1. Overview
This first annual report outlines progress made in 2025 to implement the National Carer Strategy 2024–2034. Information about the Strategy and its objectives is on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website. The 2024–2027 Action Plan guides the first phase of work to better recognise and support Australia’s 3 million unpaid carers. In 2025, the focus was on establishing strong foundations: beginning work on actions to improve supports through Carer Gateway, setting up governance arrangements, and building ways to engage with carers. The Outcomes Framework was finalised to track progress and measure change over time. The National Carer Strategy Advisory Committee supported the work throughout the year. In 2026, we will focus on improving data about carers. We will work across the Commonwealth and with States and Territories to better identify and support carers across government systems.
2. Key Achievements
Delivering early actions
- Release of the National Carer Strategy Action Plan 2024–2027 – Dec 2024.
- Completion of the Outcomes Framework – May 2025.
- Establishment of an Advisory Committee, Working Group and six lived experience focus groups.
Implemented actions
- Increased phone counselling access for carers through Carer Gateway with up to an additional 10,000 sessions funded annually.
- Carer Inclusive Workplace Initiative extended to 30 June 2026.
- Young Carer Bursary Program and Young Carer Network extended to 30 June 2027.
- Pre employment support through Carer Gateway in metropolitan Queensland, South Australia, and Tasmania.
Strong engagement with carers and stakeholders
- 6 Advisory Committee meetings
- 4 Working Group meetings
- 27 focus group sessions
- 28 stakeholder workshops and meetings
- 650+ survey responses informing research on counselling, mental health and respite.
This engagement ensures carers’ experiences inform work on the Action Plan.
3. Supporting Strategy implementation and vision
Activities that helped to raise awareness and recognition of carers in 2025 included:
- National Carers Week - involved a range of events across Australia, with the theme “You are, know or will be one’
- Promotion of Carer Gateway in the community, through social media and across government
- A range of stakeholder and parliamentary engagement activities
- 10,918 carers participated in the Carer Wellbeing Survey, which tracks the wellbeing of carers aged 14 and over. This was an approximate 19% increase in participants from 2024.
Government actions in 2025 that were complementary to the Strategy included:
- Awarding 2967 Young Carer Bursaries in the 2025 academic year. The Bursary amount was also increased to $4,000
- A peak body was established for Mental Health Carers
- The National Dementia Action Plan 2024-2034 was released
- Changes were made from March 2025, to help remove some of the barriers to employment for Carer Payment recipients
4. Groups Supporting the National Carer Strategy Action Plan Implementation
Carers informed our work on the Action Plan, through an Advisory Committee, an Action Plan Working Group and Focus Groups.
National Carer Strategy Advisory Committee
Comprising unpaid carers and sector representatives from diverse communities, the Committee gives strategic guidance, lived experience insight, and expert advice.
National Carer Strategy Action Plan Working Group
This group of 10–15 members, including the Chairs of the focus groups, ensure lived experience informs work on Action items.
Carer Focus Groups
Six lived experience groups provide insight into the needs of:
- First Nations carers
- Carers with disability
- Carers of veterans
- Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) carers
- LGBTQIA+ carers
- Young carers (18–25)
These groups highlight barriers, intersectional challenges, and priority areas for better support.
5. Status of Commitments
1. Support the well being of carers by reviewing and improving Carer Gateway all actions under Commitment 1a and 1b are in progress. Action 1.1 is fully implemented,
Status: In progress.
2. Improve identification and recognition of carers
Promotion of Carer Gateway continues across community, government, and health systems.
Status: In progress.
3. Contemporise the Carer Recognition Act 2010
The Government provided its response to the parliamentary Inquiry into unpaid carers.
Status: Commencing 2026.
4. Ensure the lived experience of carers guides continual improvement
All governance and focus groups were established and embedded to support work on Action Plan items.
Status: Implemented.
5. Support carers to achieve financial security
Extensions of Carer Inclusive Workplace Initiative, Young Carer Bursary and the Young Carer Network. Training and job preparation help offered through ‘Your Caring Way’ is now provided through Carer Gateway. Status: In progress.
6. Understand the full carer landscape through improved data capture
Planning for a national data strategy began, including First Nations communities.
Status: Commencing 2026.
6. Action Plan Progress
Actions delivered in 2025:
- Increased phone counselling capacity (Action 1.1).
- Continued employment and financial supports for carers, including CIWI and Young Carer programs (Action 5.1).
Actions requiring planning and research:
- Data mapping and analysis under Action 6.1.
- Development of a national model for pre employment support expected from 2026.
- Several projects started to research counselling, mental health services, respite, and culturally responsive supports.
Action Plan projects in progress:
- Unpaid Carer Supports: This project is researching how to improve counselling, mental health supports, respite services, and culturally responsive and inclusive services for carers. Status: In progress. Due June 2026.
- Practice Framework: This project is developing a cultural capability framework to help Carer Gateway service providers better support four carer cohorts. Status: In progress. Due June 2026.
- Carer Gateway Navigation Improvements: This project delivered recommendations to improve how the Carer Gateway helps carers move through different service systems. Status: Completed in November 2025. Recommendations are being considered.
- This project is expanding peer support and improving online and in person training for carers. It also includes research on Carer Gateway operating hours. Status: In progress.
7. Impact of caring
Caring can be personally meaningful and challenging. Current data shows 3 million Australians are carers, and many say their wellbeing is getting worse.
Wellbeing findings from the 2025 Carer Wellbeing Survey
- Only 38.9% report healthy wellbeing
- 31.2% experience high psychological distress.
- 42.7% often or always feel lonely.
- 58% face difficulties accessing respite.
- 71% were unable to accept job opportunities due to being a carer.
- 64.3% say finances worsened since becoming a carer.
Recognition and awareness
- Over 70% of carers do not feel recognised by government.
- Almost 30% took more than a year to identify themselves as carers.
- After identifying, 46% received no information about supports.
These results highlight the importance of the Strategy’s focus on mental health, respite, better supports, and early identification.
8. Reporting roadmap
Monitoring and evaluation will track progress over the Strategy’s lifespan:
- First Action Plan begins in 2024 and runs until December 2027.
- Annual monitoring reports published each March from 2027 to 2035.
- Midway evaluation in 2030, covering 2024–2029.
- Final evaluation in early 2036.
This is the summary of the National Carer Strategy 2024–2034 Annual Report 2025.