Did you know? An estimated 1 million Australians were caring for someone with mental ill-health in 2018, with 700,000 living in the same household. Replacing that unpaid support was valued at $13.2 billion (in 2016)—nearly twice what was being spent on all mental health services at the time.
That’s why Arafmi’s Sue Goodwin, Lived Experience Advocacy Team Lead, and Alex Tyson, General Manager Carer Programs and Advocacy met with the Productivity Commission to make sure mental health carers are prioritised in the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement. They raised that services and supports for families and unpaid carers need to be part of the mental health system—and valued just as much as services for people experiencing mental ill-health. Without this, carers face long-term emotional, physical, mental and financial impacts.
The discussion also highlighted the need for support beyond just primary carers—like children and young people caring for a parent or sibling, and family groups, kin, and chosen family. Everyone involved in the caring journey deserves to be seen and supported.
Other key issues included the 92,000+ Queenslanders with moderate and severe psychosocial needs still missing out on care, the lack of after-hours crisis services, and the additional pressures faced by carers in rural and remote areas. In Queensland, mental health and suicide prevention services are still not well integrated between state and federal levels—leaving carers to fill the gaps.
They also flagged the lack of national data. Aside from Arafmi’s statewide consultation and a few surveys, there’s very little information about mental health carers—who they are, what they experience, or what support they receive. And without data, carers stay invisible.
The Commissioners were genuinely interested and open to ideas. They were particularly impressed by the Carer Hub model and shared thoughts on how GPs and the peer workforce could play a bigger role in supporting mental health carers.
Find out more about the review at pc.gov.au/inquiries/current/mental-health-review
