In addition to being home to those living with a disability, the SMR is also home to those caring for someone with a disability.

Carers are defined as people who provide “unpaid assistance to a person with a disability, health condition, or due to old age” (ABS, 2018). Across the SMR, significant numbers of individuals are carers.

Latest Figures

In actual numbers, the SMR has a total population of 160,837 carers.

Interestingly, and perhaps not surprisingly, carers are predominantly female across all LGAs. Data from the Census (ABS, 2020) shows that of the total number of carers in each LGA, a greater proportion of women than men undertake this work. Cardinia and Mornington Peninsula have the highest proportions of female carers (both 62.4%) and Greater Dandenong has the most male carers (42.9%).