HANSARD
SITTING CALENDAR
SEARCH
LIVE BROADCAST
Hansard Dynamic Member Index
Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-04-28 Daily Xml
Contents
Pdf Xml

Government Relief Packages

The Hon. J.S. LEE (14:53): My question is to the Minister for Human Services about government concessions. Can the minister please provide an update to the council about how the Marshall Liberal government—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! I can't hear the member. Would the Hon. Ms Lee please repeat the question.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: Can the minister please provide an update to the council about how the Marshall Liberal government is providing relief to South Australians through providing concessions to assist those who are unemployed or who lose their jobs during the COVID-19 public health emergency?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (14:54): I thank the honourable member for her question and for her interest in this area. As honourable members would be aware, there has been a range of packages and announcements made to assist the many South Australians who are experiencing their own forms of disadvantage as a result of this COVID crisis that we are going through.

Within the Department of Human Services we have taken an approach that we almost need to redefine 'disadvantage' in terms of COVID-related disadvantage, which is separate to what we generally consider disadvantage for people who are on lower incomes, who are frail and the like, and to consider that there have been a number of people who have lost their jobs as a result of this crisis, who are really struggling, and therefore a number of things have been targeted towards them.

The Treasurer and the Premier have spoken in relation to the Business and Jobs Support Fund and the Community and Jobs Support Fund, which is particularly focused on the human services area, and we have encouraged a number of organisations to make submissions to that particular fund.

For the people who have needed to apply for JobSeeker payments, we have made a special payment available of $500 to those people. We have already issued a number of those concessions to people who were already registered. Something in the order of 11,000 payments have been made for that group of people who were already registered. Payments will be made to those who apply for that particular payment as they register, and we are processing those as soon as possible.

The number of calls that have gone to the ConcessionsSA hotline have increased by several fold during this time, which is an indication, I think, of the need that people are experiencing and looking for assistance.

The Cost of Living Concession for 2021 that would go to jobseekers has been brought forward so that they will receive that in this financial year. All other Cost of Living Concession holders will receive their particular payment in 2021, as is the normal process. We recognise the challenges that individuals are facing at this time and are here to support them.

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS
MEMBERS
GET INVOLVED
ABOUT PARLIAMENT
VISIT
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
CONTACT