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Cost of Living in
Tasmania
COMPANION REPORT 2 - IMPACTS AND RESPONSES
OCTOBER 2011
Cover image:
Over 5 000 Tasmanians participated in the community consultation process for the
Tasmania Together 10 Year Review, which was held between September and
December 2010. The cover image is a cloud tag, which documents the frequency of
words that were used in community responses on the theme of cost of living. The
larger the word in the cloud tag, the greater is the frequency of use of this word in
survey responses received.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 6
IMPACTS............................................................................................. 9
Households ............................................................................ 11
People ..................................................................................... 21
Places ...................................................................................... 30
RESPONSES .....................................................................................40
Increasing productivity ......................................................40
Building financial capability .............................................46
Strengthening consumer protection ............................ 55
Building networks of support .......................................... 60
Strengthening the safety net .......................................... 67
Appendices
Appendix 1 Flanagan, J and Flanagan, K, 2011 The price of poverty: cost of living
pressures and low income earners, Hobart: Anglicare Tasmania.
Appendix 2 Fudge, M. 2011 Local voices: enquiry into community assets in Circular
Head, Tasmania. Hobart: Relationships Australia Tasmania.
Appendix 3 Dare, M, Kimber, J and Schirmer, J, 2011 Tasmanian Drought Evaluation
Project, Hobart: University of Tasmania and JS Consulting.
Appendix 4
Appendix 5
Community Inclusion Workers, Child and Family Centres Project 2011
Community consultation report for the Social Inclusion Unit,
Department of Premier and Cabinet.
Council on the Ageing Tasmania, 2011 A sense of belonging: social
inclusion issues for older people in Tasmania, Hobart: COTA Tas.
4
5
Introduction
This report examines the impacts of cost of living pressures on particular
households, population groups, and places. It provides additional detail to that
contained in A Cost of Living Strategy for Tasmania, regarding a selection of
responses to cost of living pressures facing Tasmanian communities.
Individuals and households can be more included or excluded from social and
economic participation depending on the level of cash and non-cash resources
available to help them manage costs and sustain a decent quality of life1. The
question of which groups are most affected by cost of living increases is determined
by the complex interplay of price increases, household expenditure and the
resources that households have available to absorb price increases.
There are a variety of methodologies available to determine the groups most
affected by cost of living increases and depending on the methodology a different
ordering of groups is likely to result. A Cost of Living Strategy for Tasmania uses the
Relative Price Index (RPI) as the principle methodology for determining groups most
likely to be impacted as this approach provides current Tasmanian specific data that
accounts for the differing expenditure patterns of household groups 2.
This report considers data and analysis from a variety of qualitative and quantitative
sources in relation to the vulnerability or resilience of various households, people
and places experiencing cost of living risk.
Cost of living risk is defined in A Cost of Living Strategy for Tasmania as risk of
electricity disconnection, housing eviction and homelessness, food insecurity, ill
health due to inability to afford health services, debt and financial pressures, and
presentations to emergency relief services. Factors that contribute to cost of living
The debate about adequate living standards generally occurs with reference to concepts such as ‘absolute
poverty’ and ‘relative poverty’. Absolute poverty refers to a minimum standard below which no one anywhere in
the world should ever fall and which is the same in all countries and does not change over time. Relative
poverty refers to a standard which is defined in terms of the society in which an individual lives and which
therefore differs between countries and over time – minimum standards can rise and fall if and as a country
becomes richer. http://www.poverty.org.uk/summary/social%20exclusion.shtml
Recent research on poverty in modern Australia (2006 and 2010) has found that the majority of Australians
consider the following items to be essential for a decent life – i.e. that no-one in Australia should have to go
without: warm clothes and bedding, if it’s cold; a substantial meal at least once a day; computer skills; a decent
and secure home; a roof and gutters that do not leak; secure locks on doors and windows; heating in at least
one room of the house; furniture in reasonable condition; a washing machine; a television; up to $500 in savings
for an emergency; home contents insurance; comprehensive motor vehicle insurance; regular social contact with
other people; a telephone; presents for family or friends each year; a week’s holiday away from home each year;
medical treatment if needed; able to buy prescribed medicines; dental treatment if needed; children can
participate in school activities and outings; an annual dental check-up for children; a hobby or leisure activity for
children; new schoolbooks and school clothes; a separate bed for each child; and a separate bedroom for
children aged 10 and over. See Saunders, P, and Wong, M, 2009 Still doing it tough: an update on deprivation
and social exclusion among welfare service clients, Sydney: Social Policy Research Centre, p.10; and Saunders, P,
and Wong, M, 2011 Social impact of the Global Financial Crisis, Newsletter No. 108, Sydney: Social Policy
Research Centre, p.6.
2 See Companion Report 1 for further information about the Relative Price Index.
1
6
risk include income adequacy, the affordability of essential goods and services,
information about the products and prices available in the market, access to support
networks and emergency buffers to cope with price shocks, and individual skills and
capacity including physical and mental health.
Tasmanians are facing financial difficulty as a result of cumulative cost of living
impacts. As a consequence of financial difficulty, people adopt one or more ‘coping’
strategies such as:
Substitution;
Rationing;
Seeking increased resources through personal, family or community actions;
Falling into the social safety net; and/or
Simply going without the basics.
The Anglicare Report The price of Poverty (Appendix 1) provides a current picture of
the impacts of current cost of living pressures for low income households. It
identifies a number of ways in which low income Tasmanians are subject to an
additional cost in money, time or health which they incur in their attempts to
purchase basic goods and services (poverty penalty). It suggests that affordability of
essential services is approaching crisis point.
The Relationships Australia Report Local Voices (Appendix 2) identifies community
assets and strengths that support a regional community’s resilience and capacity to
recover and recreate in the face of economic challenges. It shows the importance of
strong social connections and relationships, formal and informal institutions and
infrastructure to support and foster participation, as well as the skills and capacities
of local people and their willingness to work together to support each other in
practical ways and with emotional support.
The Tasmanian Drought Evaluation Project (Appendix 3) highlights the interactive
nature of drought impacts and drought initiatives in farming communities, and how
it impacts people in different ways depending on their circumstances. It identifies
three key forms of support that families and communities need to survive the
negative impacts of drought (including cost of living impacts) – emotional and social
support, financial support and the support of farm production (their means to make
a living).
The Community Inclusion Workers’ Community Consultation Report (Appendix 4)
provides insights into how people in rural and urban communities are coping with
cost of living pressures, and how they think cost of living issues should be tackled.
While some people offered suggestions and good practice ideas, it reports that
many people have given up and are simply trying to survive – they are weary and
resigned to ever increasing costs and a bleak future.
The Council on the Ageing Tasmania (COTA Tas)’s report A Sense of Belonging
outlines the result of consultation with older Tasmanians about being connected to
7
community and key issues as they age. Although money and cost of living were not
raised as key issues, this report featured the cost of activities or being involved,
including telecommunications and cost of transport. Key issues were transport and
availability of information.
8
Impacts
The extent to which cost of living pressures become a significant issue for people
can depend on how quickly prices increase over time (pace of change) and by how
much (rate of change) relative to the income and resources of individuals and
households. Cost pressures can be exacerbated when people face an increase which
is more than expected, a number of bills hit at the same time and exceed the
capacity of regular household income and economic resources to respond, or
unexpected and unbudgeted expenses arise because of an emergency or
catastrophic event. The resilience and capacity of households, people and places to
cope with shocks is a key factor in the level of financial hardship they experience.
Faced with too many price shocks (i.e. the number of price rises and their amount)
people are finding it increasingly difficult to absorb these within the family budget.
It’s pretty tough ... for instance this month we had registration on the
vehicle which was $409; new muffler and service on the vehicle –
another $200 odd ... and we pay a pretty high rent of $170 a week.
So it doesn’t leave anything for any luxuries.
Age Pensioner Couple, North West Coast3
Got to constantly juggle bills just to get by.
Derwent Valley community consultation4
If I get one unexpected bill we will go under and cannot feed
ourselves.
Geeveston community consultation5
Recent research by the Commonwealth Bank has found that many Australians are
worried over pressure on household budgets, and a high proportion would struggle
to cope with an unexpected expense6. It found that 53% of respondents said they
would have difficulty finding $5 000 to fund an unplanned expense, with regional
respondents facing even greater challenges. It also found that 58% of women
compared to 48% of men said they would have difficulty raising $5 000 in an
emergency7.
Anglicare Tasmania recently asked low income Tasmanians about their expenditure
on essential services and products, and the decision making that drives their
budget8. It found that the most significant budget strategy employed by
TasCOSS, 2009 Just scraping by? Conversations with Tasmanians living on low incomes, p.15
Community Inclusion Workers, Child and Family Centres Project 2011 Community consultation report for the
Social Inclusion Unit, Department of Premier and Cabinet
5 Ibid
6 Commonwealth Bank & NATSEM, September 2010. Economic Vitality Report, Issue 2.
7 Ibid
8 Flanagan, J, and Flanagan K, 2011 The price of poverty: the cost of living for low income earners, Hobart:
Anglicare Tasmania.
3
4
9
households is to prioritise the payment of rent or mortgage costs, followed by
electricity and telecommunications9. This entails trade-offs that include food
rationing, compromises on electricity consumption, withdrawal from social
participation, and the use of credit to pay for essential purchases. Juggling bills and
using the money made available through delaying payment of bills is also an
important financial management strategy. Some research participants, for example,
reported that they delayed bill payments to purchase food and a cycle of small
loans from family members. If unable to reduce their electricity usage but also
unable to afford the cost of what they use, age pensioners cut back on their food
intake, while families accrue arrears and use emergency relief as a coping strategy
Yeah I get what I need first because if I got food first I would go
overboard, and then I wouldn’t have money for what I need. So I get
what I need and then I can see if I need extra loaves of bread.
21 year old part-time carer and student (New Start Allowance)10
External shocks on a household can include emergency events such as the
breakdown of a car or whitegoods, or as a result of transition in lifecycle (e.g. extra
school costs when a child starts high school).
For many people, it only takes one incident – a medical emergency,
the need for car repairs, an essential appliance breaking down, an
unexpectedly large bill or a number of bills arriving at the same time
– to tip them over the edge and to make a manageable situation
unmanageable.11
The availability of No Interest Loans to Tasmanians on low incomes is an important
way in which the Tasmanian Government is helping vulnerable households to meet
the cost pressures associated with these kinds of price shocks. The decision by the
Commonwealth Government to provide school uniform and other school cost
rebates is another example of the kind of support governments can provide to help
offset cost pressures.
If an emergency arises you have no money to put aside. You never
get on top. You end up having to borrow and the cycle goes on. If
your kids get sick it has to be on pay day, otherwise you can’t afford
it, then you have to borrow and you have to pay it back.
North East Tasmania12
Ibid keeping a phone connected was considered important for emergencies; being available to children,
families and schools, being accessible for casual work, and staying in contact with Centrelink and community
services.
10 Flanagan and Flanagan 2011
11 TasCOSS, 2009, p.30
12 Ibid, p.31
9
10
HOUSEHOLDS
Companion Report 1 identifies households that are disproportionately impacted by
the increasing costs of living, including:
Low income households
Unemployed households
Other households dependent on government pensions and allowances as the
principle source of income
Lone person households
Single parent households
Community sector reports and other data show that these households are more
likely to experience multiple cost of living risks in relation to food security, electricity
usage, transport disadvantage, housing, health risk factors and insurance. However,
it is also important to note that these households also have cost of living strengths
including resourcefulness and being good managers with the resources they have.
A common misconception is that poverty is due to poor money management, when
in fact most low income households are very good at managing their finances on a
day-to-day basis13.
Food insecurity14
The 2009 Tasmanian Population Health Survey found more than one-quarter
(28.4%) of Tasmanian adults claimed cost as the reason for not buying the quality or
variety of preferred food. 42.5% of adults in the least affluent households cited
being unable to buy the quality or variety of preferred food due to cost, compared
to only 14.0% in the most affluent households. Compared to the state average of
5%, 10% of adults in the lowest income households reported they ran out of food in
the last 12 months and could not afford a replacement.15
I pay my rent, my power, and other bills...food comes last, if there
isn’t anything left I don’t eat for days...sometimes I ration so I eat
every third day.
Geeveston community consultation16
Landvogt, K, 2008 Money, dignity and inclusion: the role of financial capability. Collingwood: Good Shepherd
Youth and Family Service.
14 Draft Tasmanian Food Security Strategy (unpublished). Food security is defined by the Tasmanian Food
Security Council as “the ability of individuals, households and communities to acquire food that is sufficient,
reliable, nutritious, safe, acceptable and sustainable”. Food insecurity can be a consequence of the cost and
availability of food, as well as access to food supplies. Cost and transport can be critical issues, particularly for
people on low incomes. People experiencing food insecurity may substitute or ration food, compromising on
the quality and/or quantity of food. In some cases meals may be missed altogether, or the support of
emergency food relief may be sought.
15 Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), 2009 2009 Tasmanian Population Health Survey, selected
findings, Menzies Research Institute.
16 Community Inclusion Workers, 2011
13
11
The 2009 Tasmanian Child Health and Wellbeing Survey found that 4% of
households with children aged 12 years and under had experienced an occasion in
the last 12 months when their household had run out of food and could not afford
to buy more17, while 6% had experienced financial stress leading to difficulties with
food security and education expenses18. Tasmanian households where food
insecurity was more likely to have occurred included sole parent households (9%),
those with annual incomes below $40 000 (18% of those earning less than $20,000
and 14% of those earning from $20 000 to less than $40 000), jobless households
(10%), and those located in the North region (10%).
A 2009 Anglicare survey of financial hardship among emergency relief clients found
that three-quarters (76.8%) of participants always or mostly worried about whether
they could afford to buy enough food19. A shortage of money had resulted in
three-quarters (75.1%) of participants going without meals in the previous year 20,
while more than one-third (36.2%) had needed to seek assistance because of the
cost of food21. The vast majority of emergency relief clients were people dependent
on Government pensions and allowances, and many of these were long-term
recipients of social security payments22.
A 2009 TasCOSS Report found that people hardest hit by cost of living pressures
consistently go without food in order to meet other basic living costs, such as
housing, utilities, medical expenses and transport. They regularly forgo adequate or
nutritious food to make the money stretch further23:
“My kids went to school with no lunch today24.”
“Food will be the last thing. They’ll make sure that everything else is paid
and they’ll just make do on next to nothing for groceries or access
emergency relief to get them by25.”
Anglicare’s 2011 report on the cost of living for low income earners points to the
cost of food as one of the most problematic expenses for low income households.
For many research participants, food was a notional priority in the disposable
income they had left after housing and a number of other costs had been met26.
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) 2009, Tasmanian Child Health and Wellbeing Survey: report
of survey findings, North Melbourne: The Social Research Centre, p.28
18 Ibid, p.6
19 Anglicare surveyed 411 clients of emergency relief and financial counselling services from around Tasmania
between 20 April and 1 May 2009. Emergency relief clients are people who need to seek assistance from welfare
organisations as a result of financial difficulty. See Flanagan, K, 2009 Hard times: Tasmanians in financial crisis,
Anglicare Tasmania, p. 59
20 Flanagan, 2009 pp.50-51
21 Op.cit, p. 65
22 Anglicare Australia 2010, In from the edge: state of the family report, October, 2010, p.2
23 TasCOSS 2009 p.35
24 Ibid, p.30
25 Ibid, p.16
26 Flanagan and Flanagan 2011, pp.22-23
17
12
Many participants described rationing food by either buying less food in general, or
less fresh food than they wanted of felt they needed27.
Electricity usage
At 1 August 2010, one in three residential customers received an electricity
concession to help with the cost of their power bills28.
Low income households are more likely to use Aurora Energy’s prepaid electricity
service, Pay As You Go (APAYG)29, which is available to Tasmanians as an alternative
to standard tariffs. APAYG offers ‘time of use’ pricing30 which allows customers to
tailor their electricity consumption to cheaper times of the day and week and
maintain greater control over their electricity costs. Comparisons between APAYG
and standard tariffs are difficult to make as standard tariff customers are charged by
consumption for each tariff per quarter while APAYG customers pay according to
time of year and time of use31. However, on average APAYG prices are higher than
prices for standard tariffs32. This is principally due to differences in average
increases in network costs, the technological costs required to support pre-payment
meters, and the costs associated with maintaining a point of sale agent network 33.
In July 2009 the Tasmanian Government guaranteed that APAYG price rises for
concession holders would align with standard tariff increases, to ensure that low
income households would not be further disadvantaged34. At 30 June 2010, 40 089
(17%) of residential customers were using APAYG, of which 17 000 (42%) were
concession cardholders. This represented a higher proportion of the total number
of customers using APAYG than those on standard tariffs35. Although a changed
Ibid, p.40
Office of the Tasmanian Economic Regulator (OTTER), January 2011, Tasmanian energy supply industry
performance report 2009-10, p.179
Holders of a Tasmanian Pensioner Concession Card or Health Care Card received a rebate in the order of $340
per annum. In addition, the Tasmanian State Government made a one-off payment of $100 to customers
eligible for a concession as at 1 September 2010.
29 Ibid, p.125
The 2009 Anglicare survey of emergency relief clients reported that groups of participants most likely to be
using APAYG included households with two children (64.3%), people on Parenting Payment Single (59.6%),
public housing tenants (57.5%), single parent households (56.8%), and people aged 24 years and under (56.8%).
Groups least likely to use APAYG were people renting privately. See Flanagan, 2009, p.94
30 APAYG ‘time of use’ pricing is currently unavailable to residential customers on standard tariffs. Pricing is set in
four time blocks during the day which varies between summer and winter, weekdays and weekends. This allows
APAYG customers to shift their electricity usage in order to take advantage of cheaper rates.
31 For a full comparison refer OTTER 2011, pp.183-185
32 OTTER, December 2010, 2011 Aurora Pay As You Go price comparison report, pp.2-3
APAYG rates increased 8.8 % from 1 January 2011, which equates to approximately $100 per year for low
consumption customers and $210 per year for high consumption customers. Standard regulated tariffs
increased by 8.8% on 1 December 2010
32. Following the introduction of these higher power prices and a changed timed tariff structure for electricity
charges, paying in advance using the pre-payment APAYG option is likely to prove more expensive than being
billed quarterly. It is estimated that households could be paying up to $8 a fortnight (or $216 a year) more by
continuing to use this pre-payment option than being charged standard tariffs by Aurora.
33 OTTER, 2010, Annual Report 2009-10, p.31
34 Aurora Energy 2010, Aurora Annual Report 2009-10: customer care and billing system, p.27
35 OTTER, 2011, p.125
27
28
13
timed tariff structure for electricity charges has resulted in the pre-payment APAYG
option being more expensive than quarterly billing for standard customers,
concession card holders were still likely to find APAYG a cheaper option36.
Research undertaken by Anglicare indicates that not all concession card holders are
aware of the electricity concession and therefore are not receiving its benefit.
Although 90% of the emergency relief clients surveyed by Anglicare were eligible for
electricity concessions, only half (50.7%) received a concession. Of the survey
participants who were single parents, 66.7% did not receive a concession because
they did not know about it.37
Households in receipt of a government benefit or allowance are more likely to have
their electricity supply disconnected. In the 2009-10 financial year, 1 396 residential
customers had their electricity supply disconnected. Of these, 544 (38.9%) were
concession holders and 218 (15.6%) had been disconnected more than once within a
rolling 24 month period. Of the repeat disconnections, more than one-quarter
(28.4%) were concession cardholders38. Most disconnections were related to
inability to pay39.
A 2006 TasCOSS-commissioned survey of APAYG customers found that 23% of
customers had run out of electricity in the previous year. Single parent households
(43%) and households where at least one person was unemployed (33%) were most
at risk of running out of electricity40. Of the 345 respondents who reported that
they had run out of electricity, most (58%) had simply forgotten to recharge their
APAYG card, but one in five (21%) had found it hard to find the money for
household bills41. A 2009 Anglicare survey of emergency relief clients found that
participants using APAYG (45.7%) were more likely than participants using other
payment methods to go without heating their home or have the electricity supply
disconnected42.
The 2011 Anglicare report on cost of living notes that some households are
managing electricity consumption below the levels they need to keep their homes
warm and run important appliances due to lack of income. The APAYG meters
allow greater capacity to reduce consumption through rationing and selfdisconnection. These households will often use the emergency credit of $16 to help
them manage their electricity consumption. Some households are turning off all
appliances and lighting when they are down to their last one dollar or two of
OTTER, 2010, p.2
Flanagan, 2010, pp.104-105
38 OTTER, 2011 p.129
39 OTTER, 2008, Tasmanian energy supply industry performance report 2007-08, p.131
40 Ross, S, and Rintoul, D, 2006, Pre-payment meter use in Tasmania: consumer view and issues: a research report
carried out for the Tasmanian Council of Social Service by Urbis Keys Young, TasCOSS, Hobart, p.3
41 Ross and Rintoul, 2006, p.35
42 Flanagan, 2009, p.12
36
37
14
emergency credit43. These households are not appearing in Aurora’s selfdisconnection data.
In winter I’m always going into the emergency money. I’ve never been
disconnected but I’ve got down to $2 credit to last and turned off all the
power and used candles. But we’ve never been cut off. In winter I’m
always up at [emergency relief provider] for power money. I use Pay As
You go – it’s more expensive but you don’t have the massive bill.
Sole parent, 24 year old mother of four children44
APAYG is a popular payment method for households on low income because it
prevents customers being confronted with large quarterly power bills, however
other pre-payment options are available to standard tariff customers to help them
manage bills. These include making regular direct debits from bank accounts45 or
using Aurora Energy's direct debit, CentrePay46, EasyPay47 or PrePay48 options.
TasCOSS believe these are better alternatives to APAYG, but tend not to be as
widely publicised49.
Transport disadvantage
Low income households, unemployed households, and households dependent on
government pensions and allowances are more likely to experience transport
disadvantage50 and difficulty with transport costs such as motor vehicle fuel,
registration and insurance51. Factors affecting the level of transport disadvantage
include proximity to services, adequacy and availability of public transport services,
ability to use alternative methods of transport, and ability to access vehicles
belonging to others52 (sharing transport and getting lifts is particularly important for
low income groups53).
If APAYG customers are unable to recharge their meter they will not have access to electricity unless
supported by emergency relief services. Standard tariff customers, on the other hand, have the benefit of
extended payment options which can be crucial to cash flow management in a financially constrained
household, and allows them to remain connected to the power supply. See Flanagan, 2009, p.100
44 Flanagan and Flanagan, 2011, p.42
45 Payment is made automatically from a nominated bank account on the due date. As an added bonus, all
customers who pay their electricity bill by Direct Debit using their savings or cheque account receive the Aurora
Direct Debit Discount of $5 (5.5c per day GST inclusive) off the total bill for a standard 91-day statement period.
46 Centrepay allows customers to have fortnightly deductions made from their income support payment, which
are then deducted from their next electricity bill.
47 EasyPay allows customers to make regular, even payments, spreading the cost burden across the year and
avoiding those big bills over winter.
48 PrePay is a secure and convenient way to make advance payments against electricity charges.
49 Flanagan, 2009, p.100
50 TasCOSS, 2009.
51 Flanagan, 2009, p.81
52 Stanley, J, Stanley, J, and Currie, G, 2007 ‘Introduction’, in No way to go: transport and social disadvantage in
Australian communities, edited by Currie, G, Stanley, J, and Stanley, J, Melbourne: Monash University ePress, pp.
1.1-1.11
53 Currie, G, and Senbergs, Z, ‘Exploring forced car ownership in metropolitan Melbourne’, 30 th Australasian
Transport Research Forum, 25-27 September 2007, p.12
