Ms Catherine Cox:

The latest census showed that 62% of carers were women and 38% were men. However, of carers in receipt of social welfare, 77% were women. Therefore, a higher percentage of women are probably giving up work to care full time. We absolutely come across situations where a woman might be dependent on her partner's income and may not have access to that income. For us, abolishing the means test is crucial because it recognises and values the work that that woman or man does and ensures someone is not dependent on another person for an income.

For carers, one-off payments in budgets are great, but we really need to see guaranteed income year on year, which is why if we abolish the means test, carers know they will get that payment. There is also guaranteed funding for emergency respite and supports that they need.