offer our members a free subscription to this valuable resource of helpful information and practical advice.
This new and refreshing magazine was created to support carers like you.
It offers unique insights, creative solutions and helpful perspectives that will make a real difference in your life.
In this edition, you can read about:
- Ita Buttrose shares some insightful information on her personal journey as a carer. She also shared her thoughts on the aged care sector and what steps should be taken to improve the lives in this sector and all ageing Australians
- Centrelink. If you're caring for elderly parents or a loved one, it's inevitable that you'll have to deal with Centrelink. A guide to making the process as seamless as possible.
- Alarms. Everything you need to know about if the elderly person in your life is at the stage where a personal alarm has become a necessity
- Plus much more!
Mathew advocates for inclusion in the great outdoors
Mathew Townsend is bringing his professional experiences with his outdoor adventure company to advocate for inclusion for people with disability.
Mathew is advocating for inclusion for people with disability as part of Carers Queensland’s Inclusive Sport and Recreation Communities project.
The Brisbane local, founder and CEO of Nature Freedom is one of eight members of the recently formed Beyond the Sidelines Reference Group, established to work on increasing the representation and participation of people with disability in sport and recreation, both on and off the playing field.
Carers also bearing the cost of housing and community maltreatment of people with disability
The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability has released its most recent research on the Economic Cost of Violence, Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of People with Disability.
This research estimates that maltreatment of people with disability due to lack of inclusive homes and communities costs $4.7 billion per year.
It also highlights that the financial impact of this maltreatment is adversely affecting carers.
In this 2023-24 Federal Pre-Budget submission, Carers Australia is calling on the Albanese Government to confirm the pre-election commitment to develop a National Carer Strategy within its first term.
While the Carer Recognition Act 2010 (Commonwealth) formally acknowledges the valuable social and economic contribution of carers in Australia, the last National Carers Strategy lapsed in 2014.
Carers are still not ‘recognised’, nor are their rights and needs adequately embedded within reforms.
Join our growing team!
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Find new meaning in a role that’s building a
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NDIS Newsletter
We want you to get information that matters.
Stay up to date with Carers Queensland's NDIS news, stories, and events about our LAC program and the NDIS.