43
15
In 2006, only 77.5% of people aged 18 years and over in the lowest income quintile
could easily get to the places they needed to go compared with the state average of
88.1%, indicating that this group still faced barriers to accessing transport54.
TasCOSS research has found that people at particular risk of transport disadvantage
include older people, people with a disability, people with young families, children,
students and young people, unemployed people, people on low incomes, and
people with poor health55. Anglicare research had similar results, finding that
people most vulnerable to transport disadvantage include people in rural and
regional areas, people with poor health, people with a disability or families raising
children with a disability, disadvantaged job-seekers and young people56. Research
into financial disadvantage among Home and Community Care clients identified
people hardest hit by transport costs include those dependent on income support
payments, single people without their own home, people vulnerable to exploitation
by partners, and people with major health issues57.
Housing
Low income households spend a higher proportion of gross weekly income on
housing. Nationally, low-income owners with a mortgage spent 27% (or $281) of
their gross weekly income on housing costs, compared with 18% (or $384) for all
households. Low-income households renting from a private landlord spent 28% (or
$236) of their gross weekly income on housing costs, compared with 18% (or $267)
for all households58.
In order to purchase a home and service a home loan, many households now rely
on having two incomes59. Home owners or home purchasers are generally
regarded as groups less likely to be affected by financial hardship. However, the
2009 Anglicare report on emergency relief clients found that some low income
home purchasers, most of whom were income support recipients, were facing
considerable hardship. 60 The 2011 Anglicare report on cost of living also found that
low income home owners are not immune from financial difficulty. It found that the
costs directly associated with their home ownership that cause problems are rates,
maintenance costs and water and sewerage bills. Most of these households
managed the cost pressures through bill juggling and opting for small regular bill
payments and prepayment options across a range of purchases and services. 61
Low income, lone person and single parent households are more likely to rent
rather than own or purchase their home62. Public and private renters rate highly in
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2007, General Social Survey, Tasmania, 2006 (cat. no. 4159.6.55.001)
TASCOSS, 2009
56 Anglicare Australia 2010, p.5
57 Flanagan, 2009, p.86
58 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2009, Housing occupancy and costs, 2007-08: summary of findings
59 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2002, Australian Social Trends, 2002: Housing arrangements: renter households
60 Flanagan, 2009, p.94
61 Flanagan and Flanagan, 2011, p.26
62 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Australian Social Trends, 2008: Renter households
54
55
16
terms of disadvantage in national and Tasmanian studies63. They are among the
groups most likely to be lacking a number of essentials such as lacking a decent and
secure home, home contents insurance and being unable to buy prescribed
medication64. While older people generally have lower levels of hardship overall,
older renters experienced much higher levels of deprivation and were more likely to
go without essentials such as decent and secure housing65.
In 2007-08, more than one-quarter (26.5%) of all Tasmanian households rented
their home. Of all households, 17.2% rented from a private landlord and 6.9% rented
from the state housing authority compared with 4.5% nationally 66. Tasmanian data
suggests that public housing and private renters are over-represented in emergency
relief statistics and experience high rates of hardship.
Table 1 – Hardship by tenure67
Indicator of hardship:
“this happened to participant’s household in
previous year due to a shortage of money”
Tenure
Public
housing
Private
rental
Could not pay electricity or phone or gas bill
65.3
68.4
Could not pay rent or home loan
30.8
58.1
Pawned or sold something
61.9
60.1
Went without meals
70.2
72.3
Unable to heat your home
52.6
57.8
Had the phone disconnected
34.6
41.5
Had the power off
28.3
27.3
Health risk factors
The costs associated with illness and disability can be an additional financial
burden68. For example, an unexpected illness can cause unanticipated cost
pressures as household budgets suddenly have to accommodate medical and
pharmaceutical goods and services result, sometimes exacerbated by reduced
economic circumstances (not being able to work as a result of illness or as a result
of becoming a primary carer).
63Davidson
2008 Who is missing out? Hardship among low income Australians ACOSS p.1, Saunders, P, Naidoo, Y,
Griffiths, M, 2007 Towards new indictors of disadvantage deprivation and social exclusion in Australia, Social Policy
Research Centre pp74-75; Flanagan, 2009, p27
64 Davidson, 2008, p1
65 Ibid, p.1
66 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2009, Housing occupancy and costs, 2007-08; State and Territory Data Cube:
Table 22 and Housing and Occupancy Data Cube: Table 3 (cat. no. 4130.0)
67 Adapted from Table 34 Flanagan, 2009, p.165
68 TasCOSS, 2009, pp.34-38
See also, Mental Health Community Coalition ACT, 2010 Submission to the National Advisory Council on Mental
Health Inquiry: ‘Daily bread income and living with mental illness’.
17
Surveys undertaken by the community sector indicate that low income households
are more likely to be embarrassed to seek medical services for fear that they would
not be able to afford the costs69.
My illness means periodically managing a roller coaster of paranoia
and mood swings. This can be challenging enough, without added
financial stress and feelings of hopelessness. When I see my
psychiatrist it costs $185.00 per half hour – simply to oversee a
change in medication. Part of this is later refunded but it’s very
difficult for vulnerable people to come up with large amounts of cash
at the very time help is needed.
Richard’s story – SANE Australia70
A 2005 Tasmanian survey71 found that single parents were much more likely than
other Tasmanians to report they had not sought health care when they needed it
and /or did not fill a prescription ordered by a doctor due to a shortage of money.
Anglicare’s 2009 survey of emergency relief clients indicated that people aged 3544 years experienced the greatest difficulty with health-related costs, with 37.1%
reporting big problems with the cost of prescriptions and 34.5% with the cost of
medical appointments72.
Couple only households were more likely to spend disproportionately more per
week (5.5%) than the state average (4.8%) on medical care and health expenses73.
This is likely to be a reflection of the older age profile of Tasmania.
The availability of concessions for households dependent on Government benefits
and allowances (eg for prescription medicines and basic hospital and medical
treatment) helps in making the cost of medical and health care manageable for
these households and has resulted in their weekly household expenditure on
medical care and health expenses being 4.1%, less than the state average of 4.8%74.
Households most likely to experience financial hardship are also more likely to have
health risk factors associated with obesity, smoking and stress.
In 2004-05, nationally, around one-fifth (21%) of adults in low-income households
were obese compared with 15% of adults in high income households 75. 32.1% of
households in the lowest income quintile smoked compared with 15.6% in the
highest income quintile76 and these households are more likely to spend a higher
TasCOSS, 2009, p.37
Hocking, B, 2011 Mental health care and poverty – intersections and policy implications, ACOSS National
Conference 2011
71 Madden, K, and Law, M, 2005, The Tasmanian Community Survey: financial hardship, Hobart: Anglicare
Tasmania, p.21
72 Flanagan, 2009, pp.124-126
73 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006, Household Expenditure Survey, Australia: Summary of Results, 2003-04
(Reissue), Tasmania Data Cube (cat. no. 6530.0)
74 Ibid
75 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2007, Australian Social Trends, 2007: Overweight and Obesity (cat. no. 4102.0)
76 Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) 2008, State of Public Health Report 2008, p.20
69
70
18
proportion of average weekly expenditure (2.6%) on tobacco products, compared
with the state average of 1.9%77.
Lone person households were more likely to spend slightly more on discretionary
spending items such as alcohol (3.7%) than the state average of 3.5%78.
Single parent, lone person and unemployed households were more likely to have
higher levels of financial stress than other household types 79. 46.4% of unemployed
households experienced at least one cash flow problem in the last 12 months80, and
59.5% of jobless single parent households experienced at least one cash flow
problem in the last 12 months81. Compared with the Australian average of 20%,
29% of unemployed people nationally were at a higher risk of developing mental
disorders than the Australian average of 20% and 34% of people living in one
parent families with children had a higher risk of developing mental disorders82.
Low-income households were less likely to participate in recreational activities83.
37.2% of children of single parent households participate in selected sport or
cultural activities compared with 23.2% of children in couple families; 50.8% of
children in a single parent family where the parent was not employed were even less
likely to participate compared to families where the parent was employed 27.8%84.
Insurance
Low income households are more likely to be uninsured. In 2003-04, 5% of
Tasmanian households (approximately 7 200 owner occupied households) did not
have building insurance85. Households in the bottom two income quintiles
accounted for three-quarters (74%) of these uninsured households, exposing those
households least able to afford it to greater risk in the event of loss86. Low take-up
of insurance by low-income groups may in part be due to the affordability aspect of
insurance, but also in part to the perception that these products are not for ‘people
like them’87. Non-insurance of building and contents was found to be associated
with single parent households.
In regard to health insurance, 12.3% of people without private health insurance were
likely to have found cost a barrier to purchasing their medication compared with
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006
Ibid
79 Arashiro, Z. 2010, Financial inclusion in Australia: towards transformative policy, Social Working Paper No. 13.
Melbourne: Brotherhood of St Laurence and the Centre for Public Policy University of Melbourne, p.10
See also Davidson 2008, p. 17; Lloyd, Harding and Payne (2004, pp. 10-12) in Flanagan, 2009
80 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2007, General Social Survey, Tasmania, 2006 (cat. no. 4159.6.55.001)
81 Ibid
82 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing: Summary of Results, 2007
(cat. no. 4326.0)
83 TasCOSS 2009, pp. 15-16
84 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2009, Children's participation in cultural and leisure activities, Australia, 2009
85 Building insurance is only applicable for home-owners whose dwelling is not insured by a body corporate.
See Insurance Council of Australia, ‘The non-insured: who, why and trends’, Prepared by Dr Richard Tooth and
Dr George Barker, Centre of Law and Economics, Australian National University, May 2007, p.4
86Insurance Council of Australia, Submission to the Tasmanian State Taxation Review, Feb 2011, pp.8-9
87 Arashiro, 2010, p.7
77
78
19
6.5% of people with private health insurance. Younger people were more likely than
older people to have found the cost of medication a barrier, due in part to older
people being eligible for concessions for PBS medication 88.
‘Working poor’ middle income households
While the increasing cost of items such as housing, food, utilities and petrol have
become pain points for low-income households, middle income households are also
now at risk of financial hardships and becoming part of a growing number of
‘working poor’ households.
‘Working poor’ households are those in which people are in paid employment but
are still struggling to make ends meet89. Nearly half of working poor households
(48%) are supported by one part-time employee only, and these households are
likely to include sole parents, full-time students, people having difficulty finding
more substantial work opportunities, and those who cannot work longer hours due
to disability or illness. One quarter of the working poor (24%) live in households
with one full-time employee, and just over one-quarter (28%) live in households
with two employees of whom one is part-time90.
Working poor households are below the poverty line and often find it difficult to
maintain a reasonable standard of living, for example because of the nature of their
employment (part-time versus full-time), low levels of pay, or expenses relating to
dependent children (couples with children make up a sixty percent of working poor
households)91. While some of these households may not include recipients of
Government pensions or allowances92, others will comprise a mix of income from
wages or salaries and government pensions or allowances. These households are
also likely to include people with higher educational qualifications and couples with
children93. The 2009 Anglicare survey found that among the participants
experiencing the greatest difficulty across a range of expenses were home owners
with a mortgage, people aged 35-44 years, and families with dependent children
(couple and single parent families)94.
Some of the high and often hidden costs for the ‘working poor’ include childcare95,
maintaining a car and acceptable clothing, as well as having to buy products they
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2010, Health Services: Patient Experiences in Australia, 2009; Barriers to selected
health services Data Cube: Tables 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 (cat. no. 4839.0.55.001)
89 Victorian Council of Social Service, Emergency Relief Victoria, RMIT University and Good Shepherd Youth and
Family Service 2009, Under pressure: costs of living, financial hardship and emergency relief in Victoria, p.20
90 Payne, A. 2009, ‘Working poor in Australia: an analysis of poverty among households in which a member is
employed’, Family Matters No. 8, Australian Institute of Family Studies, p 19.
91 Ibid
92 Ibid
93 Ibid
94 Flanagan, 2009, pp.8-9
95Wilkins, R, Warren, D, Hahn, M, and Houng, B 2010 Families, incomes and jobs, Volume 5: A statistical report on
waves 1 to 7 of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics Survey. Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic
and Social Research: University of Melbourne, pp.17-18.
In 2007, 17.9% of Australian households experienced difficulties with the cost of childcare. The survey also found
that problems with the cost of childcare were persistent over time.
88
20
would otherwise have used their own labour to produce given that many work long
and unsocial hours96.
I think there’s a big gap, like I said, a gap of sorts, those in between, the
working poor ok? A gap in the system where we earn too much to be
eligible for a lot of things but we don’t earn enough to do everything
private…We are missing out because we are not in crisis.
Laura (single mother with 2 children, works part-time and studies parttime)97
Emergency relief providers reported that middle-income families were increasingly
accessing their services98, with the ‘working poor’ identified as one of the groups
experiencing the greatest increase in difficulty99.
PEOPLE
People with disabilities, their carers and families
People with disabilities, their carers and families have consistently been described as
groups vulnerable to cost of living pressures due to the strong correlation between
disability and poverty100.
By the time you pay for rent, hydro, the telephone bill, the groceries,
everything is gone. It’s really hard.
Disability Support Pensioner, Greater Hobart101
In 2009, Tasmania had the highest rate of disability of all states/territories (22.7%),
compared with a national average of 18.5%102. Rates of profound or core activity
limitation103 were also highest in Tasmania (6.8%). Nationally, 5.8% of the
population reported a profound or severe core activity limitation. Tasmania had the
second highest proportion of carers (13.3%) after South Australia (13.4%). This was
higher than the national average of 12.2%104.
Masterman-Smith, H, May, R, and Pocock, B. 2006. Living low paid: some experiences of Australian childcare
workers and cleaners, CWL Discussion Paper 1/06, Centre for Work + Life: University of South Australia, pp.5-6.
97 Arashiro, Z. 2011, Money matters in times of change: financial vulnerability through the life course, Fitzroy:
Brotherhood of St Laurence, p 2.
98 Anglicare Australia 2010, p.2
99 Flanagan, 2009, p.19
100 Saunders, Naidoo, Griffiths, 2007, Hinton, T, 2006 My life as a budget item: disability, budget priorities and
poverty in Tasmania, Anglicare Tasmania; Hinton, T, 2006 Forgotten families: raising children with disabilities in
Tasmania Anglicare Tasmania.
101 TasCOSS, 2009, p. 15
102 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011, Disability, ageing and Carers, Australia: summary of findings, 2009
103 A profound core activity limitation is where the person is unable to do or always needs help with
communication, mobility or self-care tasks. A severe core activity limitation is where the person sometimes
needs help with communication, mobility or self-care tasks. See Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011 ibid.
104 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011, Disability, ageing and carers, Australia:
96
21
People on the Disability Support Pension (DSP) are among the highest users of
emergency relief services in Tasmania. In a recent survey of emergency relief clients,
almost 60% of people in receipt of the DSP said that they had financial problems
regularly or always, a much higher proportion than participants on other types of
income support payment. They also ranked among the groups most likely to have
more debts and experiencing the most difficulty.105
The DSP is one of the highest Commonwealth income support payments – equal to
the Aged Pension and significantly higher than Newstart or Youth Allowance
payments for example, but disability pensioners face a range of additional costs as a
result of their disability106.
These additional costs may be incurred as a result of:
The need for special equipment – eg wheelchairs, walking frames, audio
devices, custom footwear, guide dog;
Maintenance costs of equipment and assistive technology – electric
wheelchairs, grooming for guide dogs;
The need for house modifications;
The need for car modifications;
Additional transport costs – due to frequent medical appointments and
difficulty accessing public transport;
The need for medications – especially those not covered by the
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS);
The need for additional items such as continence aids and bandages;
The need for additional electricity use e.g. for Multiple Sclerosis and arthritis
sufferers who need to regulate their temperature.
There is a range of financial assistance available to people with disabilities, but this
assistance does not meet the range of additional costs incurred as a result of having
a disability. These additional costs mean that ‘secondary poverty’ is forced upon
households that would otherwise manage if they did not have the costs associated
with a disability107.
My life is total stress about everything. I have two kids with disabilities. The
pension nowhere near meets their needs. I spend $100 per fortnight just on
nappies for the two children. The pension doesn’t meet the needs of that
child and it doesn’t address the specific needs to provide for them.
Launceston Participant, Hearing the Voices108
Flanagan, 2009, pp.97-98, Cameron, P, and Flanagan, J, 2004, Thin ice: living with serious mental illness and
poverty in Tasmania, Anglicare Tasmania, p58
106 TasCOSS, 2009 p. 21
107 Hinton, 2006, p.19
108 Flanagan, J, 2000 Hearing the voices vol. 1. of the Just Tasmania series, Anglicare Tasmania, p24
105
22
With arthritis you need a warm house: that’s extra heating and extra wood
and on a pension this is too hard.
Burnie Participant, Hearing the Voices
“We go into Burnie three or four times a week. Fuel is a huge thing…When
we had Rosie in hospital for three weeks it cost us over $2,000 just with
fuel.”
Forgotten Families109
All of the families interviewed in Anglicare Tasmania’s 2007 research described
difficulties in managing on their incomes. Families were cutting back on
expenditure like insurance, food, clothing and heating. They had delayed paying
bills or negotiated repayment arrangements with creditors. Several families had
gone into debt to meet their basic needs and to pay for disability-related services110.
“At the moment I am stuck in an extremely bad cycle of debt. I have put
the rent on credit cards, paid the therapists with credit cards. I am about
to have to go bankrupt I think…. It’s been really hard in the last six weeks
where I’ve diminished all my savings to pay off the reminder of the
speech pathology and the remainder of the ABA therapists that I hired
last year. It’s a very strange position to be in where you have no money
to go and buy essentials like food”.111
People with a disability have been found to be more likely to experience:
Unemployment112, low income113, and lower socio-economic status114;
Additional anxiety and hardship with the cost of food due to specific dietary
requirements. Such foods may be more expensive to procure, and higher
levels of waste may result from particular circumstances, with associated extra
costs to the household115.
Difficulties in meeting regular housing costs, such as rates, insurance,
mortgage repayments, and maintenance costs. Additional costs were incurred
by some, through body corporate fees or the need to modify their homes for
a disability116.
Hinton, T, 2006 Forgotten Families: Raising children with disabilities in Tasmania, Anglicare Tasmania, p122
Hinton, T, 2006 Forgotten Families: Raising children with disabilities in Tasmania, Anglicare Tasmania, p128
111 Hinton, T, 2006 Forgotten Families: Raising children with disabilities in Tasmania
Social Action and Research Centre, Anglicare Tasmania, P128
112 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011, Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings, 2009:
Second Staggered Release (cat. no. 4430.0). Also see Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) 2008,
State of Public Health Report 2008, p.16
113 Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) 2008, State of Public Health Report 2008, p.16
114 Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) 2008, State of Public Health Report 2008, p.16
115 Flanagan, K. 2009, Hard Times: Tasmanians in Financial Crisis, Anglicare Tasmania, p.52
116 Tasmanian Council of Social Services (TasCOSS) 2009, Just scraping by? Conversations with Tasmanians living
on low incomes, p.24
109
110
23
Difficulty paying electricity bills (reported by 40.4% of people on a DSP in the
2009 Anglicare survey of emergency relief clients117).
Barriers to accessing transport118, despite a range of concessions and benefits
being available to them under the Transport Access Scheme. In 2006, only
71.5% of people with a core activity restriction (disability) could easily get to
the places needed. The 2009 Anglicare survey of emergency relief clients
found that ‘other’ transport costs, which included public and community
transport and taxis, were a problem for 41.0% Disability Support Pension
recipients119.
A higher risk of developing mental disorder. Nationally, 43% of people with a
severe disability were at a higher risk of developing mental disorders than the
Australian average of 20%120.
The 2009 Anglicare survey also found that households where the participant or
someone in their household had had a serious illness in the previous year had
experienced greater difficulties with health costs than those with a disability or
mental health issue (44.6% with a serious illness had reported a big problem with
the cost of prescriptions compared with 38.0% of people with a disability and 32.8%
of people with mental illness, while 38.0% of people with a serious illness had
reported a big problem with the cost of medical appointments, compared with
30.7% of people with a disability and 24.8% of people with mental illness 121). ‘Other’
transport costs were a problem for 43.2% of households where someone had
experienced a serious illness.
Seniors (aged 65 years and over)
In 2009, people aged 65 years and over accounted for 15.3% of the Tasmanian
population, compared with 13.5% nationally122. Population projections indicate that
almost one-third (30.2%) of Tasmania’s population will be aged 65 years and over
by 2041123.
The level of weekly expenditure on goods and services for households in which the
reference person was aged 65 years and over ($462) was substantially below the
Flanagan, K. 2009, Hard Times: Tasmanians in Financial Crisis, Anglicare Tasmania, pp.97-98
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2007, General Social Survey, Tasmania, 2006 (cat. no. 4159.6.55.001)
119 Flanagan, K. 2009, Hard Times: Tasmanians in Financial Crisis, Social Action and Research Centre, Anglicare
Tasmania, p.81
120 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing: Summary of Results,
2007 (cat. no. 4326.0)
121 Flanagan, K. 2009, Hard Times: Tasmanians in Financial Crisis, Social Action and Research Centre, Anglicare
Tasmania, p.125
122 In 2009, there were 76 900 people aged 65 years and over in Tasmania. Tasmania had the second highest
proportion (15.3%) of people aged 65 years and over among the states and territories, after South Australia
(15.4%). The proportion of people aged 65 years and over increased from 14.2% at June 2004 to 15.3% at June
2009. See Australian Bureau of Statistics 2010, Population by Age and Sex, Regions of Australia, 2009
(cat. no. 3235.0)
123 Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) 2008, State of Public Health Report 2008, p.9 Data source:
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Population Projections, Australia, 2006 to 2101 (cat. no. 3222.0)
117
118
24
Tasmanian state average of $759 for all households124. In 2003-04, these households
spent disproportionately more per week than the state average on food (20.2%
compared with the state average of 17.8%), medical care and health expenses (7.8%
compared with 4.8%), and domestic fuel and power (4.7% compared with 3.7%).125
Poverty rates126 nationally were found to be consistently high among the elderly127,
particularly single elderly people.
Seniors (65 years and over) were less likely to find cost a barrier to seeing a GP. This
may largely be due to increased government assistance for older age groups, by
way of Pensioner and Health Care Card concessions128. They were also less likely to
smoke or have a mobile phone. In 2007-08, current smokers129 accounted for 8.4%
of people aged 65 years and over, compared with 37.3% of people aged 18-24
years130. The 2009 Anglicare survey found that while 83.7% of participants had a
mobile phone, of those that did not, 74.1% were aged 45 years and over131.
Households in which the reference person was aged 65 years and over have been
found to be more likely to experience the following:
Live in a couple only household or a lone person household.
Own their home outright. Despite Tasmania’s ageing population, the
proportion of home owners without a mortgage has decreased over time,
from 42.0% in 2000-01 to 36.4% in 2007-08. The decline in outright home
ownership may, in part, be due to increasing uptake of flexible low-cost
financing options which allow households to extend their existing home
mortgages for purposes other than the original home purchase132.
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006, Household Expenditure Survey, Australia: Summary of Results, 2003-04
(Reissue), Tasmania Data Cube: Table 19 (cat. no. 6530.0)
125 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006, Household Expenditure Survey, Australia: Summary of Results, 2003-04
(Reissue) (cat. no. 6530.0)
126 Based on the 50% median poverty line. See Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research,
University of Melbourne, 2010, Families, Incomes and Jobs Volume 5, ‘A Statistical Report on Waves 1 to 7 of the
Household, Income and Labour Dynamics of Australia Survey (HILDA), p.34
127 Note, however, that elderly people are more likely to own their own house than are younger people, and this
income poverty measure does not account for in-kind services provided by owner occupied housing. The
income poverty rates for the elderly are therefore likely to overstate the extent of their relative deprivation. See
Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, University of Melbourne, 2010, Families, Incomes
and Jobs Volume 5, ‘A Statistical Report on Waves 1 to 7 of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics of
Australia Survey (HILDA), p.38
