The Carers Alliance was a federal

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

registered on 4 September 2007 to make the personal political for people with disabilities and the carers of people who are frail-aged, mentally or chronically ill or disabled. Carers Alliance had three planks to its political platform: a population-based benchmark funded system of services and support for people with disabilities; Carer Recognition legislation which gave rights and entitlements to services and support to carers and a regional and national network of carer advocacy and support. Its policies emphasise support for carers and people with

disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...

. In the federal election of 2007 Carers Alliance fielded candidates for the Australian Senate in three states, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria; In 2010 candidates ran in five states, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia and in 2013 ran a limited campaign in New South Wales. Carers Alliance achieved two out of three of its political objectives. There is now being implemented across Australia a National Disability Insurance Scheme to provide services and support for people with disabilities; and there is now Carers Recognition legislation passed in the Commonwealth jurisdiction and in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory - that legislation was a sop by the government of the day and does not give carers the rights and entitlements to services and support as was envisaged and as is the case in the United Kingdom. In 2015 Carers Alliance requested the Australian Electoral Commission de-register the party. Carers Alliance will promote and pursue the interests of carers through non-political activities and will continue to support the efforts of family carers to have a representative voice for people with moderate to profound intellectual and complex disabilities. This marginalised and forgotten group of Australian citizens, who because of the nature and severe degree of disability literally cannot speak for themselves, has no representation whatsoever and no-one to speak for them except through the agency of their parents and carer-families. This is a cruel and deliberate policy which has caused enormous and measurable disadvantage for people with severe or profound intellectual and complex disabilities in every single area of public policy. This disadvantage was clearly illustrated in an article by researcher Deidre Croft called ''For Better or Worse''. See Page 8 Interaction Magazine Volume 23 Issue 3 2010

External links

Carers Alliance
official site *Page 8 Interaction Magazine Volume 23 Issue 3 2010 {{Defunct Australian political parties Defunct political parties in Australia 2007 establishments in Australia 2015 disestablishments in Australia Carers organizations Medical and health organisations based in Australia