February
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2 February
Friday
19 February 2007, Taskforce on Care Costs (TOCC) launch of the Who Cares? campaign.
The campaign is designed to give Australians caring for children, the elderly and people with a disability a strong national voice on the impact of the cost of care on their workforce participation choices. Through a dedicated website, www.tocc.org.au, TOCC will host an electronic summit on work and the cost of care. The website will include interviews with people on the street and an electronic postcard (or e-card) to enable Australians who care to lobby Government Ministers and the Opposition about solutions to the work/ cost of care crisis.
The Who Cares? campaign will also launch Australia's first index to measure the affordability of care. The Index (developed by ANZ Economics) will include 3 separate time series - one for childcare, one for elder care and one for disability care. Like the Consumer Price Index, the Care Affordability Index measures the affordability of care over time. “Australians with caring responsibilities are hurting and over one-third feel that the cost of care is out of their reach,” said Juliet Bourke, the Chair of TOCC. “Both the Government and the Opposition know there’s an issue, but neither has found a workable solution.” Based on economic modelling by the Melbourne Institute, TOCC has proposed the introduction of a 50% reimbursement of care costs. “Our research shows that this solution is fair, economically sustainable and what people want, namely an equal sharing of the cost of care between Government and carers,” said Bourke. “We’ve made a strong case for reform, but if Australians want action, we need to raise our voices together and make that point to the Government and the Opposition.”
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