About consumer remuneration
Engaging Consumers with Respect: Remuneration Matters
At Health Consumers Tasmania, we believe that consumer and community representatives bring critical expertise through informing health services of consumer perspectives. Remunerating this contribution is not only best practice, but also a matter of equity, inclusion, and respect.
We support health services across Tasmania to embed inclusive, transparent, and accessible remuneration practices that reflect the value of consumer input.
What Is Remuneration?
Remuneration or an honourarium is a payment made to consumer or community representatives in recognition of their time, insight, and emotional labour for their contributions in a range of settings. These could include in workshops, committees, advisory groups or as lived experience speakers. It could be for a one-off engagement or involvement in an ongoing group. It acknowledges that lived experience is a form of expertise, and that contributing to health system improvement should not come at personal or professional cost.
Why Pay Remuneration?
Paying consumer representatives:
• Affirms health consumer input as expertise
Health consumer representative input is skilled, impactful work, not voluntary charity.
• Reduces barriers to participation
Remuneration helps ensure diverse voices are heard, especially those facing financial or systemic barriers. We know that when remuneration is available those that experience access inequity to services experience reduced barriers to participation.
• Creates greater equity
When all people contributing are offered payment for their time engagements are more equitable and inclusive.
Principles We Stand By
Our approach to remuneration is guided by co-designed, sector-informed principles:
|
Principle |
What it means |
|
Equity |
Consumer payments reflect the value of lived experience and reduces systemic barriers. |
|
Transparency |
Payment rates, processes and expectations are clearly communicated up front. What is possible in terms of reimbursement support for costs is discussed prior. |
|
Accessibility |
Claiming payments is straight forward, trauma informed and accessible for people in all circumstances. |
|
Flexibility |
We accommodate diverse needs and offer multiple payment formats, including the option to not receive remuneration, if the representative chooses. |
|
Consistency |
Policies are fairly applied across all consumer roles and projects |
|
Recognition |
We acknowledge the time, preparation and emotional labour involved. |
Our Health Consumer Representative Payment Guide
We’ve developed a practical guide to support services in remunerating consumer representatives with clarity and confidence. The guide is updated annually and includes recommended payment rates for various types of engagement and recommended payment options and support for inclusive practice.
Remuneration Support for Health Services
We offer tailored support to help services embed best practice remuneration:
• One-on-One Advice and Guidance
Personalised support for services engaging consumer or lived experience representatives seeking recommendations based on the unique engagement work they are undertaking.
• Best Practice Principles
Clear, actionable advice grounded in national standards and co-designed with Tasmanian consumers.
• Remuneration Service
A centralised payment service that reduces time and complexity for services and consumer representatives, ensuring timely, transparent, and affirming payments.