Nearly one million unpaid carers in NSW have to keep proving who they are, and the state’s peak body for carers wants a Carer Card to end it.
People caring for a family member or friend must currently show their status by carrying sensitive medical files, court orders, or statutory declarations. They are asked for them at hospitals, at schools, and at Service NSW counters.
Carers NSW and other community sector and peak organisations are calling on the NSW Government to deliver a co-designed Carer Card. It would give practical, digital and physical verification for an estimated 958,000 family and friend carers.
The card could also include public transport concessions and business discounts, similar to those provided by the Seniors Card.
Carers NSW CEO Kristen Hannah said carers contribute more than $25 billion a year to the NSW economy in unpaid care and deserve respect and dignity.
“Almost a million people in NSW step up every day to care for people living with disability, chronic illness, old age, health conditions or mental health issues,” said Ms Hannah.
“We know carers carry a heavy and unnecessary administrative burden on top of the care itself.”
Under the proposal, the card would be co-designed with carers and delivered through Service NSW, on the existing Seniors Card infrastructure. It would be both digital and physical.
Carers NSW estimates the card would cost $13.1 million to $22.9 million to set up in the first year. That would fall to $4 million to $7 million a year after that.
The group says NSW is falling behind other states. Queensland’s Carer Business Discount Card has operated since 2008 and connects more than 17,000 carers with more than 4300 businesses. Victoria’s Carer Card has been in place since 2018, and has more than 32,000 cardholders and more than 4000 participating businesses.
“A Carer Card has been a proven success in Victoria and Queensland, so there is no reason the government shouldn’t commission a detailed business case for a NSW Carer Card,” Ms Hannah said.
“We are calling on all parliamentarians and candidates to back it in the lead up to the state election.”
The group says recognition matters. Nearly two in three carers in NSW (66 per cent) report feeling unrecognised by the government, according to the 2024 National Carer Survey. Nearly half do not feel recognised by the broader community.
It says every 10 per cent increase in perceived recognition lifts a carer’s overall wellbeing by 6 per cent.
The organisations are asking for three things:
A co-designed NSW Carer Card delivered through Service NSW, digitally and physically, based on the Seniors Card system.
Dedicated cards for young carers aged 16 to 25 to help them access discounts and extra supports with education, training, and transport.
Expanded public transport concessions and business discounts to ease cost-of-living pressures.
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