You have a voice and an opportunity to raise your concerns and increase awareness about incontinence and related healthcare issues.
There are several actions you can take to have your say. The following resources can give you some guidelines and example scripts to help you get your message across to local members and the media.
To get your local member’s attention, you could take one or more of the following actions:
- Pledge your support via our online form below
- Find out who your local member is
- Send them a message on social media
- Write a letter or send them an email
- Make a call to their electorate office
- Request a meeting
- Attend planned community events where you might have the opportunity to ask them a question
- Contact your local talk back radio station
- Write a letter to the editor of your local paper
Inquiry into Carers Recognition Act
The Continence Foundation of Australia welcomes the recent announcement of an inquiry into the recognition of unpaid carers by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs. We see it as an opportunity to give greater recognition to carers, including those who care for people living with incontinence, improving their quality of life and the life of the person they care for.
The Australian Government is reviewing the Carer Recognition Act and has asked the Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs to inquire, and report on the operations of the Act in order to reform the legislation. As part of this review, it will examine Commonwealth level policy developments since the Act's passage in 2010, state, territory and international recognition of unpaid care, and defining the Act's role to better identify the role of unpaid carers in Australian society. It will also examine the needs of specific cohorts, including young carers and those from diverse backgrounds, the role of workplaces and how flexible working arrangements play a role in unpaid care. The care and support economy, employment participation and gender equity is also a focus of the inquiry. However, the adequacy of payments for carers is out of scope for this inquiry. Information regarding the inquiry is available here.
The Foundation confirms the role of carers in supporting people living with incontinence cannot be underestimated, and there has not been adequate recognition of the impact on them as carers, including their access to and capacity for employment, financial impact and wellbeing.
In the Foundation’s 2022 National Consumer Survey, 49% of people caring for someone with incontinence reported that caring for them has a financial impact, with 7% reporting they are struggling financially; 72% report that it severely impacted on their life and 51% reporting it affects their mental health and wellbeing.
Making a Submission
All individuals are able to contribute to the Inquiry by providing a submission.
The Committee is specifically interested in hearing from individual unpaid carers, carer representatives and advocacy organisations. They also welcome the views of broader representation that relate to carers such as unpaid care recipients, women’s organisations, and community service providers.
There are some requirements for making a submission. Information about these requirements as well as what you can include in your submission, and how to make a submission, is available on the Parliament of Australia website here.
You can find more information about the inquiry into the recognition of unpaid carers and how to make a submission here.
Carers Australia will contributing to the Inquiry, and you can find out more about adding your views by visiting their website, or the website of your state carer organisation.
Please pledge your support Now
for immediate ACTION on PREVENTING INCONTINENCE AND SUPPORTING CONTINENCE CARE
Find your local member
Find out who your local parliamentary representative is on the Parliament of Australia website
Their contact details can be found by going to the relevant state and territory parliament website for each state and territory listed below:
New South Wales (NSW)
Victoria (VIC)
Queensland (QLD)
Tasmania (TAS)
Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
South Australia (SA)
Western Australia (WA)
Northern Territory (NT)
Send them a message on social media
You can send your local member a brief message on social media telling them how incontinence affects you or someone you care for.
Example message:
Hi, my name is…………….
I am one of your electorate members and I have been impacted by incontinence.
(Include one or two sentences on how you have been impacted by incontinence)
What steps will you take to make sure that people impacted by incontinence receive the care and support they need?
These social media tiles are available for download and to be shared amongst your social network and can also be sent to your local member with your message.
For use on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn
For use on Twitter
Write a letter or send them an email
You can use this template we have created to lobby your local member. It will help if you include your own lived experience of incontinence and its impact.
Make a call to their electorate office
You may be able to speak to your local member about incontinence by calling their office. Make sure you are prepared with a list of key points you would like to make and suggested actions they can take. See the example script below.
Example script:
Hello, my name is ……. and I am a member of your local electorate. I am one of the 5 million Australians impacted by incontinence. Did you know that the prevalence of incontinence is increasing yet the National Continence Action Plan has not been updated since 2014?
Q: How is planning for the increasing prevalence of incontinence considered in your policy platform?
Q: What actions will you take to ensure that people impacted by incontinence receive the care and support they need?
Q: Are you aware of the work of the Continence Foundation of Australia?
Q: With over half of all Australians living with incontinence, do you invite people with a lived experience of incontinence to participate in your events and community consultations?
Request a meeting
You may be able to schedule a meeting with your local member, but if not follow up with an email or letter with your concerns and requests for action on continence care so they know that incontinence is an important issue to their electorate members. It may be helpful to get other electorate members to co-sign this as well.
Attend community events where you may have the chance to ask them a question
During the Election campaign, candidates are often out and about. If you follow them on social media, you may be able to meet them if they are at a local event or location. Be prepared with your key points of concern and actions you would like them to take on continence care, support, and prevention.
Example script:
Hello, my name is ……. and I am a member of your local electorate. I am one of the 5 million Australians impacted by incontinence. Did you know that the prevalence of incontinence is increasing yet the National Continence Action Plan has not been updated since 2014?
Q: How is planning for the increasing prevalence of incontinence considered in your policy platform?
Q: What actions will you take to ensure that people impacted by incontinence receive the care and support they need?
Contact your local talkback radio station
Your local talkback radio station is often looking to discuss topics that impact the local community, and this is a great way to raise awareness and reduce stigma around incontinence.
How to get involved:
- Election time means political candidates will be regularly interviewed on radio programs. This can be a perfect opportunity to talk to them about incontinence.
- Be prepared! Have the key points you want to discuss written down beforehand.
- Be persistent. It’s not always easy to get onto talk back radio. Keep trying and listen out for presenters asking for calls on topics related to incontinence, such as aged care and health.
Write a letter to the Editor of your local paper
A good way to raise awareness about incontinence is to write a letter to the Editor of your local newspaper. If you have a lived experience story of living with or caring for someone with incontinence, this could be a good way to promote the need for greater services and support.
Check the website of your local newspaper to find out how to submit a letter to the Editor.
Interested in becoming more involved?
Join the Continence Consumer Network, a group founded to advocate for those experiencing incontinence, provide insight into the issues relating to incontinence and its effects on daily living and participate in the Foundation’s decision-making process.
For more information go to continence.org.au/continence-consumer-network-ccn
Thank you for helping to raise awareness of incontinence and the impact it has on those experiencing it or caring for someone with incontinence.
If you have contacted your local member or raised your concerns through any of the suggested methods, please get in touch with us to let us know how you went at [email protected]