In recognition of the vital role carers play in the community, the State Government announced the development of a new Western Australia Carers Strategy.
Carers provide unpaid care to a family member or friend who needs assistance with everyday tasks. People may need help from a carer due to disability, impairment, mental illness, age related conditions, or living with a chronic health condition.
Carers provide important support to the people they care for and many balance their caring role with work and other family and household responsibilities.
The new WA Carers Strategy will set the long-term vision for how government, community and service providers can work together to better support WA’s carers.
Have your say
Have your say – written submissions are open.
The Strategy will be informed by carers’ lived experience. A discussion paper is now open for Western Australian carers, people with a carer, and organisations and groups supporting carers to provide input.
The paper builds on feedback shared from the survey and consultations that have taken place and explores several key issues raised, including carer recognition, the diversity of caring experiences and guiding principles and priorities of the new Strategy.
Download the discussion paper here.
Written submissions can be in any format and should be sent to should be sent to carers@communities.wa.gov.au
Submissions close on 12 November 2026.
Consultation to date
Since being announced in October 2025, several rounds of consultation have been held across WA to ensure carers and stakeholders have the opportunity to inform the development of the Strategy.
A statewide survey to capture carers’ experiences, challenges, and priorities opened from October to December 2025, with 581 carers sharing their insights.
From March to August 2026, Dr Katrina Stratton MLC led 22 in-person and online sessions and heard from hundreds of carers across WA. This included hearing from regional and metropolitan carers, as well as carers across diverse cohorts.
The insights shared through consultation will help ensure the final Strategy reflects the diverse experiences, needs and priorities of carers across Western Australia.
