A TOOLKIT: How Carers in South Australia Can Advocate for Change

A TOOLKIT: How carers in South Australia can advocate for change

www.caringfairly.org.au www.facebook.com/caringfairlycampaign @caringfairly @caringfairly WHO WE ARE Caring Fairly is a national campaign led by unpaid carers and specialist organisations that support and advocate for their rights. Launched in August 2018 and coordinated by Mind Australia, Caring Fairly is led by a coalition of over 25 carer support organisations, NGOs, peak bodies, and carers themselves. In South Austra- lia, Caring Fairly is represented by Carer Support SA & Carers SA. We need your support, and invite you to join the Caring Fairly coalition.

Caring Fairly wants: • A fairer deal for Australia’s unpaid carers • Better economic outcomes for people who devote their time to supporting and caring for their loved ones • Government policies that help unpaid carers balance paid work and care, wherever possible • Politicians to understand what’s at stake for unpaid carers going into the 2019 federal election

To achieve this, we need your help.

WHY WE ARE TAKING ACTION Unpaid carers are often hidden from view in Australian politics. There are almost 2.7 million unpaid carers nationally. Over 850,000 people in Australia are the primary carer to a loved one with disability. Many carers, understandly, don’t identify as a ‘carer’.

Caring Fairly wants visibility for Australia’s unpaid carers. We are helping to build a new social movement in Australia to achieve this.

Unpaid carers prop up Australian society. Like all Australians, unpaid carers have a right to a fair and decent quality of life.

Caring Fairly is advocating for vital reforms needed to bring fairness to the hidden world of unpaid care in Australia. We need your support.

With your support, we can shape a new public conversation about the value we attach to unpaid carers in Australia, and advocate for the changes urgently needed by so many Australian families.

We can only do this together.

Join the movement, shape the conversation, and lend your support to the Caring Fairly campaign and coalition at:

www.caringfairly.org.au/takeaction @caringfairly

www.facebook.com/caringfairlycampaign @caringfairly

WHAT’S UNFAIR? THE KEY ISSUES

There are 2.7 million unpaid carers in Australia, and over 850,000 primary carers.

Unpaid carers aren’t able to go on strike, but if they did, the Australian Government would have to spend over $1 billion per week on formal health and social care services.

Australia’s reliance on unpaid carers is unsustainable and unfair. Over two thirds of primary carers are women.

Many carers aren’t able to get paid work on an equal footing to other Australians. Many older carers retire with limited savings.

Young carers get a raw deal. Many children and young people who provide care to a loved one have poorer educational outcomes and fewer employment and training opportunities than other Australians. WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE? THE KEY MESSAGES Caring Fairly believes the Australian Federal Government must take urgent action to bring fairness to care. It must look beyond short term policies, and invest in long term solutions. It must drive a cultural change in how we as Australians, value the unpaid carers in all our communities. Ahead of the 2019 federal election, our three key messages are: 1 Government must invest in the long-term economic security of unpaid carers

2 Government must make it easier for unpaid carers to balance work and care, on an equal footing with other Australians 3 Government must make sure that all young carers can be identified and assisted

These three key messages are drawn from Caring Fairly’s 2019 policy platform. To read the full document, and our evidence base, visit www.caringfairly.org.au. TAKE ACTION GIVING SA CARERS A VOICE IN THE 2019 FEDERAL ELECTION

Within the next few weeks, Australians will go to the ballot box to elect a new federal government. Caring Fairly wants unpaid carers to shape the outcome of this election. We want to use our collective voice to achieve a fairer deal for carers, and a fairer society for all Australians.

It is essential that federal politicians hear from you to understand exactly what’s at stake in this election - in SA, and for you, your family, and your community. Here are some ideas about how you can use your voice.

Pressure your local senator to take action Meeting with SA’s federal senators is a great way to influence the people who represent you at the highest levels of government. Senators hold substantial power within their respective political parties. Senators serve six-year terms in Parliament, making them the perfect driver for the long term policy changes we are seeking.