128 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2010, Health Services: Patient Experiences in Australia, 2009 (cat. no.
4839.0.55.001)
129 Current smokers include current daily smokers and other current smokers. See Australian Bureau of Statistics
2009, National Health Survey: Summary of Results, 2007-08 (Reissue); Glossary (cat. no. 4364.0). Data for current
smokers is also presented in Tasmania Together Indicator 4.3.3: Proportion of Tasmanians aged 18 and over who
are current smokers. See www.ttbenchmarks.com.au
130 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2009, National Health Survey: Summary of Results; State Tables, 2007-08
(Reissue); Tasmania Data Cube, Table 11.3 (cat. no. 4362.0)
131 Flanagan, K. 2010, Hard Times: Tasmanians in Financial Crisis, Anglicare Tasmania, p.110
132 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2009, Housing Occupancy and Costs, 2007-08: Summary of Findings
(cat. no. 4130.0)
124
25
Have high net wealth and relatively low income. Typically, wealth accumulates
with age. There is also a strong correlation between net worth and home
ownership, as for many households, their dwelling is their main asset.
Households with high net worth are more likely to own their own home with
only a small or no mortgage outstanding, and therefore only have low housing
costs133. However, people who own their own home without a mortgage can
experience difficulties in meeting regular costs, such as rates, insurance, and
maintenance costs. Additional costs may also be incurred by some, through
body corporate fees or the need to modify their homes for a disability134.
Have increased frequency of visits to GPs and prescription of medicines as age
increases135 and as the prevalence of chronic health conditions increases136.
Be uninsured. With regard to building and contents, non-insurance was found
to be associated with retiree households with a mortgage. With regard to
private health insurance, in 2007-08, 57.6% of people aged 75 years and over
did not have this kind of insurance137. Of those Tasmanians without private
health insurance, 65.1% cited cost ('cannot afford it/too expensive') as the main
reason for not insuring. Compared to other state/territories, Tasmanians were
least able to afford private health insurance138.
Spend disproportionately more on discretionary spending items such as
recreation (12.8%) than the state average of 12.5%139.
Aboriginal Tasmanians
A national study has found that Indigenous Australians are at risk of missing out on
a range of essential items, including dental care, a substantial daily meal, prescribed
medications, a decent and secure home, school activities and outings for children,
and a hobby or leisure activity for children 140.
Aboriginal Tasmanians have been identified as having lower incomes than nonAboriginal Tasmanians141 and being at greater risk of financial stress. In 2008, 31.0%
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2007, Household Wealth and Wealth Distribution, Australia, 2005-06; Summary
of Findings (cat. no. 6554.0)
134 Tasmanian Council of Social Services (TasCOSS) 2009, Just scraping by? Conversations with Tasmanians living
on low incomes, TasCOSS, Sandy Bay, p.24
135 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2010, Age Matters, Dec 2010 (cat no 4914.0.55.001)
136 Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) 2008, State of Public Health Report 2008, p.8
137 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2009, National Health Survey: Summary of Results, State Tables, 2007-08
(Reissue); Tasmania Data Cube: Table 16.3 (cat. no. 4362.0)
138 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2009, National Health Survey: Summary of Results, 2007-08 (Reissue); Data
Cubes: Table 19 (cat. no. 4364.0) and Australian Bureau of Statistics 2009, National Health Survey: Summary of
Results; State Tables, 2007-08 (Reissue); State Data Cubes: Table 17 (cat. no. 4362.0)
139 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006, Household Expenditure Survey, Australia: Summary of Results, 2003-04
(Reissue), Tasmania Data Cube (cat. no. 6530.0)
140 Saunders, P, Naidoo, Y, Griffiths, M 2007 Towards new indictors of disadvantage deprivation and social
exclusion in Australia, Social Policy Research Centre, p52
141 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2007, Census Basic Community Profile Series 2006: Indigenous Profile,
Tasmania (cat. no. 2002.0)
133
26
of Tasmanian Aboriginal households were unable to raise emergency money, while
17.9% ran out of cash for basic living expenses.142
Aboriginal people have been found to be more likely to experience the following:
Food insecurity, including missing meals due to shortage of money 143.
Difficulties with utilities bills, electricity disconnections (and often not in receipt
of an electricity concession even if eligible) and being unable to heat their
home144.
Have their phone disconnected145.
The cost of wood as a problem for their household146.
Be renting their dwelling, living in public housing147 and over-represented in all
categories of the homeless population148.
Transport disadvantage – in 2002, only 78.0% of Tasmanian Aboriginal people
aged 15 years and over reported that they could easily get to places
needed149).
Participate in gambling activities150.
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Tasmanians
The 2006 Census found that 3% of Tasmanians speak a language other than English
at home. It is recognised nationally that refugees151 and people of non-English
speaking background152 face financial hardship and financial stress153 as a result of
poor access to the employment market. There is also data to suggest that people
142Australian
Bureau of Statistics 2009, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, 2008;
Tasmania State Tables (cat. no. 4714.0)
143 Department of Health and Human Services, 2004. Adams, D. 2009, A Social Inclusion Strategy for Tasmania,
pp.27-28, Flanagan, K. 2010, Hard Times: Tasmanians in Financial Crisis, Anglicare Tasmania p48
144 Flanagan, K. 2010, Hard Times: Tasmanians in Financial Crisis, Anglicare Tasmania p48, 104,105
145 Flanagan, K. 2010, Hard Times: Tasmanians in Financial Crisis, Anglicare Tasmania p48
146 Flanagan, K. 2010, Hard Times: Tasmanians in Financial Crisis, Anglicare Tasmania, pp.105-107
A report by the ABS on energy use and conservation found that heaters are a major contributor to household
energy costs in Tasmania, and of Tasmanian households with heaters, 26.9% were fuelled by wood.
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Environmental Issues: Energy Use and Conservation, Mar 2008, Chapter 4
Heaters and Coolers Data Cube: Table 4.8 (cat. no. 4602.0.55.001)
147 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006, Housing Occupancy and Costs, Australia, 2005-06 (cat. no. 4130.0.55.001,
Table 2)
148 Chamberlain, C, and MacKenzie, D, 2009 Counting the Homeless 2006: Tasmania, Cat No HOU 208, Canberra:
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. P47,48
149 Adams, D. 2009, A Social Inclusion Strategy for Tasmania; Appendix 1: The Evidence for Social Inclusion in
Tasmania, p.A1.71
150 The South Australian Centre for Economic Studies Final Report: June 2008; Social and Economic Impact Study
into Gambling in Tasmania: Volume 2 – The Prevalence Study, p.13
151 http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/clac_ctte/completed_inquiries/2002-04/poverty/report/c15.htm,
Flanagan, J 2007, Dropped from the Moon, Social Action Research Centre, Anglicare p25
152 Flanagan, K. 2009, Hard Times: Tasmanians in Financial Crisis, Anglicare Tasmania, p25
153 Arashiro, Z. 2010 Financial inclusion in Australia: Towards Transformative Policy, Social Working Paper No. 13.
Brotherhood of St Laurence and the Centre for Public Policy University of Melbourne; Melbourne, p.10
27
from Asian and other non-western countries are more likely to be uninsured for
buildings and contents154.
There are bills to pay, electricity, house rent and when you look at these
things you find that you are only left with maybe $20 for the fortnight. It
is not enough money. These are some of the things that are really hard.
Young man from Northern Africa, living in Hobart155
The problem for me, my house is very cold and the floor [has] no carpet.
Very cold. The children are sick every day in winter. Money $420 for
rent a fortnight. Very cold...it is not enough heating and it cost me a lot
of money to buy the gas.
Woman from North Africa, living in Hobart156
The Refugee Council of Australia has noted that lack of financial resources
combined with a lack of familiarity with living costs and budgeting can result in new
entrants experiencing severe poverty in their first years in Australia 157. A 2007
Anglicare report on the settlement experiences of refugees highlighted a number of
issues relating to cost of living risk158:
93% of participants surveyed were dependent on government benefits and
allowances as their main source of income.
Budgetary items most commonly cited as causing financial difficulties were
food, electricity, medicines and nappies and formula.
Transport problems limited shopping options and being able to find savings
from buying in bulk.
High rental costs were putting pressure on household budgets (even after
using financial counselling services, some participants remained in financial
stress).
Poor quality housing (including properties that were dirty, damp, leaking, had
no heating or malfunctioning wood heaters, no hot water and stoves that did
not work) was a significant problem.
154Tooth,
R and Barker, G. 2007, The Non-Insured: Who, Why and Trends, Insurance Council of Australia.
Accessed at http://www.insurancecouncil.com.au/Portals/24/Issues/The%20Non%20Insured%20-%20Report.pdf
155 Flanagan, J. 2007. Dropped from the Moon: the settlement experiences of refugee communities in Tasmania.
Anglicare Tasmania: Hobart, p. 63
156 Flanagan, J. 2007. Dropped from the Moon: the settlement experiences of refugee communities in Tasmania.
Anglicare Tasmania: Hobart, p. 67
157 Refugee Council of Australia, 2008. Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian Program: Community views on
current challenges and future directions. Accessed at
http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/resources/intakesub/2008-09_Intake_Sub.pdf
158 Flanagan, J. 2007. Dropped from the Moon: the settlement experiences of refugee communities in Tasmania.
Anglicare Tasmania: Hobart
28
As a group, refugees have few or no assets or possessions, low income levels
and few networks of support159. In spite of this some refuges find they are
required to find a substantial proportion of their bond and rent in advance.
A recent Sudanese community forum160 noted:
Community members sacrifice food and other bills to pay urgent bills.
There seems to be a 50/50 split between the use of Aurora Pay As You Go
(APAYG) electricity and quarterly bills and there is concern that APAYG is more
expensive than quarterly bills.
Many community members pay regular (monthly) amounts to stop the shock
of large quarterly bills.
The three main cost of living stressors, in order of priority, are the increasing
cost of rent, electricity and groceries.
Covert discrimination can add to the difficulty of finding affordable and
appropriate accommodation.
Subsequent research on financial hardship in Tasmania notes that people from a non-English speaking
background appear to experience much higher rates of hardship than the general community. See Flanagan, K.
2009, Hard Times: Tasmanians in Financial Crisis, Anglicare Tasmania, p47
160 Sudanese Community Forum held in Hobart on 17 September 2011.
159
29
PLACES
People who live in rural areas significant distances from major population centres,
urban fringe areas and areas of high disadvantage, may disproportionately suffer the
impacts of cost of living increases on the basis of where they live. This is especially
likely to be the case for people living on low incomes.
Broad-acre public housing estates, traditionally located at significant distances from
major population centres, can isolate residents from essential services, and reduce
their ability to access education, employment and recreation opportunities. These
expanding urban fringe areas161 have seen population growth outstrip the
development of adequate infrastructure, such as regular public transport services.
They are characterised by high population growth rates, higher proportions of
young people (aged 18 years and under), higher unemployment and larger
proportions of families with children compared to urban and rural areas. These
areas face high demand for travel to the major urban centres for school, work and
services162.
Key issues for people living in each of areas of location disadvantage include the
absence of services and the cost of transport which combine to make a significant
impact on costs of living across the board.
Areas of low socio-economic status
In 2006, the ABS Socio-economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) Index of Relative Socioeconomic Disadvantage (IRSD)163 revealed that Tasmania had the highest proportion
The urban fringe includes the towns of Sorell, Brighton, New Norfolk, Huonville, Kettering, Woodbridge,
Exeter, George Town, Deloraine, Cressy, Longford, Perth, Evandale, Wynyard, Penguin, Ulverstone and Port
Sorell. See Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources 2007, Connected Communities: Better Bus
Services in Tasmania, Report of the Core Passenger Services Review, Volume 1 Main report, November 2007,
p.xviii
162 Stanley, J., Stanley, J, and Currie, G. 2007 ‘Introduction’ in No Way to go: transport and social disadvantage in
Australian communities, edited by Currie, G., Stanley, J and Stanley, J. Monash University ePress: Melbourne, pp.
1.1-1.11.
163 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Information Paper: An Introduction to Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas
(SEIFA), 2006 (cat. no. 2039.0)
The SEIFA is a collection of four indexes which compare the relative social and economic conditions of cities,
towns and suburbs across Australia. SEIFA is calculated using a range of variables from the Census, the latest
SEIFA indexes being sourced from the 2006 Census. Each index summarises a different aspect of the socioeconomic conditions of people living in an area.
SEIFA scores are calculated for a range of different geographic areas of different sizes, including small areas
such as suburbs and CDs. This allows for the identification of pockets of disadvantage within wealthier areas.
161
The most commonly-used index is the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage (IRSD), which can be used
to identify areas with high proportions of people and households with characteristics associated with
disadvantage such as low income, low levels of qualifications, unemployment and employment in low skilled
occupations, as shown below:
Census variables included in the SEIFA Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage, 2006:
% Occupied private dwellings with no internet connection
% Employed people classified as Labourers
% People aged 15 years and over with no post-school qualifications
% People with stated annual household equivalised income between $13 000 and $20 799 (approximately the
2nd and 3rd deciles of the income distribution)
30
(31.9%) of the population living in areas that fell into the most disadvantaged socioeconomic quintile after the Northern Territory (32.0%). Nationally, 18.8% of the
population lived in the most disadvantaged socio-economic quintile164.
Tasmania had five Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the lowest SEIFA IRSD quintile:
Brighton, George Town, Break O’Day, Tasman and Derwent Valley165. These LGAs
ranked not only amongst the most disadvantaged areas in the state, but also in the
nation.
The following 39 suburbs/towns were in the lowest SEIFA IRSD decile in Tasmania,
and ranked as the most disadvantaged areas in the state: Gagebrook, Rocherlea,
Clarendon Vale, Shorewell Park, Bridgewater, Pioneer, Ravenswood, Mayfield,
Warrane, Mathinna, Goodwood, Waverley, Chigwell, Parattah, Rokeby, East
Devonport, Risdon Vale, Waratah, Derby, St Marys, George Town, Railton, Eggs and
Bacon Bay, Ouse, Maydena, Acton, Beaconsfield, Nietta, White Beach, Zeehan,
Derwent Park, Hillcrest, Wivenhoe, Fingal, Invermay, Avoca, Primrose Sands, New
Norfolk and Westerway. These include urban, regional and rural areas.
There is a higher likelihood that people who live in areas with poorer socioeconomic conditions experience low income, food insecurity, comparatively poorer
health than people from other areas166, transport disadvantage, educational
disadvantage and poorer standard of housing and access to medical services167.
They are also more likely to have low educational attainment, which can affect the
% Households renting from Government or Community organisation
% People (in the labour force) unemployed
% Single parent families with dependent children only
% Households paying rent less than $120 per week (excluding $0 per week)
% People aged under 70 years who have a long-term health condition or disability and need assistance with
core activities
% Occupied private dwellings with no car
% People who identified themselves as being Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
% Occupied private dwellings requiring one or more extra bedrooms (based on Canadian National Occupancy
Standard)
% People aged 15 years and over who are separated or divorced
% Employed people classified as Machinery Operators and Drivers
% People aged 15 years and over who did not go to school
% Employed people classified as Low Skill Community and Personal Service Workers
% People who do not speak English well
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Information Paper: An Introduction to Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas
(SEIFA), 2006 (cat. no. 2039.0)
164 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Census of Population and Housing: Socio-economic Indexes for Areas
(SEIFA), Australia, 2006, Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD): Census Collection Districts, Data
Cube (cat. no. 2033.0.55.001)
165 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Census of Population and Housing: Socio-economic Indexes for Areas
(SEIFA), Australia, 2006; Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD):Local Government Areas Data
Cube (cat. no. 2033.0.55.001)
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2010, Australian Social Trends, Mar 2010: 'Health and socioeconomic disadvantage' (cat. no. 4102.0)
167
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2010, Australian Social Trends, Mar 2010: 'Health and socioeconomic disadvantage' (cat. no. 4102.0)
166
31
ability to obtain information on health services and health risk prevention, as well as
limit employment choices and opportunities168.
The 2007-08 ABS National Health Survey found that approximately one quarter of
people living in the most disadvantaged areas had private health insurance,
compared with three quarters (75%) of those living in areas of least disadvantage.
They were more likely to be covered by government health concession cards or
veteran concession cards, reflecting the greater proportion of people receiving
pensions and other income support in more disadvantaged areas169.
Place: Transport disadvantage
Anglicare’s 2009 survey of emergency relief clients found that people from rural
areas reported higher rates of hardship than people from urban areas on all
indicators except those relating to heating the home and telephone
disconnections170. There has been growing demand for emergency relief services
from people in rural communities171.
Private vehicle ownership is an almost necessary expense because of the shortage of
public transport services172. The 2009 Anglicare survey found that rural households
experienced greater difficulty with transport costs than urban households: 36.5% of
rural households reported car registration costs as a big problem compared with
31.7% of urban households; 30.6% cited problems with car repair/maintenance
costs compared with 29.1%; and 29.6% struggled with petrol costs compared with
29.0%173.
The 2009 Anglicare emergency relief survey found that transport costs were a
problem for a large proportion of participants, especially the cost of owning and
running a private car. The cost of vehicle registration was the biggest issue, with
34.1% of participants describing it as a big problem, compared to 30.4% identifying
car repairs/maintenance as a big problem and 29.5% indicating that fuel costs were
a big problem174. Of particular difficulty was finding lump sums of money to meet
the costs of registration and/or repairs. The cost of motor vehicle registration and
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2010, Australian Social Trends, Mar 2010: 'Health and socioeconomic disadvantage' (cat. no. 4102.0)
168
169Australian
Bureau of Statistics 2010, Australian Social Trends, Mar 2010, Feature Article: Health and Socioeconomic Disadvantage (cat. no. 4102.0)
Nationally, around half (51%) of people living in the most disadvantaged areas were covered by one of these
cards compared with under one-fifth (18%) of people living in the least disadvantaged areas.
170Flanagan, K. 2009, Hard Times: Tasmanians in Financial Crisis, Anglicare Tasmania,p25
171 Flanagan, K. 2009, Hard Times: Tasmanians in Financial Crisis, Anglicare Tasmania, p.19
172Forced car ownership was a term first used in relation to rural low income residents in the UK, and refers to
low income households who are forced into car ownership because no alternatives are available. Cars are seen
as one of the items of household expenditure that cannot be foregone, even though major sacrifices may have
to be made in order to meet car-ownership and running costs. See Currie, G. and Senbergs, Z., ‘Exploring
Forced car ownership in metropolitan Melbourne’, 30th Australasian Transport Research Forum, 25-27 Sep 2007;
see also, Flanagan, K. 2009, Hard Times: Tasmanians in Financial Crisis, Anglicare Tasmania, p.86
173 Flanagan, K. 2009, Hard Times: Tasmanians in Financial Crisis, Anglicare Tasmania, p.77
174 Flanagan, K. 2009, Hard Times: Tasmanians in Financial Crisis, Anglicare Tasmania, p.76
32
car repairs is one of the common triggers for seeking emergency financial relief or
short-term high interest pay-day loans175.
Without transport, their access to education, health services, community
support services, cheaper retail outlets and even family support was
restricted. For many people, however, the only possible transport was
their own car. Income levels meant that these cars were rarely serviced,
often uninsured and at times unregistered. The cost of registration was
prohibitive for many people and a number of participants reported that
they had downgraded their cars at registration time to buy a car with a
longer registration.176
The focus on car based transport has contributed to dispersed settlement patterns
and low density housing, and location of affordable housing in urban fringe areas 177.
Some households may consciously decide to trade off lower housing costs for
higher transport costs by deciding to locate on the more affordable urban fringe 178,
but are more vulnerable to rising fuel costs as a result.
Place: Food insecurity
A range of community sector reports have identified the cost of food and groceries
to be a significant factor in rural and peri-urban communities179. The lack of retail
outlets, especially the large supermarkets means that residents are often reliant on
smaller shops where food and groceries are more expensive. People interviewed
described paying two and three times more for items in their local area compared
to major centres. Many people found it cheaper to drive long distances to major
centres and buy in bulk. This option of course is only available to people who have
access to a private vehicle and those without are reliant more expensive local items.
If I go to Launceston and if I’ve got the money, I can get three times the
amount of groceries I can get here.
East Coast respondent180
Some areas in Tasmania are also currently, or at risk of becoming ‘food deserts’181.
The key characteristics of a food desert are a place where:
Access is difficult (eg limited transport options);
Anglicare Australia 2010, In from the Edge: State of the Family Report, Oct, 2010, p.5
Flanagan, J, 2000 Hearing the Voices Vol. 1. of the Just Tasmania series, Anglicare Tasmania: Hobart.
177 Department of Infrastructure, Energy & Resources (DIER), 2007 Southern Region Overview Report, a report
informing development of the Southern Integrated Transport Plan.
178 Currie, G. and Senbergs, Z., ‘Exploring Forced car ownership in metropolitan Melbourne’, 30 th Australasian
Transport Research Forum, 25-27 Sep 2007, p.3
179 TasCOSS 2009, Just scraping by? Conversations with Tasmanians living on low incomes, p.40; TasCOSS 2008
Enhancing Quality of Life Addressing poverty and disadvantage through the HACC programme p.78; Flanagan, J.
and Flanagan K. 2011. The Price of Poverty: the cost of living for low income earners, Anglicare Tasmania: Hobart,
pp.32-33
180TasCOSS 2009 Just scraping by? Conversations with Tasmanians living on low incomes p40
181 Draft Tasmanian Food Security Strategy (unpublished).
175
176
33
Quality of food is low (eg freshness, nutritious, culturally appropriate etc);
Quantity/range is restricted (ie limited choice);
Prices higher than average (affordability).
While Tasmania is positioning itself to be the nation’s food bowl, we must also
acknowledge and respond to the fact that, there are parts of Tasmania that could be
referred to as food deserts. Outside of our urban centres, people can find it very
difficult to purchase affordable and healthy food. A key point here is that often low
income families move to the urban fringe and rural areas of Tasmania because of
low rental costs but these are precisely the places where food deserts are more
likely.
The local food shop is very expensive. The food is out of date and
there’s not much choice. I can’t afford the supermarket because of the
cost of transport.
51 year old woman, currently homeless, Clarence Plains182
Even in larger regional centres such as Queenstown, Smithton, Scottsdale and St
Helens there are few retail food outlets, a limited range of nutritious food available,
and food is significantly more expensive than in the cities.
I never ever thought I would see, in this rich farming community, a
farming family with absolutely no food on the table. Ever. It broke my
heart.
Circular Head respondent183
Communities are struggling with how to respond to this issue. In Rocherlea, the
Northern Suburbs Community Centre has initiated distributing vegetable boxes
because residents without private transport or with mobility issues find it difficult to
get to the nearest supermarket that is four to five kilometres away. In Clarendon
Vale, the Neighbourhood Centre has begun a food cooperative. In St Helens
people are car pooling to do their shopping in Launceston. In Dorset and Clarence
municipalities, the Tasmanian Food Security Council has funded research to examine
the availability of affordable and nutritious food.
Place: Access to services
The centralisation of health services, including dental services and bulk billing
general practitioners, means that there is a significant cost associated with accessing
public health services. Most specialist medical facilities are located in major urban
areas, which necessarily require patients to travel some distance to attend
Flanagan, J. and Flanagan K. 2011. The Price of Poverty: the cost of living for low income earners, Anglicare
Tasmania: Hobart, pp. 33
183 Relationships Australia Local Voices: Enquiry into Community Assets in Circular Head Tasmania, p.22
182
34
appointments and undergo treatment184. Many people on the West Coast, the far
North West, the East Coast, and the Tasman Peninsula reported having to travel
long distances to access the health care services they required185.
A trip to the dentist from our town is $20 in petrol, and a day out of
school for the kids, that’s the closest dentist. It’s alright to say go to the
dentist it’s free, but it’s not.
East Coast respondent186
Accessing Centrelink Services can impose significant costs where travel is required.
Low cost travel may be provided for compulsory education where young people are
required to travel long distances, but post compulsory education notwithstanding
subsidised fares can be expensive where travel to a major centre is required. Areas
outside of major centres offer limited options for Years 11 and 12 and in some cases
this is restricted to online learning. Families on the West Coast, East Coast and
Tasman Peninsula have described the high costs associated with attending major
centres to access post year ten education. Travel costs combined with the expense
of accommodation are strong disincentives to continuing education past year 10.
Poor infrastructure, including lack of access to reticulated water, lack of public
telephones and ATMs and limited internet access can mean additional costs. People
in some areas are reliant on purchasing tank water. This can also mean that
strategies for reducing costs such as a home vegetable garden are not able to be
implemented.
We can’t afford to buy the water – it’s $200 to get the water a load – so
I’ve stopped watering the garden so we can’t grow vegies.
Louise187
Place: Recreation
Households are less likely to be connected to a computer, the internet and/or
broadband if they are located outside the metropolitan area188.
Recreational facilities and sporting opportunities may be limited or absent for
