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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Some carers are not happy about today’s announcement by the Federal Government the aged pension, disability support pension and carer payment will increase by just $38.90 per fortnight from September 20.

Toowoomba carer advocate George Helon has slammed the government for what he calls “its cold hearted attitude towards the majority of unpaid carers, many of whom will still be expected to care for an aged, infirm, disabled, or incapacitated person 25/7/365 on as little as 41 cents an hour.”

Mr Helon, a full-time carer of his elderly mother who lives with a number of medical conditions, scoffed at the statement by the Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth who said the Albanese government wanted to ensure "a strong social security safety net to protect our most disadvantaged” as cost of living pressures intensify.

“What a load of rubbish,” Mr Helon said as he warned people “not to be fooled and hoodwinked by the Albanese government putting the carer payment up there in the headline with pensions to make it look as though the government is actually doing, or intending to do anything for Australia’s 2.65 million unpaid carers.”

Carer’s payment is currently paid at the rate of $987.60 per fortnight, that’s just $493.80 a week, $70.54 per day, or just $2.94 an hour.

Carer’s allowance is currently paid at the rate of $136.50 per fortnight, that’s just $68.25 a week, $9.75 per day, or just 41 cents an hour.

Mr Helon added, “pfft! WOW! A nett increase of 3.94% when the June quarter CPI increase was 6.1 percent.

“If you are looking after someone in the home, you need to be prepared to give up work and sacrifice a generous income, benefits, superannuation, your career, your livelihood and your family relationships just to qualify for a paltry carer’s payment.

“Know this, there is no third income stream – or wad of cash as some naively believe - shared between two people; so after paying your combined mortgage/rent, car, loans, groceries, essential services, you then have to find money for out of pocket care expenses, service charge gap fees, transport, and the like.

“Realistically, you will soon find your savings and super eroded to the point that thoughts of financial ruin, destitution and homelessness become very real.

“And the carer’s allowance of $3549 a year, it is not even enough to keep a car on the road – it is reprehensible and an affront to all that carers do and sacrifice.

“Truth be told, over the decades no government has faced the reality of the personal sacrifices and price we pay as carers head on - the actual human cost – but they’re happy to have us quietly working away in the background for next to nothing, saving them billions of dollars in unpaid care whilst we suffer physically, mentally, emotionally and financially.

“Carers continue to be undervalued and exploited worse than slave labour and sweatshops which are against human rights!”

“Carers are an inconvenient truth to governments; among the most disadvantaged and living way below the poverty line!

“The government, many politicians, and some people simply don’t understand carers and care givers are not remunerated the same as paid support workers.

“Carers rightly deserve the same respect, recognition and comparable financial remuneration as paid support workers,” Mr Helon said.

Finally, Mr Helon has urged people to get behind his Change.org petition which calls on the Prime Minister and the federal government to recognise and care for carers, especially those only in receipt of a Carer's Allowance who need immediate, realistic and proper financial recognition.

It’s time to Recognise and Care for Unpaid Carers!