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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-12-02 Daily Xml
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Cost of Living Concession

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (15:04): My question is to the Minister for Human Services regarding the cost of living. Can the minister please update the council on how the Marshall Liberal government continues to support South Australians in reducing their cost of living?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (15:04): I thank the honourable member for her question. I can advise the council that under this government we haven't been paying concessions to dead people in the manner that took place under the former Labor government. That said, in the last financial year the state government delivered around $175 million in concessions into the pockets of South Australians to assist them with a range of cost-of-living expenses.

Around 227,000 eligible South Australians receive household concessions and rebates administered through Concessions SA and DHS. Since coming to government in 2018, this government has slashed the amount of red tape and paperwork for people accessing transport and household concessions, with the average processing time for each application cut from—and I pause for effect—up to three months under the previous government, to three days in 2020-21, and currently it is two days. Improvements have included the introduction of a single application form for household concessions and access to online application processes.

As part of the COVID-19 response last year, this Liberal government's $2 billion stimulus package to keep South Australians safe and the economy strong—sorry, $13.3 million over two financial years supported 26,600 South Australians through the $500 COVID-19 Cost of Living Concession boost. In addition, $4.47 million supported vulnerable people through the International Student Support Package and Residential Rental Grant Scheme, and the $300 SA COVID-19 Cluster Isolation Payment resulted in some 269 payments having been made so far to a total of $80,700.

In terms of policy changes, for the first time the application cut-off date for the Cost of Living Concession, which is for low and fixed income households and which is usually due to be completed by 31 October, we have extended to 31 December to give people more time to make that particular application, and therefore more people will be eligible to have that chance to apply. We know that every little bit helps and that is why we are urging low and fixed income South Australians to see if they are eligible for this cash boost.

We also changed the accessibility for GlassesSA under an expanded program, so that people could choose their own frame and lens upgrades at their own expense, choose thinner lenses, provide children with a wider range of frames, and remove the co-payment for standard glasses for Aboriginal customers.

We have the SACEDO scheme, which means that Origin Energy will offer 21 per cent off the electricity reference price for eligible energy concession customers, and the Switch for Solar program, and that is in addition to all of the other areas of cost of living that this government has slashed, including reducing people's ongoing energy and water costs, and a range of other areas including stamp duties.

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