Yahoo Finance Immediate $243 cost-of-living payment for Centrelink recipients
The South Australian government will fork out a cost-of-living payment to concession holders in June.
The South Australian government will deliver another one-off cost-of-living payment for concession holders in June. The $243.90 handout was detailed in the State Budget and is due to support South Australians "at the onset of winter, when energy bills increase for many households".
Treasurer Stephen Mullighan said the $51.1 million investment was part of a $266.2 million cost-of-living package targeted at families and concession card holders. Families with school-aged children will benefit from a $200 cut in school fees and an expanded sports voucher program, with the number of $100 vouchers increasing from one to two per year (which will also include music programs for the first time).
“This is a budget specifically designed to make sure that our state can secure the full benefits of all the transformative economic developments that are heading our way, but it’s also a budget which responds to the challenges that confront us today,” Mullighan said.
A $36.6 million pledge has been made to double the cost-of-living concession for renters and senior card holders over four years.
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This comes as stamp duty was axed for all first-home buyers purchasing new properties, with a previous cap of $650,000 dropped.
A $248 million surplus is predicted for 2024/25.
Who is eligible for the cost-of-living payment?
The Cost of Living Concession (COLC) can only be paid to one person per household.
Concession holders who received a COLC last year will receive the additional payment in June.
This will impact around 210,000 South Australians.
To be eligible, recipients must:
Live at their stated property
Hold an eligible card, receive an eligible Centrelink payment, or meet low-income provisions
Eligible cards include: Pensioner Concession Card, DVA Gold Card, Totally and Permanently Incapacitated (TPI), Extreme Disablement Adjustment (EDA), War Widow, issued to a person with 80 or more overall impairment points under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (Cth), Low Income Health Care Card, Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
Tenants must not be living with anyone who earns more than the low-income provisions, unless they either: get an allowance from Centrelink or the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) or are your spouse, domestic partner or dependent
Eligible low-income families who rent, and those who hold a Commonwealth Seniors Card, will have their COLC permanently doubled from $122 to match the $243.90.
The government said this would benefit about 73,000 people.
How much will families benefit from new cost-of-living measures?
The government said an average family with two children will save up to $600. But, their children would need to be school-aged.
The sports voucher subsidy has been doubled and there will be an extension of the school materials and services charge subsidy for another year.
Adding on Commonwealth support, which included a $300 energy rebate and income tax savings, that figure rises to $4,008, according to SA Budget estimates.
What's changing with the sports voucher program?
From January 1, a $100 discount a year parents can use to help cover the costs of dance, sport, learn to swim or scouts/guides fees will increase to two per child.
This could allow a $200 deduction on sports and recreation fees a year.
For the first time, music lessons will be included in the program.
The government said this will benefit around 100,000 children.
Who is eligible? All school-aged children up to Year 9.
What's changing with school fees?
Parents of children attending a public school will benefit from a $200 reduction in the materials and services charge next year.
The 2025 initiative is set to help 120,000 students.