people living in rural, isolated and even urban fringe areas. Those that choose to
travel in order to participate, face additional costs.189
The Tasmanian Social and Economic Impact Study into Gambling in Tasmania
concluded that “gambling190 may act as a substitute for other forms of recreation
Flanagan, K. 2009 Hard Times: Tasmanians in Financial Crisis, Social Action and Research Centre, Anglicare
Tasmania, p.82
185 TasCOSS, 2009 Just scraping by? Conversations with Tasmanians living on low incomes, pp.39-40
186 TasCOSS, 2009 Just scraping by? Conversations with Tasmanians living on low incomes, pp.40
187 TasCOSS 2008 Enhancing Quality of Life Addressing poverty and disadvantage through the HACC programme
188 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2010 Tasmanian Statistical News, Mar 2010; Feature Article: How connected are
we? (cat. no. 1301.6.55.001)
189 TasCOSS 2009, Just scraping by? Conversations with Tasmanians living on low incomes, p.46
184
35
and culture expenditure, and the rate of growth of recreation expenditure is
negatively correlated with the rate of growth in gambling expenditure”. It also
concluded that households which participate in gambling have higher than
expected expenditure on food, non-alcoholic drinks and alcohol191.
Social and recreational options? Bingo, drinking at the hotel, the pokies.
West Coast resident192
Electronic Gaming Machines (EGMs) account for three-quarters (74.6%) of total
player expenditure, and more than half of this (55.5%) is spent in hotels and clubs,
compared with 44.5% in casinos193. The Gaming Control Act 1993 has set a
maximum limit of 3 680 EGMs in Tasmania. At 31 March 2011, there were 3 654
EGMs in operation194.
The greatest concentration of EGMs is in the Local Government Area (LGA) of
Hobart (24.4%) due to the location of Wrest Point Casino, followed by Meander
Valley (15.4%) due to the location of the Country Club Casino. The greatest
concentration of EGMs outside of these areas is in Launceston (10.2%), Glenorchy
(7.3%), Devonport (6.2%), Clarence (4.5%) and Central Coast (3.6%). Together, these
seven LGAs account for almost three-quarters (71.6%) of EGMs in the state195.
An econometric analysis conducted by the Productivity Commission found that
nationally there is a concentration of EGMs in lower socio-economic areas. There is
also an inverse relationship between income of an area and the total amount spent
on EGMs, and a negative and significant relationship between regional median
weekly income and annual average expenditure on EGMs.196
The Tasmanian Social and Economic Impact Study into Gambling in Tasmania found
that the presence of EGMs (excluding casinos) within disadvantaged communities
The South Australian Centre for Economic Studies Final Report: June 2008; Social and Economic Impact Study
into Gambling in Tasmania: Volume 1
Gambling is viewed by some as a form of entertainment. It encompasses casinos, electronic gaming machines
(EGMs), sports betting, lotteries and racing. Tasmania was the first state to have a casino and the last state to
allow for the introduction of EGMs into hotels and clubs, noting that Western Australia does not allow EGMs into
hotels and clubs.
191 The South Australian Centre for Economic Studies Final Report: June 2008; Social and Economic Impact Study
into Gambling in Tasmania: Volume 1, p.124
192 TasCOSS 2009, Just scraping by? Conversations with Tasmanians living on low incomes, p.46
193 Department of Treasury and Finance, Industry Data. Accessed at
http://www.tenders.tas.gov.au/domino/dtf/dtf.nsf/v-liq-and-gaming/C1E6645F375BFAEBCA257346001122A1,
viewed 15/04/11
194 Of these, 2 384 (65.2%) were located in clubs and hotels, and 1 270 (34.8%) were located in casinos.
Additionally, there were 23 EGMs on each of the two Spirit of Tasmania vessels
Department of Treasury and Finance, Industry Data. Accessed at
http://www.tenders.tas.gov.au/domino/dtf/dtf.nsf/v-liq-and-gaming/C1E6645F375BFAEBCA257346001122A1,
viewed 29/04/11
195 Department of Treasury and Finance, Industry Data. Accessed at
http://www.tenders.tas.gov.au/domino/dtf/dtf.nsf/v-liq-and-gaming/C1E6645F375BFAEBCA257346001122A1,
viewed 29/04/11
196 The South Australian Centre for Economic Studies Final Report: June 2008; Social and Economic Impact Study
into Gambling in Tasmania: Volume 1, p.215
190
36
posed an additional risk to these communities, which already report poor health and
wellbeing outcomes. An association exists between the location of EGMs,
disadvantaged communities and correspondingly high player losses: Glenorchy
reported a loss per capita of $660, compared with Hobart which reported a loss of
$195 per adult197. Machine revenue has been observed to decrease as the level of
disadvantage declines198.
In 2008-09, the Tasmanian per capita expenditure on EGMs was $343199. This was
up from $231 in 2006-07. LGAs with the highest rates of EGM expenditure per
capita were:
1. West Coast
$782 (Decile 3 on the IRSD)
2. Devonport
$665 (Decile 4 on the IRSD)
3. Glenorchy
$660 (Decile 3 on the IRSD)
4. Waratah/Wynyard
$598 (Decile 5 on the IRSD)
5. Burnie
$545 (Decile 4 on the IRSD)
6. George Town
$480 (Decile 1 on the IRSD)
Figure 1 shows that venues with EGMs appear to be more prevalent in areas of
socio-economic disadvantage, with machines in disadvantaged areas earning higher
per capita revenue.
Figure 1 - Socio Economic Index for Areas (SEIFA): Index of Relative Socio-economic
Disadvantage and EGM venue locations
The South Australian Centre for Economic Studies Final Report: June 2008; Social and Economic Impact Study
into Gambling in Tasmania: Volume 1, p.213
198 The South Australian Centre for Economic Studies Final Report: June 2008; Social and Economic Impact Study
into Gambling in Tasmania: Volume 1, p.214
199 Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) 2011, Ministerial Council Presentation: “Electronic gaming,
Health and Communities in Tasmania”
197
37
Source: Department of Health and Human Services 2009, Kids Come First Report 2009: Outcomes for children and young people in
Tasmania
A 2007 Prevalence Survey200 commissioned by the Department of Treasury and
Finance found that 71.7% of Tasmanian adults surveyed had participated in
gambling at least once in the previous year. This was down from 85% in 2005,
although this is likely to be due to raffle tickets no longer being included. The most
popular gambling activities in 2007 were lotteries (52.3%), scratch tickets (31.8%),
EGMs (28.5%), Keno (25.9%), horse racing (16.8%), casino table games (7.0%), and
sports (3.9%)201.
People most likely to participate in gambling activities were job seekers, people with
lower educational attainment, and Aboriginal people. People least likely to gamble
were students and older people (aged 60 years and over). Men and women were
equally likely to gamble202.
While the prevalence of problem gambling in Tasmania has decreased, from 1.7% in
2005 to 1.4% in 2007203, the number of problem gamblers in Tasmania is likely to be
underestimated204.
The South Australian Centre for Economic Studies Final Report: June 2008; Social and Economic Impact Study
into Gambling in Tasmania: Volume 2 – The Prevalence Study.
201 Participants were able to select more than one gambling activity. See The South Australian Centre for
Economic Studies Final Report: June 2008; Social and Economic Impact Study into Gambling in Tasmania: Volume
2 – The Prevalence Study, p.(ii) and Appendix A: Q1 Gambling Activities
202 The South Australian Centre for Economic Studies Final Report: June 2008; Social and Economic Impact Study
into Gambling in Tasmania: Volume 2 – The Prevalence Study, p.13
203 Tasmania Together Indicator 4.3.1: Prevalence of problem gambling. See www.ttbenchmarks.com.au
204 The South Australian Centre for Economic Studies Final Report: June 2008; Social and Economic Impact Study
into Gambling in Tasmania: Volume 2 – The Prevalence Study, p.75
200
38
Problem gambling rates were found to be higher in males, in people aged 18-29
years, and in those living in the Greater Hobart area205. Problem and moderate risk
gamblers were also much more likely to smoke, with 40% of regular gamblers
identified in the 2007 Prevalence Survey as being smokers 206.
A 2007 Survey for the Gambling Support Program of the Department of Health and
Human Services (DHHS) conducted by KPMG, entitled Break Even Gambling Services
Client Information Report for the period 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2005, highlighted the
long term nature of gambling problems. Of 1 071 respondents, 15.5% had
experienced gambling problems for 10 years or more, 17.7% for between five and 10
years, 31.9% for between two and five years, and 19.5% for between one and two
years. Only 15.3% had had problems for less than a year. The report found that
almost half (48.0%) of clients responding to the question about the gambler’s
occupation were unemployed or not in the labour force: 33.8% were not in paid
employment, 11.7% were classed as home duties and 2.5% as students. Of 1 434
responses, 75.9% cited EGMs in hotels and clubs as the main source of gambling
problems, 40.7% cited EGMs in casinos, 15.3% cited TOTE/racing; 7.0% cited Keno,
5.9% cited casino gaming tables, and1.9% cited lotteries. 207
The 2007 Prevalence Survey found that 3.6% of moderate risk and problem
gamblers reported that most of the time or almost always, gambling left no money
for rent; 9.1% reported that gambling left no money for bills, and 12.7% that they
experienced substantial debt because of gambling208.
The South Australian Centre for Economic Studies Final Report: June 2008; Social and Economic Impact Study
into Gambling in Tasmania: Volume 1, p.xiv
206 The South Australian Centre for Economic Studies Final Report: June 2008; Social and Economic Impact Study
into Gambling in Tasmania: Volume 2 – The Prevalence Study, p.75
207 The South Australian Centre for Economic Studies Final Report: June 2008; Social and Economic Impact Study
into Gambling in Tasmania: Volume 1, p.192
208 The South Australian Centre for Economic Studies Final Report: June 2008; Social and Economic Impact Study
into Gambling in Tasmania: Volume 1, Table 15.3, p.234
205
39
Responses
The policy framework for Cost of Living outlined in A Cost of Living Strategy for
Tasmania highlights examples of responses that can be made by governments,
individuals, markets and communities to address cost of living pressures. This
section examines a number of responses outlined in the strategy under the broad
categories of:
Increasing productivity
Building financial capability
Strengthening consumer protection
Building networks of support, and
Strengthening the safety net
This section provides additional policy detail regarding the range of available
information on specific initiatives across these areas. For example, the Concessions
discussion, in the strengthening the safety net section contains a detailed interjurisdictional comparison of concessions. The responses discussed are illustrative,
not exhaustive and provide supplementary information and an evidence base for
the recommendations contained in A Cost of Living Strategy for Tasmania.
INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY
The extent to which individuals and households can draw down on income and
other resources affects how well they can respond to cost of living pressures. The
main ways people receive an income is either the salary or wages from working, or
support payments (pensions, benefits and allowances) from the government, or a
combination of wages and support payments.
A recent report by Fair Work Australia on relative living standards and the needs of
low-paid employees noted that “the incidence of all forms of financial stress
declines consistently with higher levels of household employment,” and that those in
intermittent or insecure employment are the most at risk of poor outcomes209.
Workforce participation, as well as contributing to overall productivity and living
standards, is important for enabling people to generate the income that pays for
their costs of living210.
However, not everyone is able to work, or work at a level that provides a sustainable
income, and for this reason the Commonwealth Government’s provision of income
support payments is a crucial social institution. As noted in the Henry Tax Review,
Pech, J. 2011. Relative Living Standards and needs of low-paid employees: definition and measurement,
Research Report 2/2011. Commonwealth of Australia: Canberra, p iii.
210 House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics, 2010. Inquiry into Raising the Productivity
Growth Rate in the Australian Economy, Commonwealth of Australia: Canberra, p 18. Submissions to the Inquiry
noted that the wellbeing of people is enhanced through participation in the workforce in both an economic
sense and through a stronger sense of belonging.
209
40
the primary focus must be to provide a minimum adequate level of income to
people who are unable to support themselves through work or their savings.
The intersections between the income support and the personal taxation systems
are particularly relevant, in that the ways in which these combine can create
perverse outcomes, such as disincentives to work.
The design of the income support system, including amounts of
payments and means test withdrawal rates, should take into account how
the income support system and the personal income tax system together
affect incentives to work and save.
Henry Taxation Review211
The operation of the tax and transfer system is an important component in
determining the amount of disposable income available to individuals and
households, some of whom fare much better than others212. In this context, the
effective marginal tax rate becomes an important consideration for low income
households who balance cost of living pressures against the financial rewards of
paid employment alongside tax paid and the loss of concessions and other benefits
as part of income support payments213.
Labour force participation
Increasing Tasmania’s long term labour productivity growth is a significant challenge
for the Tasmanian Government214. A high participation rate215 can help reduce
wages pressure, increase income for individuals and the economy more generally,
Commonwealth of Australia, 2010. Australia’s Future Tax System, Chapter F: The Transfer System.
Pech, J. 2011. Relative Living Standards and needs of low-paid employees: definition and measurement. Page iv.
This report noted that the operation of the tax/transfer system significant reduces the differences in disposable
households. See also, Headey, B. 2006. A Framework for Assessing Poverty, Disadvantage and Low Capabilities in
Australia, Melbourne Institute Report No. 6. Melbourne Institute of Applied Economics and Social Research:
Melbourne, p 31.
This research noted that the effect of Government payments and taxes was to reduce relative income poverty by
about 50% on an annual basis and by about 880% on a three-year basis. It found that within the working age
population, households with children fare better than those without but that single parent households fare less
well than couple households with children; unpartnered people without children fare least well.
213 Reference Group on Welfare Reform, 2000. Participation Support for a More Equitable Society, p 25.
In a discussion of the impact of income tests for various payments, their interaction with the tax system and loss
of other benefits such as concessions, this report noted that this can lead to a situation where there is little
increase in disposable income when moving from income support to work or increasing hours of work. It also
noted that the costs of participation (particularly child care, housing and transport) may act as a significant
disincentive. Notwithstanding this, most people are motivated to work, and lack of job opportunities can also be
an important factor.
214 Demographic Change Advisory Council, 2008. Demographic change in Tasmania: Strategies for addressing
challenges and opportunities. Department of Treasury & Finance: Hobart. The productivity challenge includes
reducing obstacles that prevent people from entering or remaining in the labour force, increasing work skills to
make people attractive to employers, and retaining and attracting younger people and families from interstate
and overseas.
215 The labour force participation rate is defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as the proportion of the
civilian working age population (those aged 15 years and over) who are in the labour force. The nonparticipation rate comprises all people aged 15 years and over who are not employed or unemployed. ABS
reference
211
212
41
and reduce the number of individuals who are vulnerable to financial pressures216.
However, the proportion of Tasmania’s working age population either working or
actively seeking employment is consistently below the national rate217.
Tasmania’s ageing population is contributing to the challenge. Just over half of the
difference between the Tasmanian and national rates is due to the lower
participation of people aged 50 to 64 years. A significant component is also due to
lower participation rates for those aged 24 to 34 years (many of whom are involved
in home duties or child care)218.
Cost of living pressures are also contributing to the productivity challenge as a result
of people struggling to be effective at work due to financial stresses at home. The
cumulative impact of cost of living pressure, particularly when it results in choices to
ration food, medication and access to health services, can undermine people’s
health such that it results in lower workforce participation and productivity219.
Almost 14% of the current labour force, including the unemployed, has reduced
participation, or non-participation, due to ill health220.
In Tasmania, 53.5% of income is derived from wages and salaries compared to
61.5% nationally221. As well as having the lowest average wages in Australia222,
Tasmania has the lowest average number of employed people in the household223,
which also influences household income224.
Low-wage employees cycle between ‘low pay’ and ‘no pay’, and /or enduring
lengthy periods in low paid work225, and although many low-paid workers are
Demographic Change Advisory Council, 2007. Who is not participating in Tasmania’s labour force?
Department of Treasury & Finance: Hobart, p6.
217 Labour force statistics and gross state product statistics cited in Demographic Change Advisory Council, 2007.
Who is not participating in Tasmania’s labour force? Department of Treasury & Finance: Hobart, pages 7 to 8. See
also, Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics, 2008. A regional economy: a case study of
Tasmania, Commonwealth of Australia: Canberra.
218 Demographic Change Advisory Council, 2007. Who is not participating in Tasmania’s labour force?
Department of Treasury & Finance: Hobart, pp. 24-27; 38-39.
219 Demographic Change Advisory Council, 2008. Tasmania’s Workforce: health impacts on participation and
productivity in the face of an ageing population. Department of Treasury & Finance: Hobart. See also:
Demographic Change Advisory Council, 2007. Who is not participating in Tasmania’s labour force? Department
of Treasury & Finance: Hobart, pp.19-20.
220 Demographic Change Advisory Council, 2008. Tasmania’s Workforce: health impacts on participation and
productivity in the face of an ageing population. Department of Treasury & Finance: Hobart, p 5.
221 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2009, Household Income and Income Distribution, Australia, 2007-08; SIH 200708 Data Cube: Table 16 (cat. no.6523.0)
222 Department of Treasury and Finance, 2010 State Tax Review Discussion Paper. Accessed at
http://taxwatch.org.au/ssl/CMS/files_cms/183_State-Tax-Review-Discussion-Paper.pdf , p10
223 Companion Report 1provides a more detailed description of data from the ABS Household Income and
Income Distribution; SIH 2007-08.
224 Companion Report 1 provides detailed income and employment data.
225 Nelms, L. And Tsingas, C. 2010. Literature review on social inclusion and its relationship to minimum wages
and workforce participation, Research Report 2/2010. Fair Work Australia: Canberra, p18.
216
42
relatively protected by living with higher-paid workers, people who experience
intermittent or insecure employment are the most at risk of financial difficulty 226.
In June 2011 there were 236,900 people employed in Tasmania, of which one third
(34.2%) or 81,000 were part-time employees. This was the highest proportion of
part-time employees of any state or territory. Half of all employed females (51.9%)
were working on a part-time basis whereas 18.7% of all employed males were
working part-time227.
Many part-time workers have no desire to work additional hours. They enjoy the
flexibility and work/life balance that part-time work offers. However, there are
others who want, and are available to work more hours than they currently have.
At September 2010, 9.0% of employed people in Tasmania were part-time workers
who would prefer more hours228. By not working as many hours as they would like,
they may be subject to financial stress, psychological distress and reduced life
satisfaction. Underemployment229 in Tasmania has increased over recent years230
and is higher in Tasmania than any other state or territory.
While employment generally boosts the capacity of individuals and households to
manage their cost of living pressures, unemployment affects not only the level of
income, but also other economic resources that help people meet their cost of
living. For example, recent research from the UK suggests that problem debt is less
about people’s ability to manage money and more to do with the availability and
quality of employment231.
Over the last 10 years, unemployment in Tasmania has been falling, and in June 2011
was at 5.6%232. The reduction in unemployment has been accompanied by a
substantial decrease in long-term unemployment in recent years, although the
long-term unemployed still make up a large proportion of Tasmania’s total
unemployed233. The long term unemployed are particularly impacted by cost of
living pressures due to the effects of prolonged lack of income, loss of skills,
experience and self-confidence which compounds over time and affects their ability
to obtain work.
Pech, J. 2011. Relative living standards and needs of low-paid employees: definition and measurement, Research
report 2/2011. Commonwealth of Australia; Canberra, p iii.
227 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011, Tasmanian State and Regional Indicators, sourced from Labour Force,
Australia (cat. No. 6202.0),
228 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011, Underemployed Workers, Australia, Sep 2010: Table 8 (cat. no. 6265.0).
Data is also presented in Tasmania Together Indicator 9.1.2: Extent of underemployment. See
www.ttbenchmarks.com.au
229 Underemployment in this instance is defined as the number of part-time workers who would prefer more
hours.
230 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2010, Australian Social Trends, Dec 2009; Work Data Cube: table 2.6
(cat. no. 4102.0). In 2010, the proportion of underemployed was 7.2%, up from 5.2% in 2007.
231 Ben-Galim, D. & Lanning, T. 2010. Strengths against shocks: low-income families and debt, Institute for Public
Policy Research: London, p 6.
232 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011, Tasmanian State and Regional Indicators, sourced from Labour Force,
Australia (cat. No. 6202.0),
233 Adams, D. 2009. Appendix 1, Social Inclusion Strategy for Tasmania.
226
43
Unemployment impacts not only on individuals but also on their families. Tasmania
has the highest proportion of children living in jobless families of all states and
territories, with 21.6% of all children under 15 years of age living in jobless
families234. Rates of joblessness are higher for sole parent families, particularly those
headed by a female parent and where the youngest child is under 5 years. The
older the children, the more likely sole parents are to be employed, which may
indicate lack of child care support as a barrier235. Persistent joblessness in sole
parent households is also higher236.
Communities in transition
The distribution of jobs in Tasmania means there are individuals, families and
communities for whom joblessness is increasingly an issue. This is particularly the
case in communities where industries are in decline and have traditionally employed
people in the area. A recent example is the changes occurring in the forest industry.
These changes are impacting on businesses and workers and leading to loss of work
as well as greater variability in available work.
Although some workers have skills and education levels that let them move into
employment in other sectors, other workers are less able to do this due to limited
Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008. Australian Social Trends, Data Cube 4102.0, Family and Community
Indicators.
235 Adams, D. 2009. Appendix 1, Social Inclusion Strategy for Tasmania.
236 Wilkins, R., Warren, D., Hahn, M. & Houng, B. 2010. Families, Incomes and Jobs, Volume 5: A Statistical Report
on Waves 1 to 7 of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics Survey. Melbourne Institute of Applied
Economic and Social Research: University of Melbourne, page 70. In 2007, 37% of children in sole-parent
households were in jobless households for three or more years, and 15 percent were in jobless households for
six or seven years.
234
44
education and formal skills237. The skill of the working age population is a key factor
in determining workforce participation, and Tasmania has a skill base which is lower
than the national average238. Foundation skills for social and economic participation
– life and work skills – are developed from early childhood throughout the school
years. Investment in the early years and in our education system is critical as a
prevention and early intervention strategy for building cost of living capacity in
Tasmania.
Tasmania’s productivity could be vastly increased with a focus on job opportunities
for long term unemployed Tasmanians as well as more secure work for people
struggling on low incomes due to part-time or casual employment, as well as
people who are ‘under’ employed.
The recent Anglicare cost of living report highlights that a strategic response to cost
of living would include support for skills training, employment assistance programs
and targeted employment generation for people with disabilities, the long-term
unemployed and people with mental illness or at risk of racial discrimination. These
programs would also emphasise working with employers to overcome barriers to
employment and support for people to stay in work.239
Schiller, J. 2011. Unpublished PowerPoint presentation: ‘Socio-economic impacts of forest industry change’.
Demographic Change Advisory Council, 2007. Who is not participating in Tasmania’s labour force?
Department of Treasury & Finance: Hobart.
239 Flanagan, J. and Flanagan K. 2011. The Price of Poverty: the cost of living for low income earners, Anglicare
Tasmania: Hobart, p61
237
238
45
BUILDING FINANCIAL CAPABILITY
Financial capability has a quite specific meaning in an economics sense, referring to
people’s financial literacy and capacity to access the financial products and
educational tools they need to achieve financial stability and build and maintain
assets240. People with low financial capability experience a range of difficulties
associated with meeting cost of living pressures, including limited access to credit,
insurance and financial information.
Some approaches to financial capability focus on the importance of individual
knowledge of and choice in financial matters and how this affects the way people
cope with cost of living pressures and financial stress. These approaches emphasise
financial literacy as the way to develop people’s confidence, knowledge and skills for
managing products and services and being better able to overcome or avoid
financial difficulties241.
Financial literacy
The 2008 ANZ Survey of Adult Financial Literacy in Australia found that “Australian
adults generally are financially literate but there are certain groups who face
particular challenges as well as certain areas of money management and products
that are not as well understood as they should be”242. It found that people with low
levels of financial literacy were less aware of their rights and responsibilities, for
example in relation to insurance policies and making insurance claims, repaying
consumer debts, and making complaints against a bank or other financial institution.
They were also more at risk of financial loss due to lower use of insurance and being
less likely to obtain financial information that would help them purchase less
expensive financial products.
Australians are dealing with an increasingly complex financial system, and the
National Financial Literacy Strategy notes that this has made financial literacy a
necessary and critical skill for consumers243. It notes there are significant disparities
in knowledge and understanding of financial matters across different groups in the
community. Although most people are confident and knowledgeable about simple
Sledge, J., Tescher, J. & Gordon, S. 2010. From Financial Education to Financial Capability: Opportunities for
Innovation. Centre for Financial Services Innovation: cfsinnovation.com
241 Australian Securities & Investments Commission, 2001. National Financial Literacy Strategy, Report 229.
Commonwealth of Australia: URL address
See also: Financial Literacy Foundation, 2007. Financial Literacy: Australians understanding money.
