BY Carers Qld
This year marks the 30th anniversary of National Carers Week, a celebration of the vital contribution Australia’s 2.65 million unpaid carers make to our nation.
Activities are lined up for celebrations to take place across the country from Sunday 16 to Saturday 22 October 2022.
National Carers Week raises community awareness among all Australians about the diversity of carers and their caring roles.
The week is a reminder of their substantial contribution to our communities and our national economy.
It also provides an opportunity for people who have a caring responsibility to identify themselves as carers and access the supports and services they need.
The theme for this year’s national campaign is ‘Millions of Reasons to Care’ and Australians are encouraged to show their appreciation for carers and let them know why they care.
Jim Toohey, Chair of Carers Queensland, said National Carers Week is also a time to highlight the challenges of caring and paint an authentic picture of caring in Australia.
“Carers make up nearly 11% of our population.(1) Before Covid, it was estimated that carers provided 2.2 billion hours of unpaid care in 2020; that’s over 42 million hours every week,”(2) Mr Toohey said.
“As the peak body representing unpaid carers in Queensland we work with carers, people with disability, and their families to make their lives better.”
“Caring is too often invisible. It is only by working in collaboration with Government, businesses, and communities throughout Australia that we can put it on the agenda and make caring a priority,” he said.”
“In Queensland, there are 533,200 carers- that’s one in 10 people caring for a family member or friend.”(1)
“Many combine paid work with their caring role, and they require increased flexibility from their employers.”
“It is essential for businesses to foster a productive workforce and together we can build a carer friendly Australia,” he added.
“The last 30 years have given us many reasons to celebrate, and this year will not be the exception. This is our chance to recognise the incredible work that unpaid carers do every day.”
“We will always have ‘millions of reasons to care’. It’s time to recognise and celebrate carers.”
As part of the National Carers Week celebrations, Carers Queensland is hosting a range of online and face-to-face events for the broader community to get involved and show their appreciation for carers.
For more information on National Carers Week events-
Visit: https://carersqld.com.au/carers-week
