Yahoo Finance $50 cash boost for Centrelink recipients in one state ahead of water bill hike
The South Australian government will increase its water bill concession for low income residents in the state.
Thousands of South Australian pensioners and concession card holders will be receiving a $50 boost to partially offset rising water bills. Bills are set to rise for residents in the state next week.
About 190,000 eligible customers will automatically receive the increased concession from July 1. The average concession cardholder will receive $412 off their annual water and sewer bill.
But this amount does not cover the full $21 per quarter hike on average water bills in the state, which will also come into effect next month. Instead, the government said those eligible for the concession will see their bills increase by a smaller $8 a quarter.
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The water price hike is meant to help pay for a $1.5 billion investment in upgrading water infrastructure across the state. Costs will be spread across water bill payers, developers and the state government.
Premier Peter Malinauskas said the bill increases were “not ideal” and said providing deliberately targeted relief was the “right thing to do”.
“If you’re a pensioner you are on what is a reasonably low fixed income. Your capacity to be able to absorb a $20 per quarter increase is far less,” Malinauskas said.
“The state government is stepping in and we are picking up the majority of that increase by increasing the concession for pensioners across the state.”
The state government has set aside $64.8 million in the state budget for the concession measure.
Many households eligible for the concession will also receive a one-off $243.90 cost-of-living payment by the end of this month.
Who is eligible for the concession?
The South Australian water and sewerage rate concession is open to eligible residents on low or fixed incomes. It is applied directly to bills.
This includes those who hold a Pensioner Concession Card, Low Income Health Care Card, and Veteran Gold Card. It also includes people who receive Centrelink payments, including JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Parenting Payment, Special Benefit, ABSTUDY and Austudy.
The water concession is calculated as up to 30 per cent of your total water bill, while the sewerage concession is set at $134.10 a year, increasing to $162.20 a year from July 1.
You can apply and see the full eligibility details on the SA government website.
Other states also offer similar water rebates, with NSW offering a pensioner rebate on water bills, Victoria offering concessions for eligible cardholders and Queensland offering a subsidy for eligible pensioners.
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