Payment 5. The Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA): review the number of hours allowed for work, education, or training while on the Carer Payment to allow for greater flexibility; review income testing arrangements to better support combinations of employment, care-giving and income support. Carers of people with disability, illness or older people FaHCSIA Services Employment conditions of paid care workers 6. Enhance and protect the employment conditions and pay of paid care workers, including within the NDIS, the Aged Care Reform Package, and the childhood education and care sector. Paid care workers of people with disability, illness or older people, and in the early childhood education and care sector. Australian Government Carers Assessment 7. Enhance mechanisms to recognise carers and their needs, provide for carer assessments, and ensure adequate support services for carers in: The development and implementation of the NDIS; The implementation of the Aged Care Reform Package; The health care system. Carers of people with disability, illness or older people Australian Government Productivity Commission Inquiry – Early childhood education and care Productivity Commission - childhood education and care 8. The Productivity Commission conduct a whole-of-system review into the current provision, costs, taxation and financing of early childhood education and care services, with a view to achieving accessible, affordable, flexible, quality early childhood education and care, including outside of school hours care services and ensuring each child has an entitlement to attend. Parents with pre-school and school aged children Productivity Commission Workplace Mechanisms
Workplace mechanisms 9. Employers should consider implementing mechanisms to support unpaid carers in the workplace, such as: Adopting an integrated carer strategy; Providing information and support services to carers; Offering flexible hours and leave arrangements; Undertaking job redesign to accommodate caring commitments; Implementing employment re-entry strategies during and after caring responsibilities. Parents and carers of people with disability, illness or older people Employers Productivity Commission Inquiry – valuing unpaid caring work
Productivity Commission – valuing unpaid care 10. The Productivity Commission, or another independent body, conduct an inquiry into the following mechanisms for valuing unpaid caring work: a. Parental leave mechanisms Providing a Government-funded of four weeks of additional paid leave in recognition of equal take-up of parental leave in couples; or Providing a Government-funded of two weeks additional payment, for either partner, under the Paid Parental Leave Scheme, if the whole father/partner quota is used. b. Carer’s leave mechanisms Providing employees with a legislated right to a job-protected unpaid employment break of up to 12 months, across the lifecourse, to provide care for a person with disability or illness or frailty due to age or for palliative care. Options for Government to reimburse employers in relation to any additional carer’s leave (separate to personal leave) introduced under the NES, including the administration costs. c. Superannuation system Replacing the existing system of taxing superannuation with a new, more progressive system of tax offsets; and Including a system of ‘carer credits’ in the form of direct credits to the superannuation accounts of individuals with parental care responsibilities and carer responsibilities (either out of the workforce or working part-time) that would be paid annually at the end of the tax year by the government into the individual's superannuation account through adult life. Or bonus Parents Carers of people with disability, illness or older people Carers of people with disability, illness or older people Parents and carers of people with disability, illness or older people Parents and carers of people with Productivity Commission or another independent body