21/12/2025
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17hRR9jVAw/?mibextid=wwXIfr
If family carers aren’t workers, why does the system collapse without them
On 9 December 2025, the Supreme Court of New Zealand ruled that parents who provide full-time care to their disabled adult children are GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.
Let that sink in.
Not “informal supports”.
Not “family duty”.
Workers with rights.
The Court said the quiet part out loud:
👉 If the state depends on your labour to deliver disability support, you are an employee — even if you are a parent.
That means:
✔️ Minimum wage
✔️ Holiday pay
✔️ Protection from exploitation
✔️ Union rights
New Zealand’s highest court admitted what governments have avoided for years:
Love does not cancel labour.
Now look at Australia.
Under the NDIS, families provide 24/7 care, replacing paid workers, saving governments billions — and are rewarded with:
❌ No wages
❌ No leave
❌ No workplace protections
❌ No recognition
Just guilt. Pressure. Burnout.
Australia didn’t “forget” family carers.
It built a system that depends on unpaid labour and then pretends it doesn’t exist.
New Zealand just proved this isn’t radical.
It isn’t impossible.
It isn’t unaffordable.
It’s a choice.
And Australia is choosing to exploit families while calling it “support”.
If NZ can do this, what excuse does the NDIS have left?
Share this if you’re sick of carers being gaslit, ignored, and used.