SA has twelve senators. You don’t have to meet with all of them, but you can ask for meetings with each, or with one senator from each of the major parties, or any senator that you’d particularly like to speak to - the choice is yours.

As a constituent you are entitled to request a meeting with your Senators on any issue of importance to you. Here are some tips to make the process as easy as possible: • You can request a meeting by calling or emailing the Senators from your state. You can also use the letter template attached in this pack for some ideas on what to say • Expect to wait a few weeks before the meeting occurs • Plan what you’d like the Senator to know about your experience or situation and why you are passionate about changing things • Have a clear idea of what you’d like to ask them to do on your behalf - you can refer to the Caring Fairly key messages for some ideas • You can encourage your friends and family to sign the Caring Fairly petition in this kit and present this to your senator to show the widespread community support for change. • You can request a follow up meeting for a few months time to discuss and track progress on the issue • The more voices your senators hear from on this issue, the harder it beomes to ignore our voice, and our demands for change Your SA senators

Senator Cory Bernardi Senator Stirling Griff Australian Conservatives Centre Alliance (08) 8362 8600 (08) 8212 1409 [email protected] [email protected] @corybernadi @Stirling_G Senator Simon Birmingham Senator Sarah Hanson-Young Liberal Party Australian Greens (08) 8354 1644 (08) 8227 0425 [email protected] [email protected] @birmo @sarahinthesen8 Senator Don Farrell Senator Rex Patrick Australian Labor Party Centre Alliance (08) 8231 8400 (08) 8232 1144 [email protected] [email protected] @senator_patrick Senator David Fawcett Senator Anne Ruston Liberal Party Liberal Party (08) 8205 1040 (08) 8586 6600 [email protected] [email protected] @anne_ruston Senator Alex Gallacher Australian Labor Party Senator Tim Storer (08) 8269 6022 Independent [email protected] (08) 8232 0220 @mceachian [email protected] @storertim Senator Lucy Gichuhi Senator Penny Wong Liberal Party Australian Labor Party (08) 8205 1050 (08) 8212 8272 [email protected] @senatorlucy [email protected] @SenatorWong WHAT’S AT STAKE THIS ELECTION IN YOUR STATE? Every election is often decided by a few marginal seats in each state. If you live in one of the following federal seats, it is worth contacting your local MP and candidates as well as your senator. If you are not sure which federal electorate you live in you can check at www.aec.gov.au. Do you live in one of the following?

Makin Grey Barker Hindmarsh

Boothby Mayo Adelaide

If you live in one of the following: Check out the Marginal Seats Guide at the end of this toolkit to discover a bit about the candidates in your local electorate and how to contact them.

Engage with your local supports Whether it’s an online support group or one you might attend in person - let your support networks know about this campaign and why you support it yourself. You can share our posters, petitions or social media graphics with the group but don’t forget to explain your personal perspective as a supporter of the campaign.

Not sure what supports are available in your local area?

Head over to www.caringfairly.org.au/takeaction and fill out the contact us form. We can give you some information on what supports are available through our affiliated support organisations. You can also visit our SA partners’ websites directly: • Carers SA - www.carers-sa.asn.au • Carers Support SA- www.carersupport.org.au Host an event One of the best ways of spreading our message is through face-to-face conversations in a social setting. Hosting an event is also a really helpful way of engaging with other carers. The following ideas could be used to bring people in your community together to discuss this important issue. • A carers morning tea, hosted at your own home or at a community venue. This can be as informal or formal as you would like • Offer to run a social event as part of a carers support group or community group • Organise some friends to go with you to your local shopping strip and ask people to sign the Caring Fairly petition • Hold a carers craft afternoon • Anything that incorporates fun and social activities with activities to provide information about the Caring Fairly campaign Get creative There are creative ways to tell your story, and to be a voice for change. You might want to: • Write a poem; • Paint or draw; • Write a blog post; • Engage with your local community radio station; • Develop an outdoor display or mural; • Anything else you can think of that engages your artistic skills and expression.

