Businesses recognised for supporting employees in unpaid care roles
As part of its new National Carer Strategy to support 2.65m unpaid carers the Albanese government will recognise businesses embracing policies to support their employees trying to juggle work and care.
Businesses that adopt practices supporting employees juggling work and unpaid care for their loved ones will be recognised by a new government-endorsed logo flagging them as good corporate citizens.
The federal government’s new Carer Inclusive Workforce Initiative aims to bolster the employment and retention of workers who also have unpaid caring responsibilities, giving participating employers a special logo to display on websites and marketing materials.
The employment rate of working-age Australians providing unpaid care is significantly lower (69 per cent) than those without caring roles (75 per cent).
The initiative is one element of the government’s broader National Carer Strategy, the design of which kicks off on Thursday. With population ageing, the spectre of unpaid care affects partners and children of greater numbers of people.
The strategy, a Labor election commitment, will look to help the nation’s 2.65 million unpaid carers on a range of fronts by co-ordinating carer policy across portfolios including aged care, disability, veterans’ affairs and mental health.
Launched during National Carers Week, the new strategy will be co-designed with carers from all walks of life and is expected to be finalised late next year.
While a national consultation process will drive the strategy’s direction, it is likely to focus on employment and financial security, improving carer wellbeing, finding innovative ways of supporting younger carers anddriving recognition of carers and theirrole in the broader economy.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said unpaid carers made an enormous contribution to the community and deserved more policy attention.
“Australia’s ageing population, cost-of-living pressures, and evolving lifestyles are reshaping the landscape of care giving,” Ms Rishworth said.
“Just as workplaces have adapted to accommodate parents caring for children, it is crucial that we acknowledge the unique challenges faced by carers and provide them with the support needed to thrive in their careers.
“This is a time for us to reflect on the challenges carers face, to listen to their experiences and consider how we can strengthen support and inclusion for them.”
The new workplace initiative was developed after last year’s Jobs and Skills Summit, where carers described the barriers they faced in trying to combine a career with caring for loved ones.
It will be developed in conjunction with Carers Australiaover the next two years.
“Unpaid carers frequently face barriers in the workplace,” Carers Australia chief executive Jane Bacot-Kilpatrick said. “This initiative aims to directly address this, by giving organisations a framework to build a carer-inclusive workplace.
“We encourage all employers, no matter how many people they employ, to sign-up and support the individuals who selflessly provide unpaid care within our communities,” she said.
Ms Rishworth said the government would also extend the free Carer Gateway service, which connects carers with a range of supports including respite and employment assistance, for a further two years.
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