Commonwealth of Australia: Canberra.
242 Social Research Centre, 2008. ANZ Survey of Adult Financial Literacy in Australia, page 1. The survey also
found a strong association between financial literacy and demographic/socio-economic characteristics, although
it noted that not all members of a particularly population group would have either low or high financial literacy.
People who were more likely to have low financial literacy included young people (18-24 years) and older people
(70 years and over), people whose formal education did not go beyond year 10, those living in areas of high
socio-economic disadvantage, those who were unemployed, those working in blue collar occupations, those
whose main source of income was a government benefit or allowance, and those whose household income was
less than $25,000
243 Australian Securities & Investments Commission, 2001. National Financial Literacy Strategy, Report 229.
Commonwealth of Australia: URL address, pages 4-6.
240
46
and familiar topics such as budgeting, they are less knowledgeable about topics
such as saving for retirement. The four core elements of the National Financial
Literacy Strategy include:
Using educational pathways to build financial literacy;
Providing Australians with trusted and independent information, tools and
ongoing support;
Developing additional innovative solutions to drive improved financial
wellbeing and behavioural change; and
Building effective partnerships between those involved in financial literacy
work.
Financial counselling is another mechanism through which to assist people who
have less confidence or expertise to negotiate what is often seen as a complex and
daunting financial services system244. Through financial counselling, people receive
advice and assistance in negotiating with creditors, doing something about
outstanding bills or debt recovery, developing budgeting and financial management
skills, and exploring financial alternatives. Financial counsellors can also advocate
with government or non-government organisations on behalf of vulnerable
consumers245. Both the Commonwealth and State Governments provide funding for
financial counselling services. Even so, there is evidence that waiting times for a first
appointment are increasing as more people find themselves less able to manage
cost of living pressures in the current economic environment246.
The ANZ paper, Understanding Personal Debt and Financial Difficulty in Australia247
presents the findings of a qualitative study into why some people fall into financial
difficulty and what role financial literacy plays in that outcome. The research shows
that people from a broad range of employment, education, occupation and
household income levels were affected by financial difficulty. However, compared
with those who felt in control of their finances, low income households (under $15
000 a year) were significantly more likely to experience financial difficulty. In many
cases, events outside of people’s control occurred that had the effect of either
decreasing income or increasing expenses or both, such as job loss, poor health,
divorce and relationship breakdown and small business struggle or failure.
Studies have shown that poor families tend to keep track of their expenditures and
there is nothing systematically ‘wrong’ in the way they manage their finance, when
compared with wealthier families. What is different is that for the low-income and
Livingstone, C., Bruce, e., Kotnik, E. & King, S. no date. Consumer Financial Stress. Monash University: URL
address.
245 Flanagan, K. 2009 . Hard Times: Tasmanians in Financial Crisis. Anglicare Tasmania: Hobart, page 16.
246 Livingstone, C., Bruce, E., Kotnik, E. and King, S. no date. Consumer Financial Stress. Monash University: URL
address.
See also: Lifeline Community Care Queensland, 2010. Our Financial Wellbeing: a Report on Financial Stress in
Queensland. www.lccq.org.au
247 ANZ paper, Understanding Personal Debt and Financial Difficulty in Australia, November 2005
244
47
disadvantaged groups, the consequences of a lack of knowledge or a mistake in
planning can be devastating. Their weaker access to financial safety nets and the
fact they are more likely to be financially excluded, mean that they can face longlasting negative effects in a financial crisis. It is this higher vulnerability that should
be the drive behind financial education of the most financially disadvantaged rather
than preconceptions about their attitude towards money management 248.
Recent economic downturns have affected consumer confidence and increased
people’s concern about ongoing capacity to meet cost of living pressures249. During
the Tasmania Together 10-Year Review, Tasmanians said that rising costs for
everyday essentials were increasingly a challenge where they had previously
thought they were managing250.
There is a sense that many people have given up and are simply
surviving; they are weary and resigned to ever increasing costs and a
bleak future.
All felt somewhat defeated and commented that ‘there is nothing we can
do, we just have to deal with what we’ve got’.
Community consultation report251
There is a view that if people made responsible budget choices, they would be able
to manage the cost of living pressures they face. However, the evidence shows that
people on low incomes are in fact very good managers of their money252. Often the
issues are that their income level is inadequate, they cannot get appropriate
financial information and/or they cannot access affordable financial products.
Access to affordable financial products
Due to the central role of income and assets in preventing financial
vulnerability, priority should be given to improving access and availability
Arashiro, Z Financial Inclusion in Australia: Towards transformative policy, Social Policy working Paper No.13,
August 2010, Melbourne; page 12
249 Both the Suncorp Life Confidence Index (September 2010) and Citibank’s Fin-Q Survey (media releases in
January and February 2011) reported that Australians are less confident/optimistic about their financial future.
The Citi Fin-Q Survey found, for example, that 59% of Australians say their finances were affected by the GFC;
19% think they are well behind where they should be as a result of the GFC and another 42% say they are a little
behind, 41% made a lot of tough changes to their finances in the past year, and 64% cut back on non-essential
spending in the past year. The Commonwealth Bank’s Economic Vitality Report (September 2010).
250 Tasmania Together Progress Board, 2011. Speak Today Shape Tomorrow: What the Community Said.
Tasmania Together 2020: Hobart, page 4.
251 Community Inclusion Workers, Child and Family Centres Project 2011 Community Consultation Report for the
Social Inclusion Unit, Department of Premier and Cabinet
252 Arashiro, Z. 2011. Money matters in times of change: Financial vulnerability through the life course.
Brotherhood of St Laurence: Brunswick. This research notes that debt problems rarely derive from individual’s
poor money management. In reasoning about financial decisions, people take account of their connections with
others, the specific demand of their life stages, and their margin for choice based on their external environment.
248
48
of fair and basic financial services and products, such as loans, insurance
and basic bank accounts253.
Table 2 demonstrates the irrationality of market logic in relation to banking
products for low income households. It sets out some of the inclusion strategies
that can assist households to afford financial products and build resilience and
assets to better ‘cope’ with cost of living risk.
Table 2 – Financial inclusion strategies
Market
Market failure
Inclusion strategy
Financial advice
Too expensive, biased, not marketed
(Centrelink)
Free and independent financial
information and mentoring
Low cost bank
accounts
Previously unavailable; now not
sufficiently marketed
Proactive marketing by banks to
relevant markets
Savings
accounts
Too little income; no confidence in
saving
Matched savings schemes widely
available
Loans
Cannot afford interest repayments
No Interest Loans widely available
No default fee
bank accounts
Available for high bank balance and
sometimes very low income
Corporate social responsibility to
ensure fairness
Retirement
savings/ super
Multiple systemic causes especially for
women
Government regulation and
subsidisation
Debt
consolidation
Exploitative, expensive
More financial counselling; more
regulation
Source: Landvogt, K. 2008. Financial capability: a view from the margins of the ‘money system’, Brotherhood of St Laurence
Lunchtime Seminar. Accessed at http://www.bsl.org.au/pdfs/Kathy_Landvogt_Financial_capability_18Sept08.pdf
One of the resources at the disposal of Tasmanians in terms of managing finances is
credit. The cost of credit however is also one example of the cumulative impact of
living on a low income. People on low incomes are often excluded from mainstream
financial products and as a result are dependent on fringe financial services which
come at a higher price. The impact of financing high cost loans on a low income can
be people becoming stuck in a debt cycle that leads to serious financial problems.
Financial exclusion occurs when certain groups have limited access to
credit, savings, insurance and other financial products. People on low
incomes are most likely to experience financial exclusion. They either go
without essential items or use ‘fringe’ financial services such as
pawnbrokers, loan sharks and payday lenders.254
Arashiro, Z. 2011. Money Matters in Times of Change: Financial Vulnerability through the Life Course.
Brotherhood of St Laurence: Fitzroy, page viii
254 Brotherhood of St Laurence Progress Loans towards affordable credit for low income Australians
253
49
Nationally, it has been estimated that around 15.6% of the adult population were
either fully or partially excluded from financial services - including a basic
transaction account, a low rate credit card and basic general insurance. 255
Burkett and Sheehan256 have identified five dimensions of financial exclusion as
outlined in Table 3.
Table 3 – Five As of financial exclusion
Dimensions of
exclusion
Explanation
Availability
The kind of service needed does not exist at all or does not exist in an individual’s
locality.
Access
A lack of access to particular kinds of financial services because of structural
factors or issues that an individual faces (such as credit record, language or
physical disabilities).
Awareness
A lack of awareness of fair products or a lack of capacity to engage with services.
This could be as a result of inadequate promotion of basic, fair products by
financial service providers.
Appropriateness
Products are not appropriate to an individual’s needs (such as small, regular
repayments on loans for someone on a limited budget) or their cultural
backgrounds (for example, there is a lack of systems in Australia to meet the
needs of the Islamic community who have particular beliefs about the charging of
interest).
Affordability
An inability to afford existing products (for instance, few insurance products exist
for people living on low incomes) or the cost structures means that people with
few financial resources are charged more.
In Australia less than 1 per cent of people have no basic financial products, primarily
because the government pays Centrelink and other benefits through bank accounts.
This is in contrast to the USA and UK where many do not have a bank account.
However research has found that 6 per cent of adults in Australia could be said to
be excluded257. Nationally it has been estimated 15.6% of the adult population are
either fully or partially excluded from financial services - including a basic
transaction account, a low rate credit card and basic general insurance258, the
average annual cost of which has been calculated at $1 740259. The Centre for Social
Impact has identified one of the strongest causes of financial exclusion as the
The Centre for Social Impact Measuring Financial Exclusion in Australia
Burkett, I and Sheehan G, 2009 From the margins to the mainstream: The challenges for microfinance in
Australia, Accessed at http://www.bsl.org.au/pdfs/BurkittSheehan_From_the_margins_microfinance_2009.pdf
257 Burkett, I and Sheehan G, 2009 From the margins to the mainstream: The challenges for microfinance in
Australia, http://www.bsl.org.au/pdfs/BurkittSheehan_From_the_margins_microfinance_2009.pdf, p 3
258 Connolly C, Georgouras M, Hems L and Wolfson L, 2011 Measuring Financial Exclusion in Australia, Centre for
Social Impact (CSI) – University of New South Wales, , for National Australia Bank
259 Connolly C, Georgouras M, Hems L and Wolfson L, 2011 Measuring Financial Exclusion in Australia, Centre for
Social Impact (CSI) – University of New South Wales, , for National Australia Bank, p4
255
256
50
absence of basic affordable products260 - banks do not generally offer small
personal loans to low income consumers. Those who are excluded from
mainstream financial services either go without essential items or use ‘fringe’
financial services such as pawnbrokers and payday lenders261. Payday loans are
small short term loans that are available even to people with poor credit history.
Lenders compensate for additional costs involved in administering small, short-term
loans by charging higher prices262, for example, high interest rates and charges which
have a significant impact on already low incomes and can leave people spiralling into
further debt263. Fringe banking service, including payday lenders have proliferated in
Australia over recent years, exploiting the lack of mainstream providers in the
market for small amount loans. In many cases, for low income earns requiring a
small loan, they provide their only viable option264.
The most common reasons customers give for requesting a payday loan are car
registration and insurance, urgent car repairs, rental bond, fridge or washing
machine replacement or repair, funeral and medical costs, dental expenses, to avoid
bank and credit card fees, multiple utility bills coinciding and traffic or parking fines
and legal expenses. These priorities are reflected in Tasmania, with the additional of
examples of people seeking loans for rental payments265.
In a 2002 survey of emergency relief services clients, 15% of respondents identified
loan costs to be a problem or very big problem for their household266. In a similar
2008 survey, 24.7% of participants said that loan repayments were a big problem
and 42.7% said that they were either a problem or a very big problem 267. Loan
repayments were the reason for 15% of respondents seeking assistance.
When providers do advance small amounts of credit to lower income households it
is often in the form of credit cards. Credit is used for different purposes by different
income groups, with lower income earners more likely to use credit to overcome
financial problems while higher income earners use it to enhance their lifestyles 268.
Connolly C, Georgouras M, Hems L and Wolfson L, 2011 Measuring Financial Exclusion in Australia, Centre for
Social Impact (CSI) – University of New South Wales, , for National Australia Bank
261 Vawser and Associates, 2009 Progress Loans towards affordable credit for low income Australians, Brotherhood
of St Laurence. Accessed at
http://www.bsl.org.au/pdfs/Vawser_Progress_Loans_towards_affordable_credit_for_lowincome_Australians_2009.pdf
262 Flanagan, J. and Flanagan K. 2011. The Price of Poverty: the cost of living for low income earners, Anglicare
Tasmania: Hobart.
263 TasCOSS 2009 Just Scraping By? Conversations with Tasmanians Living on Low Incomes
264 Brotherhood of St Laurence, Submission to Senate Economics Committee Inquiry into competition within the
Australian banking sector, November 2010. Accessed at
http://www.bsl.org.au/pdfs/BSL_subm_Senate_inquiry_Competition_in_Australian_banking_sector_2010.pdf , p 5
265 Information provided on the website of the National Financial Services Federation, Payday Lending in
Tasmania
266 Madden, K. 2003. Bread and Board; When the Basics Break the Budget. Anglicare Tasmania: Hobart.
267Flanagan, K. 2009, Hard Times: Tasmanians in Financial Crisis, Anglicare Tasmania, p59
268 Hughes, C. 2009 Payday Lending in Tasmania, Anglicare Tasmania: Hobart.
260
51
Over 80% of households own a credit card269. For many on low incomes, credit
cards are a debt trap, designed to encourage immediate expenditure without
provision for a clear and realistic payment arrangement270. Lenders indirectly
influence an individual’s path to financial difficulty – the majority of people in the
qualitative study with credit cards had received unsolicited credit limit increase
offers. In many cases offers were accepted where pre-existing financial issues
existed. Acceptance was also underpinned by a perception that ‘it must be okay’
because the lender had sent it out.
The Brotherhood of St Laurence, in conjunction with the ANZ Bank, has identified
that the key factors leading to financial exclusion include the risk assessment policies
and conditions attached to financial products, the pricing of these products and that
the marketing of financial products is often not designed to meet the needs of
people on low incomes271. People are unable to meet lending criteria because their
income is too low, they do not have sufficient assets or appropriate security or they
are not in paid work272.
Research has identified education levels can have an impact on exclusion from more
complex financial products such as insurance and that people do not bother
applying for financial products as they believe they would be refused273. The
experience of discrimination in the mainstream financial system often leads to a
sense that ‘these services are not for us’. Customers accessing the fringe lending
market often cite the friendly approach by service providers as an advantage. 274
The Brotherhood of St Laurence, in conjunction with the National Australia Bank, has
identified access to small bank loans (under $5 000) as a problem for low income
earners. Offering low or no-fee transaction accounts, removing ATM fees, setting
cheaper interest rates and enabling customers to switch providers without penalty
ING Direct, 2010 Financial Wellbeing Index Q2: New insights into the financial wellbeing of Australian
Households. Accessed at
http://www.ingdirect.com.au/assets/pdf/INGD_Financial_Wellbeing_Index_20100804.pdf
270 Brotherhood of St Laurence, Submission to Senate Economics Committee Inquiry into competition within the
Australian banking sector, November 2010, p 4
271 Vawser and Associates, 2009 Progress Loans towards affordable credit for low income Australians, Brotherhood
of St Laurence. Accessed at
http://www.bsl.org.au/pdfs/Vawser_Progress_Loans_towards_affordable_credit_for_lowincome_Australians_2009.pdf, page 6
272 Vawser and Associates, 2009 Progress Loans towards affordable credit for low income Australians, Brotherhood
of St Laurence. Accessed at
http://www.bsl.org.au/pdfs/Vawser_Progress_Loans_towards_affordable_credit_for_lowincome_Australians_2009.pdf, page 9
273 Vawser and Associates, 2009 Progress Loans towards affordable credit for low income Australians, Brotherhood
of St Laurence. Accessed at
http://www.bsl.org.au/pdfs/Vawser_Progress_Loans_towards_affordable_credit_for_lowincome_Australians_2009.pdf
274 Connolly C, Georgouras M, Hems L and Wolfson L, 2011 Measuring Financial Exclusion in Australia, Centre for
Social Impact (CSI) – University of New South Wales, , for National Australia Bank
269
52
can help address financial transactions that unfairly impact marginalised
Australians275.
To address this issue, there is a need for lenders to market their products
responsibly and to be responsive and appropriately flexible in dealing with
customers in financial hardship276. Organisations such as the No Interest Loans
Scheme (NILS), the Smith family and the ANZ bank (through Saver Plus) are active in
Tasmania promoting access to affordable personal credit, micro-business credit and
matched savings plans. State-wide financial counselling services are also available,
but as Burkett and Sheehan point out, it is time for investment to significantly
upscale these programs so these can reach many more people277.
Sections of the market, in particular banks, have taken action in three main ways by
developing programs focussed on research, advocacy and awareness.
The Commonwealth Bank publishes Viewpoint, an economic vitality report, which
includes the results of consumer sentiment surveys, with the latest issue showing
consumer confidence has fallen from 39% in November 2010 to 29% in January
2011278. Viewpoint has also looked at women and cost of living, finding that women
are more likely to manage household accounts and have a greater awareness of the
cumulative impacts of price rises in the context of cost of living.
In Tasmania, MyState Financial has produced a Tasmanian Economic Index to
provide a comprehensive, relevant and specific indicator regarding the Tasmanian
economic condition and the needs and concerns of Tasmanian people in relation to
that condition279. From the Quarter 3 2010 report, a significant downward trend in
confidence in personal financial situation index in those aged 65 and over was
noted280.
The onus is not only on the banking or financial sector of the market. The
Brotherhood of St Lawrence has challenged the big telecommunication companies
to stop profiteering from disadvantaged Australians and present clear information
Media Release, Brotherhood says lack of access to small bank loans a big problem for low income earners, 25
January 2011 at <http://www.bsl.or.gua/Hot-issues/Media-releases.aspx?id=342>
276 ANZ and A.C. Nielson, 2005 Understanding Personal Debt and Financial Difficulty in Australia. Accessed at
http://www.anz.com/aus/aboutanz/Community/Programs/pdf/ANZ_UPD_fin_difficulty.pdf
277 Burkett, I. and Sheehan, G. 2009 From the Margins to the Mainstream: The challenges for microfinance in
Australia, Brotherhood of St Laurence and Foresters Community Finance. Accessed at
http://www.bsl.org.au/pdfs/BurkittSheehan_From_the_margins_microfinance_2009.pdf
278 Commonwealth Bank 2011 Viewpoint: Economic Vitality Report, Issue 3, page 17. Accessed at
http://www.commbank.com.au/about-us/our-company/viewpoint/pdfs/Viewpoint-Issue-Three.pdf
279 The Index is designed to provide an informed view on how people are feeling about their financial future.
To do this DBM Consultants surveys 700 Tasmanians, asking nine key questions around four factors: personal
financial situation, debt repayments, Tasmanian economic situation and good time to buy. Using an 11-point
scale, respondents provide information on how they are feeling about each question in each factor. DBM
consultants then compile this information to establish an Index for each factor, and the headline Tasmanian
Economic Index is then compiled from these results. An analysis of the effects that the economic conditions
have on various groups by demographics such as age, gender, household structure and income, occupation and
geographical region is also provided.
280 MyState, 2010 Financial Tasmanian Economic Index, Quarter 3 2010; available from
<http://www.mystate.com.au>
275
53
and pricing conditions, offer better customer credit protection and provide decent
and reliable customer service. Phone contracts are incredibly confusing. Access to
affordable and appropriate telecommunication services is important for health,
personal safety, wellbeing and connection to families and welfare workers281.
Switching by customers is crucial to competition in many markets. Despite benefits
that could be gained by consumers from switching, there is a reluctance by
customers to switch due to factors relating to behavioural economics, financial
literacy levels and the various costs associated with switching, not limited to
monetary costs, but also include risk, time and cost of other resources, such as
phone calls or internet282.
Media Release: Mobile phones and unscrupulous telcos are disastrous for young Australians. 15 September
2010 at <http://www.bsl.or.gua/ Media-releases.aspx?id=330>
282 Brotherhood of St Laurence, Submission to Senate Economics Committee Inquiry into competition within the
Australian banking sector, November 2010, page 5
281
54
STRENGTHENING CONSUMER PROTECTION
The experience of financial hardship can often be eased by the provision of greater
information and awareness for consumers. Households may be able to vary
consumption patterns or have greater choice in relation to products if they have full
information regarding the implications of their use. For example, the higher cost of
Aurora Pay As You Go (APAYG) compared to billed customers, high interest charges
of payday lenders, or interest free purchases attracting a greater goods cost over
time payments. Cost of living impacts can be addressed by improved protection
and awareness initiatives, particularly of options for crisis support. This can be
achieved via a number of mechanisms including improved regulation through
community service obligations and greater awareness and promotion of existing
hardship policies.
Many of the expenses causing financial stress in participants’ households
are delivered by corporatised, government-owned services such as
Aurora Energy, Metro Tasmania and the new water and sewerage
corporations.... Making these services affordable is a State Government
responsibility met through the provision of ‘community service
obligation’ payments to the corporations283.
Governments regulate many industries and sectors, some of which are largely or
fully privatised (eg telecommunications nationally, electricity in some states), and
others in which the retailers are government-owned. Across this broad range of
sectors, governments have put a range of mechanisms in place to regulate the way
in which retailers interact with their customers and set minimum standards for those
interactions.
Community Service obligations
A Community Service Obligation arises when a government
specifically requires a public enterprise to carry out activities relating
to outputs or inputs which it would not elect to do on a commercial
basis, and which the government does not require other businesses
in the public or private sectors to generally undertake, or which it
would only do commercially at higher prices.284
In Tasmania, a number of Community Service Obligations (CSOs) and Community
Service Activities (CSAs) exist285, under which the government subsidises the
operator of a service, rather than the user. For instance, in addition to providing
concessions to users of public transport, the State Government heavily subsidises
Flanagan, K. 2009, Hard Times: Tasmanians in Financial Crisis, Anglicare Tasmania
Steering Committee on National Performance Monitoring of Government Trading Enterprises 1994,
Community Service Obligations: Some Definitional, Costing and Funding Issues, Industry Commission: Belconnen
285
CSOs and CSAs are similar to the extent that they are payments made by Government to a Government
Business Enterprise or State Owned Company to provide non-commercial activity, to meet a social policy
objective.
283
284
55
public transport operators. While fare revenues have decreased over time, fares
have not increased at a level to compensate and service levels have stayed the
same. This effectively amounts to a ‘hidden subsidy’ for all users of public transport
services286.
The State Government owns a diverse portfolio of businesses, including those which
ensure the continued provision of essential services. Government businesses
operate in a commercial manner with profit being their number one priority.
However, they play an important role in the delivery of key government social and
economic objectives287 and deliver services to the community that would not
otherwise be provided by the private sector operating commercially 288.
Table 4 sets out the range of Government Business Enterprises (GBEs) and State
Owned Companies (SOCs) in Tasmania289:
Table 4 – Government Business Enterprises and State Owned Companies in
Tasmania
Government
Business
Enterprises
GBE Act 1995
Forestry Tasmania
Hydro Tasmania
Motor Accident Insurance Board
Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority
Rivers and Water Supply Commission
Tasmanian Public Finance Corporation
The Public Trustee
286
Another example is the CSO provides a subsidy for the supply of electricity for residents on the Bass Strait
Islands, as well as pensioner concessions for relevant customers. Thus, the CSO assists all customers, as well as
providing a targeted concession to pensioners. The subsidy is provided because the cost of generation is very
high, and the revenue raised from usage does not cover the full cost of generation.
287 According to the Treasurer’s Instruction Government Business Enterprises Act 1995 GBE 13-114-04 Community
Service Obligations, “The main objectives of CSO policy are to ensure that the Government’s economic, social
and other objectives are achieved without impacting on the commercial performance of GBEs and to improve
transparency, equity and efficiency of CSO service delivery”.
288 The Government Businesses Enterprises Act 1995 (GBE Act), s59 defines a CSO as a function, service or
concession provided, allowed or performed by a GBE as a result of a direction under the GBE Act or any other
Act of Parliament, or a specific requirement in any Act, and which would not have been performed, provided or
allowed if that GBE were a business in the private sector operating in accordance with sound commercial