Once your project is complete, be sure to share it with us online, through our website or the other links below. You can also tag us in anything you post on social media if you are posting it to your personal page. www.caringfairly.org.au @caringfairly www.facebook.com/caringfairlycampaign @caringfairly Use the petition

The Caring Fairly petition can be found at the back of this toolkit. It is a simple and effective tool to start conversations about this important topic, and to demonstrate to politicians the collective power of unpaid carers in this election. You can ask your friends, family, neighbours and online community to sign to encourage government to prioritise carers at this election. You might want to keep a copy on your kitchen bench or deliver a copy of the petition to the letterboxes in your street. Most people will be happy to support the cause but they do need to be asked to do so.

Please let the Caring Fairly team know if you are using the petition, so that we can help you maximise your local and national impact. Send any completed copies of the petition to [email protected] and let us know how we can support you. : Advocate online

Modern elections: are fought online as much as offline. Using your social media presence to share your story, voice your demands, and amplify the messages of the Caring Fairly campaign are important ways to get the attention of politicians, and advocate for change. There are creative ways to tell your story, and to be a voice for change. You might want to: • Write a poem; • Follow and engage with Caring Fairly’s social media channels • Paint or draw; • Share Caring Fairly graphics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can find these at caringfairly.org.au • Write a blog post; • Use Caring Fairly frames on your profile picture on Facebook. You can find these at caringfairly.org.au • Engage with your local community radio station; • Share part of your story online, and set out the reforms you want to see from politicians in this election (more on this • Develop an outdoor display or mural; in the next section) • Anything else you can think of that engages your artistic skills and expression. • Create a 30 second online video (see below) • Engage in online support groups where appropriate and let people know about the Caring Fairly campaign and how Once your project is complete, be sure to share it with us online, through our website or the other links below. they can get involved You can also tag us in anything you post on social media if you are posting it to your personal page. • Engage with politicians and political parties online to raise awareness of the campaign • Engage in respectful conversations on Twitter and Facebook about your experience

When publishing your story - be sure to tag Caring Fairly on social media so we can help spread the word. You can use the links below to share.

www.caringfairly.org.au @caringfairly www.facebook.com/caringfairly @caringfairly

Not sure how or what to share online? Head over to www.caringfairly.org.au/takeaction and fill out the contact us form. Someone from the campaign will be in touch to give you some advice about how to share your story online. Share your story online Sharing your experiences is one of your most powerful advocacy tools. It is one of the best ways to build a sense of connection and a way to captivate, and compel people to action.

Writing down your own experiences as a carer can be confronting, emotional, and traumatic. It is important to reflect on your own boundaries around what you are comfortable sharing with other people; be they your family, friends, neighbours, local community or your online environment. Tips to try in your storytelling: Always keep in mind what the purpose of your story is. What message are you trying to convey? Why do you want people to hear about it? This will help guide the shape of your story and give an idea of where the particular points of focus should be.

Don’t worry about figures, data or metrics to include in your story. The value of your story is in your experience and the perspective you have as a result.

You don’t need to disclose every personal detail. Sharing your story gives you power over how much you disclose and to whom. You can choose to highlight particular aspects of your story depending on your comfort levels and your audience.

Allow yourself some vulnerability. This gives your audience something to relate to emotionally.

Make sure your story includes characters. Although you won’t want to disclose everything about them, don’t gloss over the participants in the story and their point of view.

There is political power in voicing common experiences. Most people will find it very easy to understand issues as they relate to family, or friendships, or suffering, as they are universal human experiences. Use this to your advantage and focus on the most universal aspects of your story.

Finish with a call to action. What do you want people to do now that they’ve heard your story? What action do you want to inspire from them? Crucially, what do you want your elected representatives to do? If you share our vision of ‘what needs to change’, we ask you to use our ‘key messages’, found earlier in this toolkit.

Need help crafting your story or not sure how best to take action? Head over to www.caringfairly.org.au/takeaction and fill out the contact us form. Someone from the campaign will be in touch to give you some advice about how you can be involved! Create a 30 second video Filming a short video on your phone is a great and easy way of sharing your story, adding a human face to this important issue and getting public attention.

Caring Fairly can help make it even easier for you.

