Recent national carer survey reports

During National Carers Week this year, two important survey reports were published detailing the responses of unpaid carers across Australia.  A summary of the key findings from each report is below as well as links to the full reports. 

Key findings from the Carer Wellbeing Survey 2025 

A total of 10,918 carers across Australia responded to the 2025 survey.  This year, 2,238 Victorian carers responded to the survey, up from 1,923 in 2024 reflecting the keen interest of Victorian carers to participate and share their experiences.  

• Victorian carers continue to experience lower physical, mental and financial wellbeing than the broader population.  

• One in three Victorian carers reported high or very psychological distress, double the rate observed in the broader Australian population (One in six). 

• One in three Victorian carers disclosed feeling lonely often or all the time, more than double the rate observed in the broader Australian population (one in eight).  

• Over half of carers in Victoria experienced financial distress (63%) in the last 12 months and the majority felt that their caring role had reduced the amount of income they could earn (70%). 

• Since 2021, the proportion of Victorian carers reporting low wellbeing and poor health has increased by 5% and 6% respectively.  

• Supports available for carers remain difficult to access due to wait times, complex applications or simply being unknown to carers. 

• The most common difficulties to accessing carer services were the complicated application processes to access services (50%), long wait times (47%) and the lack of availability of services in the area (45%).  

• One in 10 carers spent more than five hours per week navigating support systems for the person they care for.  

• While a small proportion of Victorian carers used respite services (3% - 10%), the need for these services was much higher (19% - 30%). 

• While half of Victorian carers felt satisfied with their caring role (51%) for many the responsibility of the role was regularly too much to cope with (54%).  

• Only a minority of carers felt their role was understood by the Government (12%), community (24%) and health or education system (15%). 

The full report can be viewed here.  

Key findings from the First Nation carers report 2025 

The recent report, First Nations Carers in the National Carers Survey, October 2025 highlights the experiences of First Nations carers and includes findings from the responses of First Nations carers to the 2020, 2022 and 2024 National Carers Survey.  

The 2024 National Carers Survey included a dedicated focus on engaging with First Nations carers which increased the number of responses received. Of the total of 380 First Nations carers who completed the survey in 2024, 14% (53) were from Victoria. Noting the small sample size, the key finding below refer to the overall responses received from First Nations carers. 

• First Nations carers may have a more intensive care load than other carers 

• One out of eight First Nation carers provide care for four or more people at one time 

• First Nations carers provided an average of 124.1 hours of care a week and a majority (62%) provided care 24/7.   

• Nearly half of First Nations carers (47%) provided care for a person who did not have any formal support or service.   

• The health and wellbeing outcomes of First Nations carers were consistently lower than other carers.  

• Almost two thirds (60%) reported experiencing high to very high psychological distress.  

• Two out of three First Nations carers were highly isolated or isolated.   

• The 2024 survey reports that First Nations carers have even more financial pressure than other carers 

• A large majority of First Nations carers (87%) experienced at least one financial stress, one and half times that of other carers.   

• One in three First Nations respondents only sometimes having enough food not to go hungry 

• First Nations carers were slightly more likely to be in paid work than other carers (39.1% to 37.3%) but also more likely to be receiving a Centrelink payment (87.6% to 76.6%).  

• First Nations carers were more likely than other carers to report having difficulty accessing services, with one in four First Nations carers reporting that services were not meeting cultural needs. 

• First Nation carers described their caring role as a holistic, ongoing practice rather than an exceptional state acknowledged by Government policy.   

• Over half of First Nation carers felt their role was recognised and valued by their family, friends and person they care for (60%). However, most did not feel recognised by Government (62%) or the community (56%).    

The full report can be viewed here. 

What next? 

These survey findings align with the experiences shared by carers with Carers Victoria through our focus groups and other activities and emphasise the increasing need to support carers in the essential role they provide.   

Carers Victoria will continue to advocate to the Commonwealth and Victorian Governments on priority practical actions that can be taken to better support carers. Ongoing surveys such as these allow us to tailor policy and advocacy efforts and helps us to see any patterns that occur over time or in response to changes (such as services or funding).