practice. CSAs are essentially a contractual arrangement between a SOC and the relevant Minister, and there
are no specific legislative procedures which outline how the non-commercial activity will be identified, costed or
approved. The process for establishing a CSO is more comprehensive and requires the identification and
costing of non-commercial activities by a GBE before the Treasurer decides whether or not to fund the noncommercial activity.
289 The term ‘Government businesses’ refers to GBEs and SOCs, the two types of government businesses
currently used in Tasmania. GBEs are established under their own Portfolio Act and the framework of the
Government Business Enterprise Act 1995 (GBE Act), while SOCs are established under their own Portfolio Act
and incorporated under the Corporations Act 2001 (Corporations Act).
56
State-owned
Companies
Corporations Act
Aurora Energy Pty Ltd
Metro Tasmania Pty Ltd
Tasmanian Ports Corporation Pty Ltd
Tasmanian Railway Pty Ltd
Tasracing Pty Ltd
TOTE Tasmania Pty Ltd
Transend Networks Pty Ltd
TT-Line Company Pty Ltd
It should be noted that while the water and sewerage corporations are not GBEs or
SOCs – they are owned by the councils of their respective regions – the Water and
Sewerage Corporations Act 2008 provides that, like GBEs and SOCs, these
corporations are subject to the Treasurers’ instructions with respect to guidelines,
principles, practices and procedures 290 and subject to the scrutiny of the
Government Business Enterprises Scrutiny Committee. In the Second Reading
speech the Hon Michael Aird MLC highlighted the importance of the Treasurer’s
Instructions to ensure that the corporations operate under arrangements that are
similar to those that apply to State-owned companies. The Water and Sewerage
(Community Service Obligations) Act 2009 imposes a CSO on the water corporations
and their owners in the form of concession arrangements for low income earners.
The ability to require a Government business to undertake a non-commercial
activity is an important policy instrument for the Government. The Productivity
Commission291 has recommended that CSOs should be the primary mechanism for
ensuring that disadvantaged consumers continue to have sufficient access to utility
services at affordable prices, noting that there should be regular monitoring for
effectiveness.
Affordability of essential services for disadvantaged consumers is not currently
included in the legislation that governs that GBEs and SOCs. The provision of an
overarching legislative requirement of affordability of service is one way to address
the absence of cost of living considerations. Currently there is minimal
accountability to assess the impact of CSOs and whether more can be done. For
example, offering a concession is a first step, but may not be sufficient to ensure
that all eligible customers struggling with cost of living pressures are aware of the
concession and able to receive the benefits due to them.
Hardship policies and bill smoothing
Many GBEs and SOCs also offer a number of supports and policies enabling
incremental payment plans or other considerations for people in hardship. There is
opportunity to increase the monitoring of accessibility and promotion of these
policies. GBEs could be required to undertake promotion of payment plans and ‘bill
smoothing options’ and their performance against these objectives monitored.
Section 39(1) Treasurer's Instructions provides : The Treasurer may issue instructions, in writing, in respect of
guidelines, principles, practices and procedures to be observed by a Corporation.
291 Productivity Commission 2008 Review of Australia’s Consumer Framework Vol.1. Recommendation 5.4
290
57
Bill smoothing is a term used to describe the payment of a large lump sum in
instalments over time. In this way, the amount of the bill is not reduced, it is spread
out or ‘smoothed’ over a longer period to reduce the impact on a household
budget in a particular cycle. One issue for households struggling to make ends
meet is being able to cope with several large bills that need to be paid at the same
time. Although many of these bills are regular and can be anticipated as part of a
household’s cash flow management, the ‘lumpiness’ of large bills can be
problematic and stressful. In addition, steep price rises – such as electricity and
water – can leave households with minimal opportunity to absorb these into their
finances before the next rise hits. The cumulative impact of large bills can cause
significant hardship particularly for people who are already financially stressed and
especially at seasonal peak times such as Christmas and back to school times.
In relation to utility bills, market research shows that people prefer bill smoothing
options that help reduce the shock of large bills by enabling these to be paid in
smaller manageable amounts over a period of time292. In relation to vehicle
registration, other States and Territories have found that there has been high take
up rate by consumers for 3-monthly renewals293. By comparison, Tasmania only
offers 6 or 12 monthly renewals.
There is potential to help reduce the lumpiness of large bills and the subsequent
cost pressures these cause. For example, billers could assist by adjusting the timing
of a bill to take account of seasonal peaks and help reduce the impact of large bills.
Through options such as Bpay and direct debit, individual consumers can set the
frequency of bill payments to suit their household cash flow, in anticipation of the
total potential charge at the end of the service period. Governments can assist in
aligning concessions with billing options and hardship policies to help reduce the
cost of bills for those on low incomes or facing financial hardship. It is also
important that people are aware of the range of available payment options,
hardship arrangements and concessions.
It is also important that billers collect and maintain data in relation to the timing of
bills over a calendar year, on a place basis, that is who is billing when and where.
This exercise has been undertaken in Victoria and when combined, provides a
picture of the cumulative impact for particular places at peak times of the year.
Similar information was sought from major billers for this report but was difficult to
obtain either because it would take considerable time to compile or was information
not collected or readily accessible for billers. If the data is collected, available and
mapped in the future, it may enable changes to billing cycles as a small way to ease
cost pressures for particular Tasmanian communities.
Market Report Finder 2011,
http://marketreportfinder.com/report/industry/energy_natural_resources/billing_and_payment_preferences_in_a
ustralian_residential_supply15c_5_2e.html, accessed 18 July 2011. This research found that Australian households
show a preference to shift away from more expensive payment channels to cheaper options, such as Direct
Debit, and there is significant interest in options such as bill smoothing and combined electricity and gas bills.
293 Department of Premier and Cabinet, 2011Bill Smoothing – Environmental Scan (unpublished).
292
58
59
BUILDING NETWORKS OF SUPPORT
Communities can play a vital role in assisting individuals and households to manage
cost of living risks. They are the places in which people make friends, develop social
networks and forge identity and belonging. They are where people can come up
with locally relevant solutions and access effective supports in times of crisis.
The capacity of individuals and households to withstand cost of living pressures is
not only affected by the level of financial resources but importantly also the nonfinancial assets they possess294. While some households may have low levels of
income, they may also have access to relatively high levels of wealth. For example,
households with retired members may own their home outright and/or have other
investments. Households with low levels of income can also have high levels of non
financial resources.
Non financial resources can be understood as supportive networks or ‘non-cash’ or
in-kind assistance to individuals and households. These methods of support are an
important resource that can help improve capacity to manage cost of living
pressures.
Non-cash assistance to households is also provided in the form of free subsidised
goods and services, such as health, education, housing, transport and community
support services. Because a number of these services are means tested to target
low income groups, this form of assistance is particularly important for those who
are unable to work, cannot find employment, can only access part-time or casual
work, and whose rate of pay is low.
People also receive in-kind assistance from family, friends, their employer, and/or
community organisations. These networks of support are an important resource
that helps them to maintain an adequate standard of living, and remain resilient in
the face of rising cost pressures. For example, goods and services received from
employers can include fringe benefits such as a car, petrol, clothing, housing, and
sometimes health and education. Community organisations may provide goods
and services such as emergency accommodation, food parcels, clothing, bedding
and furniture, childcare and home support. Family and friends provide a wide range
of goods and services including for example child care, transport, accommodation,
furniture, help in the garden, and home maintenance.
In the same way that individual cost of living capacity varies depending on the mix
of available resources and current expenditure needs, communities in different
locations have varying levels of assets and resilience. Where local communities are
active, caring and resilient there are likely to be much higher levels of capacity to
manage cost of living pressures and adapt to economic challenges. This is
particularly so when communities experience external shocks such as industry
closures or natural disasters such as fire, flood and drought, which result in sudden
Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010 Measures of Australia’s Progress, Sep 2010: Household Economic
Wellbeing. cat. no.1370.0 See also Companion Report 1
294
60
downward pressure on people’s income and resources and upward pressure on the
costs they face.
Every year we have a sports day. That helped a lot during the
drought too, it was a cheap day out and helped people to come and
have a bit of fun and take their mind off what was going on. Things
like that are what works during a drought I think.
Farmer 7 (Drought Evaluation Project)295
There were a couple of younger guys here who were in a bit of strife
and were doing it pretty tight and pretty tough. A few of the [social
group] fellows kept an eye on them and talked to them a bit.
Farmer 4 (Drought Evaluation Project) 296
A 2011 study of community assets in Circular Head297, a rural community in North
West Tasmania, identified a significant increase in family and individual stress that
was largely related to financial pressure on households. It noted that building and
maintaining community assets is important for community resilience and enabling
individuals and families within the community to recover and adapt to change. The
type of assets communities need include:
The gifts, skills and capacities of individuals;
Active participation and formal and informal structures through which people
work together to pursue common goals (e.g. citizen’s associations, ‘recovery’
forums, local community organisations, people coming together in
recreational and learning activities);
Public institutions (e.g. local councils investing in community development)
and public infrastructure (e.g. community centre, health and social support
services, walking tracks) that support and foster participation;
Strong social connections and relationships; capacity and willingness to work
together to support each other in practical ways as well as emotional support;
Faith and belief in the region’s potential and positive future;
Strong commitment to education and training; and
Strong commitment to building and communicating a positive future for
young people298.
295 Dare,
M., Kimber, J. and Schirmer, J. 2011 Tasmanian Drought Evaluation Project. University of Tasmania & JS
Consulting: Hobart.
296 Dare, M., Kimber, J. and Schirmer, J. 2011 Tasmanian Drought Evaluation Project. University of Tasmania & JS
Consulting: Hobart.
297 Fudge, M. 2011. Local Voices: Enquiry into Community Assets in Circular Head Tasmania. Relationship Australia
Tasmania: Hobart.
298 Fudge, M. 2011. Local Voices: Enquiry into community Assets in Circular Head, Tasmania. Relationships
Australia Tasmania: Hobart, pages 1 to 2.
61
Supportive Local Networks
There is a strong link between positive social networks and the achievement of cost
of living responses for families299. Supportive local networks – the organisations and
social relationships through which people form friendships, work and exchange
information– can strengthen individuals and families to take action and find
innovative ways to manage cost of living. These networks can help maintain stability
and prevent as well as respond to crises by providing people with resources such
emergency child care, gifts of time (eg. with moving house or mending a broken
appliance), or gifts of food, clothing or cash.
I have very good friends here... it’s safe for my son. People help one
another. You know your neighbours; it’s a very caring place. If you
are out of wood or break your leg, people will help you out.
West Coast respondent300
Through trusted and supportive relationships people can get help and identify and
share local strategies for reducing costs (including giving each other tips on where
to find the ‘best buys’, sales and free events).
We’re facing a lot, but you know, the community feels really upbeat.
We make our own opportunities here.
Circular Head, North West Coast301
Supportive networks can also connect people with institutions that offer affordable
financial services, organisations that provide skills training and employment
placement, or those that can provide a range of support services. As well as
connecting and vouching for people, local social networks can also help mitigate
the sense of wariness or uncertainty that comes with these new connections302.
Because supportive local networks create community bonds and trusting
relationships through which information can be transferred, they are important
mechanisms for communication both between people within the community and
between community members and other organisations. Research shows that word
of mouth is an important means by which people receive information and advice303.
299 Ahsan,
N. 2007. Social Networks Make a Difference: Family Economic Success. Annie E. Casey Foundation:
Baltimore.
300 TasCOSS, 2009. Just Scraping By? Conversations with Tasmanians living on low incomes. TasCOSS: Hobart,
page 53.
301 Fudge, M. 2011. Local Voices: Enquiry into community Assets in Circular Head, Tasmania. Relationships
Australia Tasmania: Hobart.
302 Ahsan, N. 2007. Social Networks Make a Difference: Family Economic Success. Annie E. Casey Foundation:
Baltimore, pages 8 and12.
303 Ibid, page14.
Also see:
Consumer Financial Education Body, 2010. Transforming Financial Behaviour: A summary. Accessed at
http://www.fairbanking.org.uk/20100709_transforming_financial_behaviour_summary.pdf , pages 10 and 22.
Dare, M., Kimber, J. and Schirmer, J. 2011. Tasmanian Drought Evaluation Project. University of Tasmania & JS
Consulting: Hobart, page iii.
62
Developing strong peer support mechanisms is an effective way to mobilise people
within the community who understand how information flows and how social
networks operate in their local community. Peer supporters based in local
community organisations are well placed to help people better understand their
entitlements as consumers and support them to access these. They are also able to
provide information back to service providers and decision makers about cost of
living issues and the barriers that exist in local communities, as well as how
community members think these could be tackled304.
The recent Tasmanian Drought Evaluation Project305 found that community leaders
play a critical role in assisting members of their community cope with financial
hardship. During Tasmania’s drought community leaders, often acting in a voluntary
capacity, provided advice to service providers and took pivotal roles in coordinating
and organising support for and uptake of drought initiatives, including organising
community activities or promoting communication and support activities within rural
social support networks. The Project highlighted the vulnerability of communities
that did not have community leaders and which subsequently needed more support
than other communities to access assistance in times of crisis.
The extent of value provided by drought support initiatives depended
in part on the level of social capital available in a community. In
those communities where community networks were weak or had
been negatively impacted by drought, the support provided by
drought initiatives was essential, while communities where strong
social networks were operating required less support306.
Volunteering and local collective action
Community leaders are often volunteers who strengthen local social networks and
contribute to the capacity of communities to manage cost of living pressures.
Volunteers can be an important support to assist Tasmanians who are at risk of cost of
living pressures307.
Cost of living pressures, if not addressed, could also adversely impact the Tasmanian
volunteer sector through limiting individuals’ ability to volunteer as a consequence
Department of Premier and Cabinet, 2006. Brighton Better Services Together Report; Provision of Services for
Children, Young People and Families living in the Brighton Municipality. EPAC: Hobart, pages 33-34.
304 As an example, the Social Inclusion Community Liaison Officers recently consulted with community members
and prepared a report identifying the key cost of living issues and how communities believed these could be
addressed.
305 Dare, M., Kimber, J. and Schirmer, J. 2011 Tasmanian Drought Evaluation Project. University of Tasmania & JS
Consulting: Hobart. Refer attachment to Companion Report 2 Cost of Living in Tasmania, the Community
Impacts
306 Dare, M., Kimber, J. and Schirmer, J. 2011 Tasmanian Drought Evaluation Project. University of Tasmania & JS
Consulting: Hobart, page18. The project also recommended greater recognition and support of community
leaders and targeted and flexible government funding support to communities to empower community
networks of support.
307 Volunteering Tasmania, 2011. Response to the Interim Report on Cost of Living in Tasmania. Unpublished.
63
of the costs involved. The State of Volunteering Report for Tasmania308 found that
costs associated with volunteering include travel to and from volunteering, parking,
travel during volunteering, training, uniforms, meals, childcare, tools and equipment,
phone calls and administration (e.g. stationery and printing). The report also found
that 62% of volunteers incurred expenses, with only 28% of those volunteers
indicating that they were fully reimbursed for those costs.
A 2006 survey by Volunteering Australia found that on average volunteers incurred
expenses of $700 a year309. This survey also found that one in ten volunteers had
changed their volunteering involvement due to the costs associated with
volunteering, and around another quarter were considering changing their
involvement as a result of costs. Amongst volunteers who had stopped or reduced
their volunteering, three-quarters cited petrol prices as the reason for this decision.
In the current context of rising costs of living, the pool of potential volunteers could
be diminished. In turn, this could impact the capacity for volunteering to operate as
a key community resource to manage cost of living risk.
Supportive local agencies – public, community and private - are the frontline for
responding to cost of living risks in communities. These are where many people
first turn to for support. Local councils and community sector agencies are key
examples. They act as catalysts for local job creation, volunteering, and local
sponsorship opportunities. They bring together people from different demographic,
socioeconomic and cultural groups, supporting social networks, and providing
coping mechanisms at times of economic hardship310.
The community sector – comprising voluntary groups, service clubs, charities, social
enterprises, sporting, cultural arts and recreational groups – is often ideally placed
to provide supports for the local needs of individual communities. Organisations
closest to the people are likely to understand what will work in a particular
community and what will not.
Community capacity can also be developed through localised economic
development, such as fostering micro-businesses, community business partnerships
and social enterprise. These approaches begin with assets and potential of people
and places, not deficits. They recognise that the knowledge, abilities and energy of
people and communities – including those described as ‘poor’ and ‘disadvantaged’
308 Webb,
M. 2010 State of Volunteering Report: Tasmania 2010. Volunteering Tasmania: Hobart.
See also,
Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006. Voluntary Work, Australia, cat no. 4441.0
309 Volunteering Australia, 2006. What are the Real Costs of Volunteering? Accessed at
http://www.volunteeringaustralia.org/files/98E283PN6H/Costs%20of%20Volunteering%20Research%20Bulletin.p
df
310 Gibson, C and Stewart, A, 2009. Reinventing Rural Places: The Extent and Impact of Festivals in Rural and
Regional Australia. University of Wollongong: Wollongong. In 2007-08 there were 226 festivals across
Tasmania’s rural communities, including King Island, the Northwest Coast, West Coast, the Tamar, Central
Highlands, the East Coast and Southern Tasmania – covering sport, community agricultural, gardening, music,
arts, food, wine, heritage/history, cultural, environment and other activities.
64
– are an enormous resource. Social enterprises foster innovation and confidence.
They can be a pathway to skills, employment and independence.
Another form of social enterprise is the consumer cooperative. This form of
enterprise is owned by consumers and operates as a form of mutual aid, oriented
toward service rather than profit311. The purpose of a consumer cooperative is to
provide quality goods and services at the lowest cost to the consumer/owners
rather than to sell goods and services at the highest price the market can sustain312.
Although some cooperatives rely on some form of government assistance or need
some assistance at the start-up, most operate as financially sustainable enterprises,
with income being derived from the provision of services to members313. The
cooperative model can provide viable options for the delivery of affordable goods
and services in many areas, including housing, health, employment, childcare,
indigenous issues, industry restructuring, regional and rural development, and
commercial business enterprises314.
Anglicare Tasmania’s research on the cost of living for low income earners has
highlighted particular issues regarding food security for low income Tasmanians315.
The research found that food was the most compromised item in the household
budget, because it is one part of the budget that is not fixed – unlike rent or direct
deductions for electricity bills. The research also identified the need for support to
low income purchasers to effectively ‘band together’ through cooperative
purchasing arrangements to boost their purchasing power and take advantage of
bulk discounts.
Participants are unable to take advantage of discounts available from
buying in bulk and have to shop for small amounts frequently, often at
311 McQueen,
M. & Lyons, M. 2001. The Missing Link: Mutual Forms of Organisation, Social Capital and
Community Regeneration in Regional Australia. ACCORD Paper No. 5. Australian Centre for Cooperative
Research and Development: Sydney.
Australia has a long history of mutual organisations that have been formed to provide a collective organised
response to a crisis, the threat of a crisis, or simply to need. They are associated with innovation, flexibility,
loyalty and ‘bonding’ linkages; where people feel disenfranchised and powerless they provide a sense of
ownership and control; they enhance a community’s capacity to organise and lead to communities being better
able to adapt to economic challenges.
312 Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_cooperative
313 Social Traders Ltd. 2009. Cooperative Social Enterprises Info Brief. Accessed at
http://www.socialtraders.com.au/sites/www.socialtraders.com.au/files/Cooperative%20Social%20Enterprises%20I
nfo%20Brief.pdf
314 Cooperatives Australia, 2009. Cooperatives Australia Statement: Public Policy and Co-operatives. Accessed at
http://www.cooperativeswa.org.au/Co-operatives%20Australia%20Statement.pdf
315 Flanagan, J. and Flanagan, K. 2011. The Price of Poverty: The Cost of Living for Low Income Earners. Anglicare
Tasmania: Hobart, pages18-19, 22-23, 25-26, 32-33, 40-41, 49-50 and 57.
Food security refers to the ability of individuals, households and communities to acquire food that is sufficient,
reliable, nutritious, safe, acceptable and sustainable. Food insecurity is the experience of not having enough
food or having very limited food options, or of relying on emergency relief.
65
more expensive outlets, because the quantum of income they have
available to spend on each shopping trip is so small. 316
316
Ibid, page 62.
66
STRENGTHENING THE SAFETY NET
Governments have a duty of care for their citizens. This duty of care
is not duly fulfilled when government responsibilities are abrogated in
the interests of cementing ever greater wins for those who are
already winners, leaving the losers to seek assistance for electricity
bills, medical costs and school excursions from charities such as the St
Vincent de Paul Society.
Dufty, G. Winners and Losers: the Story of Costs, Social Policy Issues
Paper 2317
Governments have an interest in monitoring and supporting the wellbeing of
citizens. This includes tackling the structural factors that affect how well Tasmanians
and their families can manage their cost of living pressures. Structural factors such
as education and training opportunities to improve a person’s chance for a stable
job that provides a sustainable income, regulatory frameworks that protect
consumers from exploitative products and services and specify standards that help
maximise cost efficiencies318; community service obligations to ensure Tasmanian
consumers have access to affordable essential services, and taxation and transfer
arrangements (including income support and concessions) to assist vulnerable
Tasmanians.
Governments can help alleviate financial difficulty caused by cost of living pressures
by having interventions that are upstream (e.g. legislative and regulatory
protection), midstream (e.g. advocacy, education and early intervention) or
downstream (e.g. case work and direct support for individual consumers and
families in crisis)319. These interventions can involve a range of activities that are
either whole of population or target particular groups facing specific barriers and
vulnerabilities.
Different levels of government are responsible for universal services such as public
housing, public health, public education, and public transport. In addition, benefits
flow to citizens through the provision of Medicare, superannuation, family
payments, concessions and rebates.
In some instances, governments work together to fund and deliver services. A
number of recent agreements between the Commonwealth and State and Territory
governments allow for funding to be provided by the Commonwealth, and for
Accessed at http://www.vinnies.org.au/files/pdfs/National/SocialJustice/20051219-SJ_WinnersandLosers.pdf
For example, through the Residential Tenancy Act, the Government can legislate minimal thermal efficiency
standards, which in turn enables cost efficiencies in household energy use.
319 Livingstone, C., Bruce, E., Kotnik, E and King, S. no date. Comparing Australian and International Systems to
Address Consumer Financial Stress. Monash University: Melbourne, pp.16- 22.
317
318
67
States and Territories to deliver services in the way they see fit, as long as agreed
outcomes are achieved320.
The focus of A Cost of Living Strategy for Tasmania is largely on actions available to
the State Government to address households at greatest risk of cost of living
pressures however, local government, as the level of government closest to the
community, can also play an important role. Much has already been written about
the critical role of local government, and the opportunities to directly influence the
way in which people interact with their local and broader communities. 321
Internationally, local government whilst varying considerably in size and functions, is
increasingly seen as being the sphere of government best able to manage the
complexities of organising social inclusion locally, including helping to create
liveable communities that are resilient in the face of cost of living pressures.
The Commonwealth Government determines both the levels of income support
payments and personal taxation rates322. The income support and taxation systems,
by largely determining income levels for many people, have a significant impact on
the ability of individuals to manage cost of living pressures. The income support