Examples of short videos from campaign supporters can be found on our facebook page at facebook.com/caringfairlycampaign

Caring Fairly would love to hear your stories via video and help you reach a wide online audience. We can edit, brand, and ‘polish’ your videos, if you want us to. When you tag Caring Fairly on Facebook or Twitter with your 30 second video, we will help you share and promote your video.

We are collecting the stories of carers to help raise public awareness of the campaign and make sure a wide variety of voices are heard. We are asking Caring Fairly supporters from SA to record a 30 second video of themselves and submit the foot- age via our Facebook inbox or email: [email protected]. Make sure you tag us if you upload your video on social media as well.

Makre sure you tag us if you upload your video on social media as well!

www.caringfairly.org.au @caringfairly www.facebook.com/caringfairlycampaign @caringfairly SA MARGINAL SEAT GUIDE: THE TOP 7

Caring Fairly is non-partisan and apolitical. We want to see improved government responses, policies, and committments from all parties, politicians, and candidates. This information is accurate at the time of publishing and is subject to change. To stay up to date with election developments follow /CaringFairlyCampaign on Facebook.

Hindmarsh

ALP Candidate: Hon Mark Butler MP The Hon Mark Butler is the current Member for Port Adelaide. He was first elected to represent Port Adelaide in 2007 and has contested and been re-elected in every election since. Mr Butler has served as the Minister for Ageing, Social Inclusion, Homelessness, Climate Change, Water and the Environment. He was also Australia’s first Minister for Mental Health. Before politics, Mr Butler worked as an official for United Voice for 15 years. In 2013 when Mr Butler was Minister for Mental Health, he advocated for $472.7 million increased spending in support of Australians with severe and persistent mental illness. In October 2018 he posted “Today is @headspace_aus day - a day where we support the mental health and wellbeing of all young Australians. Congratulations to all of the work people in headspace do. They’ve delivered over 2.5 million services and are making a real difference”. Email: [email protected] Phone: Parliament office (02) 6277 4089 / Electorate Office (08) 8241 0190

Liberal Candidate: Mr Jake Hall-Evans Mr Jake Hall-Evans works as a State Manager for a property services business. He currently lives in Port Adelaide with his wife Hayley and his two children and wishes to secure the future of his electorate. Mr Hall-Evans has spoken about the importance of access to mental health services, saying: “Did you know that 1 in 4 young people will experience mental illness in any given year? It takes courage to speak about our challenges, and I am grateful that headspace Port Adelaide is delivering such important services to the community of Hindmarsh. I am proud to be a part of a Liberal Team that has invested $208 million in headspace since October last year and increased expected spend on mental health to $4.7 billion.” Email: [email protected] Phone: (08) 8205 0255

Greens Candidate: Mr Matt Farrell Mr Farrell has worked in conservation & land management, as well as a small business owner. Mr Farrell says on his website “I want to see essential services back in public hands and a much greater investment in all areas of society. I will be a strong advocate for protecting the most vulnerable among us”. Email: [email protected] Grey

ALP Candidate: Ms Karin Bolton Ms Karin Bolton, was born in Adelaide and moved to Whyalla 26 years ago. Ms Bolton lived in Whyalla while working as part of her family’s transport business while studying to obtain a Bachelor of Social Work. Through her work as a social worker, Ms Bolton worked in conciliation counselling with people across the disability sector, aged care, and rural health. In a March 2019 post to her official political Facebook page, Ms Bolton criticised the Liberal government for their stance on Medicare. She said, “The Liberals have cut billions from Medicare while trying to give an $80 billion tax handout to big business. As a result, GP out-of-pocket costs have increased by 27 per cent in South Australia. Specialist out-of-pocket costs are up 36 per cent! It’s unacceptable that 1.3 million Australians are now delaying or skipping basic health care because they can’t afford it. That’s why Labor will end the Liberals’ Medicare freeze within 50 days.” Email: [email protected]

