National ‘Cost of Caring’ campaign calling for superannuation to be paid on the Commonwealth carer payment launched today.

Are Media, Australia’s leading omnichannel content company for women, together with Carers Australia and a coalition of carer support and advocacy groups, are joining forces to call on both the Federal Government and the Opposition to add superannuation to the fortnightly Carers Payment.

Last month, The Inquiry into Unpaid Carers recommended the Australian Government consider options to incentivise and recognise the impact of caring, including through superannuation systems.

In total there are some 2.65 million unpaid carers in Australia some of whom receive means tested income support from the government for an average of 11.5 years*. Seven in ten of primary carers are women**. According to Carers Australia, a primary carer loses an average of $175,000 in superannuation and $392,500 in lifetime earnings to the age of 67^.

Some who are carers for extended periods of time will lose substantially more, with the most affected 10% losing at least $940,000 in lifetime income and $444,500 in retirement savings^. “Cost of Caring” is the latest social change campaign from Are Media’s Change AREgenda and follows successful campaigns to help improve financial literacy among women, criminalise coercive control, lobby to raise $2 billion for social housing, stop the financial abuse of older Australians, and remove the GST on sanitary products.

Are Media Chief Executive Officer, Jane Huxley, said that over the coming year – and in the lead up to the 2025 Federal Election – the company will call on both the Government and the Opposition to commit to the reform as a key election issue.

“Carers are heroes in the home and in communities, but their roles are too often unrecognised and undervalued. Carers provide 2.2 billion hours of unpaid care each year in Australia, which would cost nearly $80 billion to replace with formal paid care. Carers sacrifice careers, travel, education goals, social lives and their own wellbeing to look after the needs of others – but who is caring for the carers?,” she said.

“The ‘Cost of Caring’ campaign will be a powerful voice for carers across Australia and will involve content and advertising across every available Are Media touchpoint to drive awareness and education, encouraging our almost 8 million strong monthly audience to take action through social media, signing a petition and engaging with local MPs and other key decision makers.”

“We will use our influential platforms to drive reform for the many thousands of carers, the majority of whom are women, that for generations have suffered financial hardship as they selflessly care for loved ones and others.”

The “Cost of Caring” campaign will focus heavily on case studies around Australia involving carers, the work they undertake and the impact, both economically and socially, this has on their lives. Brands involved will include The Australian Women’s Weekly, Woman’s Day, marie claire and Better Homes and Gardens.

Annabel Reid, Carers Australia CEO, said that a campaign of this size and magnitude will be a huge boost to the long-standing call for superannuation to be paid on the Carers Payment.

“If these changes were implemented by the current Government, we would begin to see real-life benefits for a community in Australia providing at least $80 billion of care services for free to those who need it most,” Annabel said. “Economically, people who provide unpaid care are likely to earn less than those who do not. “It is time we did more for the cohort of carers who have had to give up employment opportunities to provide care and reduce their superannuation deficit,” she said.

“The critical and significant work that unpaid carers provide across the country is vital to supporting Australia’s strained health system, aged care system, disability support and mental health support and is often undertaken at great cost to a carer’s own general and financial wellbeing.”

The advertising campaign, created by Cocogun in collaboration with Are Media, launches today. The total reach during the first phase of the campaign from April to October is expected to be 10.5 million^^ readers, with a campaign value of over $5 million.

A video of  Are Media CEO, Jane Huxley discussing the campaign can be found below.

If you agree, sign the petition now at change.org/costofcaring

Are Media – where connection ignites intention.

About Carers Australia and the National Carer Network Carers Australia is the national peak body representing Australia’s carers, advocating to influence policies and services at a national level. The National Carer Network, which consists of Carers NSW, Carers ACT, Carers Victoria, Carers Tasmania, Carers SA, Carers WA, Carers NT, and Carers Queensland, deliver a range of essential carer services across states and territories.

About carers An informal, unpaid carer is a family member or friend who cares for someone who has a disability, chronic or life- limiting illness, is frail aged, has a mental health illness, alcohol, or other drug-related issue. Informal carers are distinct from paid support workers who are colloquially also called carers but are fully employed and remunerated with all the benefits of employment. Conversely, family carers perform their caring duties without remuneration.

* Caring Costs Us: The economic impact on lifetime income and retirement savings of informal carers – a report for Carers Australia, March 2022
** Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2018
^ Caring Costs Us: The economic impact on lifetime income and retirement savings of informal carers – a report for Carers Australia, March 2022
^^ Roy Morgan Research, December 2023