Events
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been busy making sure that mental health carers are seen and heard in national conversations. We joined over 55 different organisations at the Mental Health Australia Expo at Parliament House on the 5th of March, meeting with national organisations, policymakers and sector leaders to discuss priorities for the future of mental health reform. The Expo provided a valuable opportunity to highlight the experiences of mental health carers and ensure their voices remain part of important conversations about broader mental health reforms. We look forward to continuing this work and strengthening how carer perspectives are included in national discussions. You can read more about it on Mental Health Australia’s website: 2026 Mental Health Sector Expo | Mental Health Australia.
On the 25th of March, MHCV representatives and Carers ACT CEO, Cain Beckett, attended the Parliamentary Friends of Mental Health event, hosted by Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia. Parliamentarians and sector leaders from across Australia came together to hear directly from people with lived experience about how gaps in the mental health system impact carers and the people they care for. The discussion also focused on practical solutions and what needs to change to ensure the system works better for everyone. MHCV thanks the Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia for hosting an important and timely conversation and for their continued commitment to delivering this event over the past 22 years.
Advocacy and Workshops
MHCV also appeared at the ACT Inquiry into Fiscal Sustainability on the 5th of March, partnering with the Carers ACT systemic advocacy team to highlight the role mental health carers play in the mental health system. Our submission to the Inquiry makes one clear recommendation: that mental health carers should be recognised within the activity-based funding model used by ACT mental health services. This means making sure the support, conversations, and work that clinicians do with carers and families is properly recorded as part of mental health care. Carers consistently tell us they are left out of care conversations, even when the person they care for has given consent. Recognising these interactions as legitimate service activity would help make carers more visible in the system and support more sustainable funding for good mental health care. You can read our submission here: MHCV Submission to Fiscal Inquiry
MHCV, alongside the Carers ACT Kinship and Foster Carer advocate and mental health carer representatives participated in some co-design workshops for Uniting Care’s new Youth Trauma Service.. Uniting's Youth Trauma Service is for young people aged 13–17, or up to 18 if still attending school, who live in the ACT and have experienced trauma or who are at risk of mental ill-health as a result of traumatic experiences. It will be the first of its kind in Australia and has been designed with input from young people with lived experience of trauma, as well as carers, families, supporters, and kin, and existing services in the region. You can find out more about the service here: https://www.uniting.org/blog-newsroom/newsroom/news-releases/free-trauma-support-for-young-canberrans
You can now follow us across the following accounts:
LinkedIn - https://au.linkedin.com/showcase/mental-health-carers-voice/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mhcarersact
Website - https://mhcv.org.au/
Carers Australia Carer Wellbeing Survey 2026 now openThe national Carer Wellbeing Survey is an important opportunity to better understand the experiences and wellbeing of carers across Australia. It helps to build a clearer picture over time of what supports carers need to maintain their wellbeing and quality of life.
The survey is open now and available in both long and short versions, in English, Mandarin, Arabic, Farsi and Punjabi (Gurmukhi).
MHCV encourages mental health carers to take part, as insights from this survey contribute to strengthening advocacy, informing policy, and improving supports for carers across the country. MHCV also draws on this data to inform our work and compare ACT insights to those across the country, ensuring that the experiences of carers continue to shape our priorities, planning, and system improvement.
Developed collaborative by the University of Canberra’s WellRes Unit, Health Research Institute, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, and Carers Australia, the survey is voluntary, confidential and anonymous.
For more information, previous results, or to take part, visit the Carers Australia website.
Participants who complete the survey before 11.59pm on 4 May 2026 can also enter a prize draw. Important information for you! Response by the Federal Government to the Committee Report on the Recognition of Unpaid Carers in Australia
In 2023, the Federal Government launched an Inquiry into the Recognition of unpaid carers with view to reform the Carer Recognition Act 2010 (Cth) and address the ongoing challenges faced by carers in Australia.
With input from local carers, Carers ACT lodged a submission (no. 58) highlighting the experiences of carers in the ACT, alongside recommendations to strengthen awareness, respect, choice, and accountability so that carers are properly valued and supported.
Following the 2024 Committee Report's 22 recommendations, the Federal Government has released its response. Five recommendations received full support with several already being progressed, and these include: - Working with the carer sector to build capacity for high quality, diverse respite care. This has been included under commitment 1a of the National Carer Strategy Action Plan 2024-2027.
- Exploring how to increase access to high quality counselling and mental health support. Up to 10,000 additional phone counselling sessions are being funded annually through the Carer Gateway.
- Targeted support for First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) carers, including cultural safety training. This has been included in the National Carer Strategy Action Plan, with the Carer Gateway monitoring First Nations data and CALD uptake more closely.
- That a co-designed National Carer Strategy give effect to the Carers Recognitions Act 2010 (Cth) principles and address carer’s holistic needs. The National Carer Strategy was launched in December 2024 and will be overseen by a 15-member Carer Advisory Committee.
- An ongoing community education campaign to promote better understanding of carers. A comprehensive communication plan to promote awareness of carers, reduce stigma and increase awareness of Carer Gateway services has been included in the National Carer Strategy Action Plan.
Twelve recommendations were supported in principle, with the Federal Government noting the need for flexibility in implementation across legislation, funding programs, and jurisdictions.
Five recommendations were “noted,” which means the Federal Government neither agreed nor disagreed with them. These included things like enforceable rights for carers, processes for addressing breaches of the Carer Recognition Act 2010, improved carer definitions in ABS surveys, tax credits for carers returning to work and more carer friendly employment policies in the Australian Public Service.
While we welcome the supported recommendations, the inquiry highlighted the various challenges carers face and what is needed to address them. Significant action will be required before carers see practical improvements in their daily lives, and this will demand a coordinated, sustained approach across policy, funding, and systems. Carers ACT and MHCV will continue to raise these issues and push for action to ensure carers receive the recognition and support they deserve.
Mental Health Carer Forums – MHCA supported by SANEDo you have a question? Interested in what others are talking about, the Carers Forum is a safe, anonymous community for the carers, friends and families of people living with mental illness, moderated 24/7 by mental health professionals.
Friends, families and carers - SANE Forums
Young Carer Connect Event
Are you a young carer aged 12–25, supporting a family member or friend?
These sessions are a chance to connect with other young carers who understand what your day-to-day life can look like. You don’t need to explain everything, just being around others who “get it” can make a real difference.
This is a safe and supportive space where you can share your experiences, talk about what’s on your mind, or simply listen and connect with others. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, unsure, or just want to meet people in a similar situation, you are welcome.
Balancing caring with school, work and growing up isn’t always easy, but you don’t have to figure it out on your own. These sessions are here to support you; help you build confidence and connect you with others who understand.
- Date: Wednesday 15 April
- Time: 4:30pm to 5:30pm
- Location: Carers ACT: 80 Beaurepaire Crescent, Holt
- Cost: Free
To register, please email young.carers@carersact.org.au |