Liberal Candidate: Mr Rowan Ramsey MP Mr Rowan Ramsey was first elected to the seat of Grey in 2007 and has contested and won every election since. He has held the role of Government Whip from 30 July 2016 and is a member of the House Select Committee on Regional Development and Decentralisation. Mr Ramsey comes from a farming background and has publicly expressed an interest in regional and rural issues concerning his electorate, including around healthcare and cancer. Mr Ramsey officially launched a headspace in Whyalla last year, and an outreach headspace unit delivered by the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) and expressed that he is hoping to grow these services. During a speech in August 2018, he stated “ But we must do the best we can because one in five people across Australia is affected by mental illness each year. That means one in five people in each town, each city, each workplace and each community. That really means that mental illness affects everyone in some way. Behind those staggering numbers, there are human beings who are suffering. It might be your mum or your dad who’s struggling, or your son or daughter, or even you yourself. What’s more, mental illness is costing the nation around $60 billion a year.” Email: [email protected] Phone: Parliament office (02) 6277 4967 / Electorate office (08) 8633 1744

Greens Candidate: Ms Candace Champion Ms Champion is a young Aboriginal woman who is deeply committed to child safety and keeping families together, a treaty with first Australians, and “the protection of our beautiful country and waters”. Email: [email protected]

Boothby

ALP Candidate: Ms Nadia Clancy Ms Nadia Clancy is the ALP party candidate for Boothby, South Australia, where she was born and raised. Nadia has worked in policy and media roles in the areas of health, ageing, mental health, housing and homelessness, foreign affairs, climate change and the environment. She volunteers in her community as an emergency and respite foster carer and in the past has worked for the national mental health foundation headspace and the Fred Hollows Foundation. Ms Clancy wrote on her social media, “A health system for all - that’s Labor’s vision. A health system that’s truly universal, affordable, accessible and equitable.” She supports the Labor government’s plans to invest $80m for more MRI machines, 500,000 more scans funded by Medicare and 20 new MRI licenses. Email: [email protected] Phone: 0412 032 996 Liberal Candidate: Ms Nicolle Flint MP Ms Nicolle Flint attended Flinders University in the heart of Boothby, where she graduated with a Law Degree and Arts Degree (1st Class Hons). Ms Flint supports mental health funding, and in January 2019 she posted “The @ScottMorrisonMP Government today announced an additional $47 million for @headspace_aus to deliver their new youth mental health ambassadors project and other vital support services! I joined the PM in October to announce the first of these funding boosts.” Email: [email protected] Phone: Parliament office (02) 6277 2057 / Electorate office (08) 8374 0511 Email: [email protected]

Greens Candidate: Ms Stef Rozitis Ms Rozitis is currently an early childhood educator & passionate about the equal representation of women in society. She is quoted as saying, “I hope to use my experience in teaching, leadership and support to care for the most vulnerable in our communities and to protect the environment.” Email: [email protected]

Adelaide

ALP Candidate: Mr Steven Georganas Mr Steven Georganas serves as the Deputy Chair of the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport. Mr Georganas has a real interest in improving the lives of people living with a disability or dementia, their families and carers. Mr Georganas frequently posts on his social media channels in support of people with a mental health conditions and in 2018 he posted saying “National Carers Week has started - Carer’s make a difference to the lives of individuals, families and communities. 1 in 8 Australians provide unpaid support to a family member or friend. I’m thankful for their outstanding contributions.” Email: [email protected] Phone: Parliament office (02) 6277 4816 / Electorate office (08) 8376 9000

Liberal Candidate: Mr Shaun Osborn Mr Shaun Osborn is a long-serving South Australian police officer with experience as a Detective at the Major Crime Investigation Branch. He volunteers in his community with the Lions Club of Prospect and Blair Athol, Chinatown Adelaide Association of South Australia, Relation- ships Australia, the Street Family Homeless Charity and many multicultural groups. In January 2019, Mr Osbourn showed his support for a disability carer who lost their life in his community by posting “My deep condolences to the family and friends of disability carer Nischal Ghi- mire as well as the entire #Adelaide and #Australian Nepalese community. Nischal tragically died at Glenelg Beach on the 27th of December protecting his young client, Kevin Maghsoodi. Nischal was devoted to his work and his new country.” Email: [email protected] Phone: 0448 188 580

