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A TOOLKIT: How Carers in Tasmania Can Advocate for Change

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A TOOLKIT: How Carers in Tasmania Can Advocate for Change A TOOLKIT: How carers in Tasmania can advocate for change www.caringfairly.org.au Caring Fairly is represented in TAS by: 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 Tasmania, Caring Fairly is represented by Mental Health Carers Tasmania, Carers Tasmania and Brain Injury Association Tasmania. 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 TASMANIAN CARERS A VOICE IN THE 2019 FEDERAL ELECTION Within the next few weeks or months, 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 Tasmania, 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 Tasmania’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. Tasmania 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 Tasmanian senators Senator Eric Abetz Senator Steve Martin Liberal Party The Nationals (03) 6224 3707 (07) 5441 1800 [email protected] [email protected] @SenatorAbetz @Senator_Steve Senator Wendy Askew Senator Nick McKim Liberal Party Australian Greens (02) 6277 3500 (03) 6224 8899 [email protected] [email protected] @NickMcKim Senator Catryna Bilyk Australian Labor Party Senator Helen Polley (03) 6229 4444 Australian Labor Party [email protected] (03) 6331 2599 @Catbilyk [email protected] @polley_helen Senator Carol Brown Senator Lisa Singh Australian Labor Party Australian Labor Party (03) 6231 0099 (03) 6223 1135 [email protected] [email protected] @SenCarolBrown @lisa_singh Senator Richard Colbeck Senator Anne Urquhart Liberal Party Australian Labor Party (03) 6424 5960 (03) 6423 1933 [email protected] [email protected] @richardmcolbeck @ausenator Senator Jonathon Duniam Senator Peter Whish-Wilson Liberal Party Australian Greens (03) 6231 2444 (03) 6331 0033 [email protected] @duniamjonathon [email protected] @SenatorSurfer 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? Braddon Lyons Bass Franklin 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 Tasmanian partners’ websites directly: • Mental Health Carers Tasmania - mentalhealthcarerstas.org.au • Carers TAS - www.carerstas.org/ • Brain Injury Assoiation of Tasmania - www.biat.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.
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