Liz Callaghan, Chief Executive Officer of Carers Australia, joins Luke Grant to celebrate National Carers Week which is a time to recognise and celebrate Australia’s 2.65 million unpaid carers who make this great contribution to our nation.

This year, Carers Australia is asking all carers to visit carersweek.com.au and ‘Tell Us Why You Care’. By publishing authentic accounts of unpaid caring in Australia, we will raise awareness of the realities of the caring role and continue to work towards a ‘carer-friendly’ Australia.

Throughout 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, carers have experienced a significant increase in stress and caring responsibilities. Carers have played a major role in flattening the curve of infection by sheltering at home and keeping vulnerable Australians safe.

Even before the effects of the pandemic had been accounted for, unpaid carers were estimated to be providing 2.2 billion hours of unpaid care in 2020 – over 42 million hours every single week.

The replacement value of that care was estimated at almost $78 billion, or almost $1.5 billion every week. This highlights the remarkable contribution that unpaid carers make not just to our communities, but also to the national economy.

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