system is the core of the safety net, which helps to prevent individuals and families
from falling into entrenched disadvantage323.
Concessions
Although the Commonwealth Government has responsibility for income support
and taxation, all levels of government have a role in providing social assistance
through concessions324. Concessions provide a significant supplement to those on
low-incomes, those with a disability and their carers, seniors, veterans, widows, sole
parents and students.
Concessions ... are designed to supplement income, allowing all
Australians to use essential health care services and to maintain social
living standards by ensuring access to electricity, heating, transport
and telephone services as well as encouraging or maintaining home
ownership.325
Concessions have a dual purpose in terms of core concessions relating to essential
goods and services (e.g. energy concessions), and non-core concessions relating to
Refer www.coagreformcouncil.gov.au/agenda/index.cfm for an overview of the Council of Australian
Governments (COAG) Reform Agenda and the underpinning National Agreements and National Partnerships
through which the Reform Agenda is implemented.
321 Refer Social Inclusion Strategy for Tasmania for a detailed discussion about the role of local government visa-vis social inclusion approaches.
322 Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900, Part V, s51
The Commonwealth Government has constitutional responsibility for direct income support, through the
provision of benefits and pensions and the taxation system.
323 Tables 18 and 19, provides a detailed description of benefits and payments provided by the Commonwealth
Government.
324 Table
325 House of Representatives, 1996. Concessions – Who Benefits?
320
68
products that promote and support social engagement (e.g. entry into a National
Park). Concessions fall into three broad categories:
Universal assistance that is available as subsidised services for everyone, e.g.
health, education, public transport;
Secondary assistance that is targeted to individuals and households who meet
eligibility criteria, e.g. energy concessions for Health Care Card (HCC) or
Pensioner Concession Card (PCC); and
Tertiary assistance that is targeted to individuals who are experiencing financial
hardship and are unable to pay expenses, e.g. financial counselling or debt
assistance.
There is a high degree of consistency across Australian states and territories in
relation to the types of concessions offered (see Table 5). Governments promote
concessions as assisting to reduce the cost of regular household bills (Western
Australia), helping eligible customers stay connected to essential services (New
South Wales), assisting families, pensioners and those who may be financially
stretched (Queensland), helping those on low or fixed incomes with the cost of
household and other expenses (South Australia), achieving a balance in the standard
of living (Tasmania and the ACT), enabling economic, educational, recreational and
social participation (Tasmania), and reducing barriers to opportunity and making
services more affordable (Victoria).
Differences in concessions across the states and territories are largely due to the
specific geographic or environmental factors which affect the respective areas. For
example, Tasmania has a heating allowance, while Western Australia has an air
conditioning rebate. Tables 5 to 15 provide a direct comparison between the
jurisdictions and Table 16 highlights gaps in the Tasmanian concessions system,
identifying concessions offered in other jurisdictions but not in Tasmania.
Inconsistencies within individual concession programs are generally the result of
concessions developing in an ad hoc way and remaining largely unchanged over
time326. This can result in the existence of concessions that no longer or
inadequately address a need, as well as the absence of new concessions to address
emerging needs327.
http://www.dhcs.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/23737/Concessions_Report.v14_-_FINAL.pdf
The ACT concessions review noted that the majority of concessions provided by the ACT Government have been
in place for a significant period of time. Once a concession is established, it can be difficult to remove, often
because a government fears large political fallout is not worth the small savings.
327 To help address this issue, in 2004 the Tasmania Social Policy sub-Committee of Cabinet endorsed Guidelines
for the Application of State Government Concessions to provide Agencies with guidance on issues they should
consider when adopting new concessions or adjusting existing concessions. The Guidelines promoted a
consistent whole of government approach to the application of concessions; transparency in decisions to extend
or re-focus concessions; consideration by Agencies of all available options prior to recommending new or
revised concessions arrangements; assessment by Agencies of the need or desirability of concessional rates
when considering new revenue-raising measures; and the adoption of common process for developing and
approving new or revised concessions.
326
69
Eligibility and Targeting
An issue for all governments is how best to target concessions to those people who
are most in need in the most cost effective way for taxpayers and with minimal
impost on citizens when assessing eligibility.
Eligibility for the majority of concessions in all jurisdictions is linked to the provision
of an Australian Government concession card, as this is the most straightforward
option for card-based concessions eligibility assessments (see Table 20). Targeting
expenditure support to this group receives widespread community support and is
regarded as authoritative by governments. It also avoids the costs of implementing
a state or territory based concession card328.
Nevertheless, there are groups in the community that are not eligible for an
Australian Government concession card, and which the community sector has
identified as being in equal or greater need of assistance yet are not included under
current eligibility criteria. These include low income earners who do not qualify for
Commonwealth benefits and are therefore not cardholders, but who are struggling
to pay for essential goods and services329. While additional or separate means tests
detract from the overall simplicity of a concessions system, these potentially would
allow for more inclusive targeting. Therefore, there are equity justifications to move
away from Commonwealth based eligibility. However, no state or territory has its
own concessions card to determine eligibility.
As part of its 2008 Review of Tasmanian State Government Concessions, the
Government acknowledged that concessions should be well targeted and produce
the intended results. It also identified equity- i.e. that those in similar circumstances
are treated equally – as one of five guiding principles that should underpin existing
and future concessions.
The balance between horizontal equity (where all people of similar situations are
eligible for a particular concession and receive the same concession amount) and
vertical equity (where particular recipients of a concession receive relatively more or
less concession amount due to their different situations) significantly influences the
groups of people who receive concessions, and the value of the concessions that
are delivered. By extending eligibility to HCC holders for concessions such as the
council rates, previously only available to PCC holders, Tasmania has achieved
horizontal equity on the major concessions330. Vertical equity is limited in
No State or Territory has its own concessions card to determine eligibility. South Australia and Western
Australia issue State concessions cards, and the Northern Territory issues a Pensioner and Carer concession card
to encourage seniors to remain in the Territory during their retirement. However, these cards have limited
eligibility and target specific classes of citizens – generally addressing a gap for seniors who do not meet Age
Pension requirements – and are only available on limited concessions.
329 Salvos concern at rising ‘working poor’, ABC NEWS online, 27 May 2011 at
<http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/05/27/3228412.htm>
330 This largely occurred in response to recommendations of the 2008 Treasury Review of Tasmanian
Concessions; Department of Treasury and Finance, 2008. Review of Tasmanian State Government Concessions
<http://www.tenders.tas.gov.au/domino/dtf/dtf.nsf/LookupFiles/Review-TasGov-Concessions-withSubmissions.pdf/$file/Review-TasGov-Concessions-with-Submissions.pdf>
328
70
application across jurisdictions and applies to a very limited number of concessions.
A move towards household and place-based concessions in the future could see
jurisdictions achieve more vertical equity in their concessions systems.
Effective take-up of concessions
Despite the need to be able to measure whether concessions are being targeted
appropriately and having a significant social impact, it appears most jurisdictions
lack quality data to inform evidence based concessions policy. Although there is a
lot of data available on the administration of concessions programs, there is no
overall picture of what is happening around basic issues such as the impact of
existing concessions on overall cost of living capability by vulnerable groups or
places, nor the gap between eligibility and take-up331. This information is required
to provide an effective concessions system that lowers and/or mitigates the costs of
living332.
Although there is variation in promotion and communication across jurisdictions,
most governments invest in promoting the availability of and eligibility for
concessions (see Table 8). A concessions hotline or central contact to access
information is provided by most states and territories.
The State Government widely promotes its concessions through television
advertising and the Tasmanian Concessions Guide and website333. Despite
widespread promotion, there remains a gap between concessions eligibility and
take-up334. There are a number of reasons for this gap. In some cases it may be
Adams, D 2011 Cost of Living in Tasmania: Interim Report, p.14 and p.23.
Following the release of the Department of Treasury and Finance Costing Report on a proposed two-part
electricity concession (15 October 2010), further details were sought from Treasury in relation to the
methodology used and the assumptions underpinning the costing, as well as a current detailed breakdown of
government concessions expenditure generally. The information sought included further detail about eligibility
versus take-up rates of the 74 concessions; available data by population cohort on eligibility for each concession
type and actual take up rates for each concession type by expenditure; analysis of why people who are eligible
for concessions may not be taking up the concessions to which they are entitled; explanation of Treasury’s
strategies and mechanisms for quantifying take-up rate; further details regarding the assumptions and data
sources underpinning the business processes and administrative elements comprising the implementation costs,
the rationale for the upper and lower range for households; and the extent to which each recommendation from
the 2008 Review of Tasmanian State Government Concessions331 has been implemented. Some of this
information was difficult to obtain, or unable to be provided.
332 This situation is not unique to Tasmania. Western Australia, for example, has noted that a lack of qualitative
assessments means that data collected is essentially an accountancy database. See Review of the administration
and management of state government concessions, Department of Premier and Cabinet Western Australia,
September 2007 at < http://www.cotawa.asn.au/resources/concessions%20review%20issues%20paper.pdf>
333 Tasmania and Victoria each present all concessions information on one internet site, with links and relevant
contact details provided. Other states, by comparison, have concessions information spread across different
Ministries and Departments. For example, the NSW Department of Family and Community Services has a web
page which lists some of the concessions available to pensioners and seniors, but all other information must be
accessed through individual Department sites. A relevant consideration for concessions promotion in Tasmania
is low adult literacy levels333. An issue for all governments is that the cost of promoting concessions is two-fold;
there is the cost of advertising and the cost of providing the concessions to an increased number of users
following promotion.
334 This problem is experienced in other jurisdictions. Even in Victoria, where $1 billion is spent annually on
concessions for 700 000 households or 1.3 million Victorians, the Victorian Auditor-General noted the need for
331
71
due to of a lack of awareness of eligibility or that the concession exists; in other
instances people may know they are eligible for the concession but choose not to
use their entitlement due to the perceived benefit relative to loss of privacy and/or
the complexity of paperwork associated with applying. A relevant consideration for
concessions promotion in Tasmania is low adult literacy levels335. An issue for all
governments is that the cost of promoting concessions is two-fold; there is the cost
of advertising and the cost of providing the concessions to an increased number of
users following promotion.
Improvement in the targeting of concessions and in what concessions are offered
could result from government structural reform of concessions administration and
management and / or alternative methods of delivery. Concessions in Tasmania are
administered by six different agencies336, with wide variation in the total concessions
budgets administered by each agency. An advantage of this model is that the
design and administration of concessions is linked to the agency responsible for the
service to which the concession applies. Conversely, it can create a fragmented
concession system where no one has clear overall responsibility337.
Across Australia, governments have generally not taken a centralised administration
approach, but it is a model that some states are considering to enhance the
implementation of concessions policy and facilitate a whole-of-government
approach to the ongoing review and evolution of concessions. Western Australia
has recognised the need for increased coordination between agencies338. In
Victoria, centralisation of budget and administrative control over concessions is
bringing significant benefits; eligibility criteria have gradually become modernised
and consistent, and specialised policy advice is available to government.
Administration of concessions has become streamlined and responsive to changing
priorities and administration of concessions is linked to provisions of other forms of
improvement in the transparency and accountability of the concessions program, and recognised the difficulty
in determining how effectively concessions are performing against relevant government objectives.
335 In 2006, 174 400 Tasmanian adults aged between 15 and 74 (49% of Tasmanians at that age) were assessed
as lacking adequate prose literacy skills to manage in everyday life. Prose literacy refers to the knowledge and
skills needed to understand and use various kinds of information from text including editorials, news stories,
brochures and instructions manuals. Less than 50% of the Tasmanian population aged 15 – 74 were found to
have adequate document literacy (the knowledge and skills required to locate and use information contained in
various formats including job applications, payroll forms, transportation schedules, maps, tables and charts)
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008 Literacy and Life Skills Survey, Summary Results, Australia, 2006
(Reissue), Cat No 4228.0.
336 Agencies are the Department of Treasury and Finance; Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources;
Department of Health and Human Services; Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment;
Department of Police and Emergency Management; and the Department of Economic Development, Tourism
and Arts. In addition, the Department of Premier and Cabinet has responsibility for publication of the
Tasmanian Concessions Guide and concessions are reviewed by Treasury every five years.
337 Review of the administration and management of state government concessions, Department of Premier and
Cabinet WA, September 2007 at <
http://www.cotawa.asn.au/resources/concessions%20review%20issues%20paper.pdf>
338 Review of the administration and management of state government concessions, Department of Premier and
Cabinet WA, September 2007 at <
http://www.cotawa.asn.au/resources/concessions%20review%20issues%20paper.pdf>
72
specialised assistance, such as utility relief grants and financial counselling
services339.
As well as alternative administrative structures, alternative methods of concession
delivery could improve concessions. In 1997, a Commonwealth Parliamentary
Inquiry into concessions explored the option of developing a Commonwealth
Concession Card to replace the PCC and HCC, as well as a number of other cards,
using smart card technology to enable more efficient and effective delivery of
government benefits and concessions340. In 2007 the idea was revisited by the
Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration, which conducted
an inquiry into the provisions of the Human Services (Enhanced Service Delivery) Bill
2007341. The Committee assessed the establishment of a framework for the Health
and Social Services Access Card, a chip-based card replacing the Medicare Card and
numerous other cards and vouchers used to access Australian Government benefits.
The project did not progress primarily because of the costs involved, but also due to
concerns surrounding security of card data, privacy, and function creep342.
Over the past decade there has been an increase in the use of smartcard technology
around the world343. There is now widespread acceptance of smartcards and their
use in everyday functions is increasing, particularly because smart cards can facilitate
user choice and improve flexibility in how concession payments can most
appropriately meet consumer needs.
The Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) is an electronic system that allows state
governments to provide financial and material benefits via a plastic debit card, such
as food and cash benefits in the USA. Through EBT, a recipient uses their EBT card
see Informing State Concessions Policy at
<https://guard.canberra.edu.au/natsem/conference2003/papers/pdf/piper_karen_siemon_don-1.pdf>;
Victoria also has detailed data around cardholders and a static micro-simulation model of Victorian population
use of household essential services, the annual bills incurred and Victorian Government concessions
expenditure, to inform concessions policy. A detail report is published annually, see
<http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/concessions/research/annual-reports>
340 See House Standing Committee on Family and Community Affairs, Inquiry into Concessions – Who benefits?:
A report on concession card availability and eligibility for concessions, November 1997 at
<http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committe/fac/concard/Concarindex.htm>
341 Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration, Inquiry into the Human Services
(Enhanced Service Delivery) Bill 2007, March 2007 at
<http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/fapa_ctte/completed_inquiries/200407/access_card/report/report.pdf>
342 A major concern was that the access card would be used as a national identity card
339
In July 2001, the Belgian Council of Ministers made the decision to introduce an electronic identity
card for all citizens as the keystone of a broader e-Government project to simplify administration
processes and modernize public services. By the end of 2009 almost 9 million cards had been issued,
with cards being used most frequently to access government services online.
<http://www.gemalto.com/brochures/download/gov_belgium_id.pdf>; In 2002, the Estonian
government started to issue smart cards named ID Kaart as primary identification for citizens to
replace the usual passport in domestic and EU use, see <http://www.id.ee/?id=11108>; Smart cards
and integrated ticketing have become widely used by public transit operators around the world, for
example Octopus Card used in Hong Kong, London's Oyster Card, San Francisco's Clipper card and
in Tasmania Metro’s Greencard.
343
73
to make purchases at participating retailers, as well as make cash withdrawals from
participating ATMs. In Tasmania, the Metro Greencard is an example of smartcard
technology being used to provide student travel concessions 344. Another innovative
example is Western Australia’s Country Age Pension Fuel Card which provides
assistance with fuel and taxi costs for country pensioners who do not have access to
metropolitan levels of public transport and often have to rely on their own means to
travel345.
Concession value
An emerging option to improve the value and relevance of concessions for eligible
recipients is the ‘cashing out’ of concessions. This involves calculating the average
value of concessions and providing eligible recipients with this value in monetary
form. The West Australian Cost of Living Rebate provides a small-scale example of
how cashing out of concessions could work. This scheme offers an annual payment
to eligible Seniors Card holders to assist with rising living expenses 346.
Cashing out all concessions should be administratively simple and could address
issues such as people entitled to a particular concession being unable to access it
(e.g. some public transport concessions may be unavailable to those living in rural
or remote locations). However, it may also result in outcomes that are inconsistent
with the purpose of concessions, which is to supplement income by facilitating
access to essential services and helping to meet basic costs. A cashing out option
would also need to address the question of how to ensure people still have access
to essential services. Geographical differences, regional price differences and
varying needs for different goods and services could result in cases of inadequate
compensation or overcompensation. For example, it is difficult to quantify transport
costs, as use could be daily or sporadic, and fuel costs vary between regions.
Another key concern is the indexation of concessions so that these retain their value
over time. Without appropriate indexation, the concession amount in real terms is
eroded. While essential services concessions tend to be adjusted annually, such as
the energy concession, it is not mandatory.
Emergency Relief
The main way people experiencing financial stress seek assistance is through the
provision of emergency relief services. In Tasmania, the number of people
accessing emergency relief services increased by 70.5 per cent in the last 12 months,
from 14 939 people in 2008-09 to 25 466 people in 2009-10. Over the same period,
the number of first time emergency relief clients increased by 52.7 per cent, from
5 630 in 2008-09 to 8 594 in 2009-10. In the last five years the number of people
seeking emergency relief in Tasmania rose from 13 097 to 25 466, while the number
of first time clients increased from 1 003 to 8 594347.
http://www.metrotas.com.au/tickets-and-fares/concessions>
Information provided by the Department of Regional Development and Lands, Western Australia.
346 In 2011 singles receive $150 and couples receive $225.
347 FaHCSIA, 2011.
344
345
74
EMERGENCY RELIEF ASSISTANCE, Tasmania
Although emergency relief is necessary and welcome, for many low income
Tasmanians the cost pressures and cumulative impacts are ongoing.
Despite the best work of many community sector organisations that deliver
emergency relief in Tasmania, presenting and asking for help can be hard and on
top of their stress about financial crisis, people can feel stigmatised and
embarrassed.
As outlined in A Cost of Living Strategy for Tasmania emergency relief can be
provided in a number of ways:
Anonymously – without people having to disclose their personal details or go
through an eligibility process;
Basic transaction – such as a voucher system;
Case management – where the service develops a longer term relationship with
a person to address some of the underlying causes of financial crisis; or
Empowerment/capacity building – where people are given a chance to build
skills and develop support networks.
While individuals and families may need immediate and direct assistance to meet
basic need, emergency relief programs can also build capacity for people in crisis.
For example, a person can receive a food voucher and also access cooking and
‘eating with friends’ programs and knowledge about where to get cheap vegetables
at a local community garden. Similarly, a person may receive immediate support for
a big unexpected power bill as well as be connected to support for an energy audit,
or a No Interest Loan Scheme loan for energy efficient whitegoods.
The above examples are of a preventative and strength based approach to the
provision of emergency relief. There are three key aspects shared by leading policy
approaches to emergency relief, they:
Invest in sustainable outcomes rather than a traditional crisis support model;
Explore models for providing assistance directly to households and individuals
rather than via third parties – as this mainstreams the assistance and keeps
75
people engaged in the broader economy and minimises the stigma and
embarrassment of asking charities for help; and
Encourage joint commitment via private sector/or Government Business
Enterprise matched investment in sustainable support mechanisms as part of a
community service obligation, or individual/personal responsibility in a
reciprocal relationship for assistance.
One-off emergency relief funding is used and used well, by the community sector,
but once it is spent, the causes of crisis, whether structural or individual remain. A
policy balance of responses that provide immediate support as well as seek to build
the resilience of individuals, families and communities are important as well as
mainstreaming assistance and keeping people engaged in the broader economy.
This includes:
support services that help people address some of the underlying causes of
financial crisis;
programs and services that enable people to build skills and develop support
networks;
employment assistance programs for transition to work that assist the longterm unemployed and work with employers to overcome barriers to
employment and support for people to stay in work; and
structural reform to alleviate cost of living pressures, such as provision of social
housing, adequate Commonwealth income support payments, and planning
settlements in areas connected to services and support.
76
Conclusion
The question of who is most affected by cost of living increases is determined by the
complex interplay of price increases, household expenditure and the resources
(both financial and non-financial) that households have available to absorb price
increases.
This report has provided detail regarding the impacts faced by household types,
population groups, and places most impacted in Tasmania.
It surveyed community sector and available policy research and illustrated impacts
faced by low income, unemployed, lone person, single parent and households
dependent on government pensions and allowances as the principle source of
income. It illustrated that these households are more likely to experience food,
electricity, housing, transport and health disadvantage. The report also outlined
that people with disability and their carers, Aboriginal Tasmanians, seniors and
culturally and linguistically diverse Tasmanians, in particular refugees or
humanitarian entrants, are likely to experience specific cost of living challenges. In
addition, the discussion on places in Tasmania facing greatest cost of living risk
outlined that some Tasmanian communities are ‘food deserts’ where access to
affordable and nutritious food choices is limited, have a high concentration of
electronic gaming machines and transport disadvantage associated with the urban
fringe. These aspects may present challenges that can exacerbate cost of living
pressures for population groups and households that live in these areas.
The responses section provided greater detail and information on a number of
initiatives suggested in A Cost of Living Strategy for Tasmania. Across the broad
categories of:
Increasing productivity;
Building financial capability;
Strengthening consumer protection;
Building networks of support; and
Strengthening the safety net.
The report discussed responses such as increasing labour force participation,
financial literacy, access to affordable banking products, building volunteering and
local collective action and strengthening hardship policies, community service
obligations, and the concessions and emergency relief systems.
As outlined in A Cost of Living Strategy for Tasmania, many of the best responses to
cost of living, such as the tax and transfer system including the adequacy of income
support payments, lie in the sphere of the Commonwealth Government. This report
provided policy detail around five key areas that traverse all levels of government,
individuals, markets and communities.
77
Table 5 - Summary of Concessions offered by Commonwealth (CW), State and
Territory Governments
TAS
VIC
NSW
QLD
SA
Utilities Services
ACT
NT
Energy








