2.4 Informal carers
Many Australians need assistance with activities in their lives, whether this is due to disability,
medical conditions, mental illness or because they are frail aged. Formal assistance, provided by
organisations that are funded to provide these services, plays an important part in care. However,
people needing such assistance want to be cared for by family and friends where possible, and
indeed, most of this kind of care is provided by people close to the person in need (Productivity
Commission 2011a:xliii).
The role of informal carers (people such as family or friends who provide unpaid care) cannot be
underestimated: in fact, the Productivity Commission (2011b: 312) indicated that the contribution of
informal carers is so great that no insurance scheme would be likely to fully fund its replacement.
As well as providing vital support, informal carers themselves have particular needs for assistance;
meeting these needs is the focus of government policy and programs designed specifically to assist
informal carers. However, the pressures on informal carers remain significant, along with the rewards
that come from providing care.