BRIEFING: BUDGET 2020 SOCIAL SECURITY MEASURES

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Economic support payments

Two one-off Economic Support Payment of $250 will be paid to eligible recipients of Commonwealth payments, and to eligible concession card holders. The payments will be made progressively from December 2020 and March 2021.

The payments will be made to recipients/holders of the following payments/concession cards, as at 27 November 2020 and/or 26 February 2021:

  • Age Pension
  • Disability Support Pension
  • Carer Payment
  • Carer Allowance*
  • Family Tax Benefit* Parts A and B
  • Double Orphan Pension*
  • Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
  • Pensioner Concession Card*
  • Certain Department of Veterans’ Affairs payments and cards.
    *if not in receipt of a primary income support payment.

Initiative subject to the passage of legislation

Cashless Debit Card

The Cashless Debit Card program will move from trial status to ‘ongoing’ from July 2021, for the established trial sites of: Ceduna region, South Australia; the East Kimberley and the Goldfields regions, Western Australia; and the Bundaberg and Hervey Bay region, Queensland.

The Government also restated its commitment to transitioning approximately 25,000 Income Management participants to the Cashless Debit Card in the Northern Territory and Cape York region from early 2021.

Initiatives subject to the passage of legislation

Youth Allowance and ABSTUDY

The workforce participation criteria require that a young person must have worked 30 hours per week for at least 18 months within a two-year period to be regarded as independent and thereby not subject to the Youth Allowance / ABSTUDY Parental Income Test.

From 1 January 2021, all Youth Allowance and ABSTUDY applicants will be deemed to have worked over the six month period 25 March 2020 to 24 September 2020.

Initiative subject to the passage of legislation