Government needs to make family carers’ payments simple and sensible

The Court of Appeal has just released a decision that family carers of disabled people are not employees of Whaikaha, the Ministry of Disabled People. While it is good to have this decision, it shows that a fair payment system for family carers is still out of reach, and that the Government needs to find a solution that is simple, sensible, and fair for carers. If only a good system could be achieved without this struggle – the unpaid work of family whānau carers has an annual economic value of $17.6 billion and many are unable to do other paid work because they are already working in their caring role.

Read the Full Judgement from the Court of Appeal here.

The Court of Appeal’s decision in the news.