publisher s message

Hello everyone. Hope you’ve all been keeping well and had a safe and enjoyable festive season. Doesn’t time just fly… here we are already at the Autumn 2023 issue. It’s been an eventful three months for us and we have so much to share with you.

Ita Buttrose

I was fortunate enough to interview Ita Buttrose in February and spent nearly an hour with her, discussing her experiences as a carer, career woman and getting her thoughts on the future of aged care. She was an absolute delight to talk with.

Ita shared so many wonderful stories, anecdotes and interesting ideas. You can read the full interview in this edition.

Care and Ageing Well Expo

In February, we exhibited at the Care and Ageing Expo in Melbourne and had a chance to meet and chat with so many of you. We also had Jean Kittson with us on our stand signing copies of her book.

So many of you wanted your picture taken with her, which she was more than happy to do. We also had a surprise guest with us, which you will be hearing a lot more about soon.

New sections

As we are committed to giving you, our readers, the information you want, we have introduced two new sections. The first is Your Say, where you can write in about anything that you want – whether it be a frustration, an idea or just something you want to share with other readers. These will be your pages for your say. The other section is the Help Pages. While we intend to have a comprehensive list of where carers can find immediate financial, emotional and physical support in all states, we have only included it in our VIC/TAS edition. All other states will have these pages in the Winter issue.

Alarms guide

The most-requested article we have had is for one on the best personal alarm for seniors. We have taken a deep dive with our friends at CHOICE magazine and MePACS to bring you expert information on the types available and how they can be used.

Our new editor:

Julia Zaetta

We are excited to welcome Julia Zaetta as the new editor of the Australian Carers Guide. Julia is one of the most successful and longestserving editors in Australian publishing. As the previous editor of Better Homes & Gardens and The Australian Women‘s Weekly, among many other titles, she is highly experienced in the media world. Furthermore, her extensive editorial experience along with her public speaking, MC-ing, and radio and TV work, have afforded widespread recognition and the highest industry awards. Julia brings her broad experience, established resources and vibrant enthusiasm to provide even more valuable content to you, our readers. We are very excited to have Julia join us on our fast-growing and hugely popular Australian Carers Guide.

Radio: 16 stations in two weeks

In January, I was contacted by 16 radio stations all across Australia, from 6AA in Perth to 2GB in Sydney. They all wanted to talk to me about the piece I wrote last issue about how ridiculous it was that carers are supposed to provide 24/7 care on a measly 43c per hour. It’s frankly laughable and a big thankyou to our advocating partners who continue to lobby the government for a realistic increase to the Carers Allowance. The Australian Government is saving some $77 billion a year because our unpaid carers are doing all the heavy lifting to keep their elderly at home and not in the health system.

About us

The Australian Carers Guide is produced four times a year in print, digital and online formats. Find subscription offers inside.

If you would like to offer your suggestions, ideas or any feedback, please send an email to:

Editor@acguide.com.au or write to us at:

PO Box 6155

Wantirna VIC 3152

Paul Koury – Publisher