More South Australians will be recognised for the incredible work they do as unpaid carers under proposed legislation changes to be introduced to state parliament this week.

The Carers Recognition (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill 2025 will be tabled in the Lower House by Human Services Minister Nat Cook this National Carers Week to modernise rules for government agencies and contracted organisations that provide services to carers and the people in their care.

Key aspects of the Bill include:

• Broadening the definition of a ‘carer’ to be more inclusive of the diverse nature of caring and increase the ability for carers to self-identify
• Removing the requirement for care to be ‘ongoing’ to recognise other circumstances of care, such as dementia or drug or alcohol dependence
• Adding a requirement for the Act to be reviewed every five years, so that its impact and usefulness is constantly considered.

The proposed changes would improve carers' ability to interact with state government services by increasing public sector staff awareness of carers.

They would also importantly increase public sector agency’s transparency and accountability to carers through public reporting of how those agencies are fulfilling their obligations under the updated Carers Recognition Act.

The Bill reflects the 2023 review of the Act commissioned by the Human Services Minister, as well as insights from the recent Commonwealth Inquiry into unpaid carers and the new National Carers Strategy.

The state government is grateful for the 134 responses it received from carers, peak bodies and stakeholders during the consultation period from July to August.

Their contributions have been highly valuable in shaping the amended Bill so that as many carers as possible can be recognised for their crucial roles.

For more information on the Carers Recognition Act, visit: https://dhs.sa.gov.au/how-we-help/carers/carers-recognition-act-2005

Quotes

Attributable to Nat Cook

The care, support and love that carers provide is invaluable and cannot be underestimated.

Their roles are often placed on them unexpectedly, sometimes in challenging circumstances, and can affect every aspect of their daily lives.

This Bill seeks to make it easier for hundreds of thousands of South Australians to be recognised for their roles in caring by broadening the definition set out in the Carers Recognition Act.

Attributable to Julia Overton, CEO of Carers SA

Carers SA welcomes the introduction of the Carers Recognition Amendment Bill and the Government’s commitment to strengthening the recognition of Carers by embedding the care relationship in this legislation. It provides a more contemporary definition of Carers that means more Carers are able to access the supports they need.

Carers SA as the peak advocacy body, continues to engage with Carers and ensure their lived experience directly informs and influences legislation and policy. Equally, we are excited to work closely with government and Carers to frame and guide how these changes are implemented.

This Bill represents a significant step forward in ensuring Carers are acknowledged as integral to the foundational supports that underpin health, aged, disability, mental health and community care systems. It also provides the legislative structure to ensure they have access to the services they need and want.

Attributable to Disability Minister’s Advisory Council member Belinda Lambert

Importantly, the Act also recognises that carers are individuals with their own wellbeing needs. Ensuring that supports are timely, responsive, appropriate, accessible, and culturally safe benefits not only carers themselves, but society as a whole.

Requiring public sector agencies to consider the needs of carers when developing human resource policies will help strengthen the wellbeing, inclusion, and economic participation of carers across our community.