Greens Candidate: Barbara Pocock Ms Pocock is a researcher in the changing nature of work and how that affects men, women and families. She is passionate about caring issues and believes “As a working parent and carer for my own parents, I’ve learned how important it is to have a care system that works well – from childcare through to aged care.” Email: [email protected] Barker

ALP- At the time of publication an ALP candidate was yet to be announced

Liberal Candidate: Mr Tony Pasin MP In January 2019 Mr Pasin welcomed the announcement that the government will provide a record $1.45 billion for community mental health services and change the funding model to ensure security for both jobs and services. He said of the announcement, “Ensuring funding for services that offer the best support, tailored to local community needs is vital, nowhere more so than in regional communities. It’s so important that strate- gies and programs in our regional towns are designed and delivered for locals by locals to give the best benefits to the community...It will continue to support important services such as headspace centres, psychological services for hard to reach groups, suicide prevention activities, mental health nurses and mental health support for older Australians.” Emal:[email protected] Phone: Parliament office (02) 6277 4864 / Electorate office (08) 8724 7730

Greens Candidate: Rosa Hillum Ms Hillum is a community artirst and has worked as a Healthy Rivers Ambassador to protect the Murray Darling Basin. She is passionate about “passionate about improving rural services, such as domestic violence and substance abuse treatment facilities, and I have been an advocate for quality regional aged care and mental health services.” Email: [email protected]

Mayo

ALP Candidate: Ms Saskia Gerhardy Ms Saskia Gerhardy grew up in Willunga, South Australia. She graduated from Flinders University with a Bachelor of Science majoring in Biodiversity and Conservation. She then graduated from the University of Adelaide with honours in Environment and Evolution. Ms Gerhardy has worked as an environmental educator at primary schools. On her official ALP profile, it reads: “Saskia has a keen interest in health care, and believes your access to quality health care should be determined by your Medicare card, not your credit card.” Email: [email protected]

Liberal Candidate: Ms Georgina Downer Ms Georgina Downer is the daughter of former Liberal Party Leader and Howard government Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer. In November 2018, Ms Downer and Minister Hunt announced an implementation of a three-stage plan to address the growing demand for mental health services in Mayo. Ms Downer supported the Liberal government’s expansion of aged care facilities in Strathalbyn (SA) in July 2018. She said, “the expansion of the aged care facility is vital for growing communities.” Email:[email protected] Phone: (08) 8205 0255

Greens Candidate: Ms Anne Bourne Ms Bourne is a psychologist who has worked in private practice, community mental health services, policy and research and development. She claims extensive experience in “working with children, adolescents and adults, including Indigenous, LGBTIQ, homeless, refugees and asylum seeker communities, older Australians, survivors of violence and abuse, children in foster care, and people who are struggling to survive on low incomes and Centrelink benefits”. Email: [email protected] Makin

ALP Candidate: Mr Tony Zappia MP Mr Zappia is the Shadow Assistant Minister for Medicare and previously was the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health from 2015 - 2016. He often has spoken out on aged health care and the divide between the level of healthcare in the country compared to the city. He has spoken on how he feels the failure of federal and state governments to address the health inequities in country Australia is costing lives. In October 2018 he spoke of the government’s failures, “To adequately fund our health professionals, and that refers directly to the six-year Medicare freeze, which is still going; and a failure to adequately fund medical professionals, such as doctors who do after-hours visits and, in particular, how that affects the residential aged-care facilities of this country.” Email: [email protected] Phone: Parliament office (02) 6277 4147 / Electorate office (08) 8265 3100

Liberal Candidate - At the time of publication a Liberal candidate was yet to be announced

Greens Candidate: Stephanie Stewart Ms Stewart has a background in real estate and have previously completed a Bachelor of Arts in Indigenous Studies and Cultural Tourism. She describes herself as an advocate for ‘high-quality, accessible public education and hospital services’. Email: [email protected] Help bring fairness to unpaid care Sign to show your support for great fairness and recognition for carers.