One in ten Australians – 2.65 million people in 2018 – are carers. If these carers were replaced by paid workers, the care they provide would cost $77.9 billion annually, or almost 1% of Australia’s GDP. Almost one million of these are ‘primary carers’ who have caring duties that make up a significant part of their day-to-day life – for many, being much more than a full time job.
Carers are responsible for taking care of the welfare of large numbers of vulnerable Australians, providing often challenging and complex caring duties. Past studies have found carers often have lower wellbeing than the average Australian. We need to know more about how to support the wellbeing of carers, ensuring they have a high quality of life while providing quality of life to the people they care for.
The national Carer Wellbeing Survey is addressing this gap. Through an annual survey of Australia’s carers, it will build a comprehensive picture of the wellbeing of carers, and how it can best be supported. This report gives findings from the first Carer Wellbeing Survey, which surveyed 5,800 carers across Australia during April and May 2021.
:format():fill())