Care is the invisible engine driving our homes, communities, and economy. From raising children to supporting loved ones with disability, or who are ageing, both formal paid care and informal unpaid care fuel daily life. But too often, this engine runs on empty. The care economy – a vast network of time, effort and resources – is under growing pressure and remains largely invisible in policy and the built environment.
Imagine Sydney as a place where care is recognised as essential infrastructure, as vital as housing, transport or energy.
The Committee for Sydney’s report, Raising Sydney’s Care Factor, considers the critical role of care work to Sydney’s productivity and prosperity, exploring how cities could embed care into housing, transport, social services and public infrastructure.
It sets out a roadmap for change, identifying six priority areas where reforms can transform how Sydney supports care in our workplaces, homes, neighbourhoods and public policies.
We contributed our expertise on city planning, designing for equity, and the unique nighttime challenges care workers face. Our team hosted a workshop with over 50 stakeholders: social service agencies, unions, councils, government departments and academics, gathering insights from across the sector.
Report highlights include:
- $650b is the estimated annual value of unpaid care in Australia
- 77% of care workers are women
- 30% of primary carers provide more than 40 hours of care per week