Water and sewerage concession








Council rates remission








Non mains winter energy

Electricity transfer fee waiver

Service to property charge

Off peak concession

Heating


Cooling
Medical energy – life support
machines

Medical energy – temperature
regulation












Energy efficiency
*

Utilities Relief Grant Scheme
*

Private rental support








Public housing rent assistance








First home buyer duty








Home purchase















N/A
Land tax on principal place of
residence
Duty on transfer - principal
place of residence
Duty on transfer
Smoke alarm subsidy
CW

Cost of Living
House and Land
WA









78


TAS
VIC
NSW
QLD
SA
Transport
NT
Buses: Urban








Buses: Regional and Rural








Buses: Students








Student conveyance






Trainee/apprentice travel








Patient travel








Taxi (disability)








Drivers licence





Motor vehicle registration














Compulsory third party
insurance
Motor tax

Motor vehicle duty

Student Assistance (levies,
uniform, school resources)



TAS
VIC


NSW
SA
WA
ACT
NT
CW














Tuition fee (TAFE)






Child care concession

Computer/internet access



Student accommodation –
tertiary students
Student accommodation –

QLD
Adult education course
11/12













N/A


N/A




Spectacles assistance








Adult dental service








Children’s dental service








apprentices and trainees
Ambulance and Emergency
Services Levy/Concession


Kindergarten fee subsidy
Student accommodation – Years
CW

Fuel concession
Education
ACT

Security rebate
Health
WA
79

TAS
Community equipment scheme

Enteral feeds and supplements

Home oxygen program

Recreation and Lifestyle
Legal Services
pressure
NSW
QLD
SA
WA
ACT
NT
CW













Personal alert
Continuous positive airways
VIC





Pharmaceuticals








Visual aids








Wigs

Insulin-treated diabetes








Lymphoedema


Orthotic / prosthetic


Legal advice

Criminal history check


Right to information



Birth certificates

Funeral assistance



Enduring power of attorney



Making a will



Firearms licence

Recreational fishing licence


Recreational game licence

National park passes

First aid course

























N/A

N/A
N/A


N/A

N/A
N/A









Boat registration
Pet registration






80


Table 6 - Summary of Concession Eligibility offered by State and Territory
Governments
TAS
VIC
NSW
QLD
SA
WA
ACT



NT
ENERGY
HCC



PCC















DVA gold
DVA white

CW Seniors

Seniors

State CC
1
Students




2
Low income
Hardship
COUNCIL RATES
HCC


PCC





DVA gold







DVA white
CW Seniors
Seniors

State CC

Students

Low income
3


Hardship
WATER AND SEWERAGE
HCC


PCC


DVA gold













DVA white
CW Seniors


Seniors


State CC
4

Students

81
Low income
Hardship
TAS
VIC
NSW
QLD
SA
WA
ACT
NT
82
TAS
VIC
NSW
QLD
SA
WA
ACT






NT
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
HCC



PCC



DVA gold






DVA white
CW Seniors

Seniors




State CC
Students



5



6
7






Low income
Hardship
DRIVERS LICENCE
HCC


PCC






DVA gold






DVA white


CW Seniors


Seniors



State CC

Students
Low income
Hardship
MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION
HCC



PCC








DVA gold








DVA white



CW Seniors


Seniors


State CC

Students
Low income
83
Hardship
TAS
VIC
NSW
QLD
SA
WA
ACT
NT
84
TAS
VIC
NSW
QLD
SA
WA
ACT
NT
STUDENT ASSISTANCE
HCC



PCC



DVA gold



DVA white
CW Seniors
Seniors
State CC
Students





Low income
8
10
Hardship
9
11

12
ADULT DENTAL SERVICES
HCC







PCC









DVA gold
DVA white

CW Seniors
Seniors





State CC
Students
Low income
Hardship
COMMUNITY EQUIPMENT SCHEME
HCC




PCC




DVA gold
DVA white
CW Seniors

Seniors
State CC
Students
Low income


85
Hardship
Medical basis








TAS
VIC
NSW
QLD
SA
WA
ACT
NT
86
Eligibility Status Definitions:
HCC - Health Card Cards issued by Centrelink
PCC - Pensioner Concession Cards issued by Centrelink and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs
(DVA)
DVA Gold - Repatriation Health Care Card issued by DVA
DVA White - Repatriation Health Care Card issued by DVA (service related)
CW Seniors - Commonwealth Seniors Card issued by Centrelink
Seniors - Seniors Card issued by relevant State or Territory
State CC - Concession Card issued by relevant State or Territory
Students - Student Card issued by relevant State or Territory or educational institution
Low income – Eligibility varies between jurisdictions; see notes below
Hardship – Eligibility for hardship varies between jurisdictions and concessions; see notes below
Medical basis – Eligibility dependent upon medical condition
Notes:
1. State Concession Cards (SCC) are issued to permanent residents in South Australia who are
aged 60 years and over but aged under 65 and not yet eligible for a pension from Centrelink
(ie, have been in receipt of a Centrelink benefit for less than 12 months); and Australian War
Widows under 60 years of age (i.e. DVA gold holders). Superannuation recipients, self-funded
retirees and professional migrants are ineligible for SA CC. To be eligible for an energy
concession, the State Concession Card holder must not be sharing a house with someone with
an income of more than $3,000pa unless that person is a spouse or is in receipt of a pension
or benefit from Centrelink or the Department of Veterans Affairs.
2. The Northern Territory Pensioner and Carer Concession Scheme (NTPCC) is available to
permanent residents of the NT who are: Carers, in receipt of the Commonwealth Carer's
Allowance from Centrelink, Low-Income Superannuants in receipt of a regular life-long
superannuation pension from a complying Superannuation Scheme or Fund and have CW
Seniors, Seniors, PCC, DVA Gold.
3. To be eligible for concessions under the low income category, the applicant’s income must not
exceed the following income limits (as assessed and applied by the South Australian
Department for Families and Communities): Single - $539.60 (fn) / $13 959.40 pa, Single with
Children - $575.80 (fn) / $14 970.80 pa, Partnered - $981.40 (fn) / $25,516.40 pa.
4. The WA State Concession Card is provided to veterans and widows who cannot meet Age
Pension eligibility and therefore cannot access the concessions available on local government
and water, sewerage and drainage rates - these are the only two concessions that WA SCC
holders are eligible for.
5. Primary or secondary school student travelling with a student pass must have a Victorian
Public Transport (VPT) Student Concession Card. A VPT concession card is also a valid
concession card for students aged 17 years and over.
6. Recipients of an eligible Centrelink payment (Newstart allowance, Sickness allowance, Widow
allowance, Youth allowance, Partner allowance, Parenting Payment Partnered, Bereavement
allowance, Special benefit, Exceptional Circumstances payments, Community Development
Employment Project (CDEP), New Enterprise Incentive Scheme), recipient can apply for a
Transport Concession Card, valid for 6 months, after which time, if still in receipt of an eligible
Centrelink payment, a replacement card will be sent by mail automatically.
7. SmartRider, electronic ticketing system is available for everyone who uses Transperth trains,
buses or ferries. Concession SmartRider cards are available to cardholders (HCC, PCC), as well
as specific cards for students and veterans. Seniors travel for free.
8. Assistance is based on a family’s taxable income and the number of dependent children
9. Situations of hardship may include instances of illness, disability or family breakdown.
10. Eligibility for School Card assistance is dependent upon the combined family gross income
within the following School Card income limits (2009-10 figures):
87
No. of Dependent
Gross weekly
Gross annual
Children
1
income
$636
income
$33,046
2
$653
$33,947
3
$670
$34,848
4
$687
$35,749
5
$704
$36,650
Each additional child
$17
$901
11. Where applicants are over the School Card income limits but have experienced hardship in the
financial year which has resulted in the family’s average weekly gross income being within the
School Card income limits based on the number of dependent children, the applicant can
apply on hardship grounds. Assessment under hardship will deduct any expenses from the
family gross income, which is considered either extraordinary or unavoidable during the
2009/2010 financial year. Extraordinary and unavoidable expenses include; out of pocket
medical and/or dental expenses, expense for caring for a person with a disability, travel and
accommodation expenses incurred by families for ongoing medical treatment and funeral
expenses. Extraordinary and unavoidable expenses do not include mortgage/rent, motor
vehicle expenses, child support/maintenance expenses, one-off expenses for replacement of
household items and general living expenses.
12. Applicants prove low-income status by providing a photocopy of a current Centrelink Card or
Health Care Card with means tested payment codes.
Table 7 - Major Concessions offering vertical equity (percent-based discounts), by
State and Territory
TAS
NSW
QLD
SA
WA
ACT

Energy
Council rates2
VIC

Water and
sewerage
Medical energy

NT
1



4
5




3
Notes:
1. NT offers a quarterly rebate of 50% or $1 per day – whatever is lowest
2. All jurisdiction offering a %-based council rates concession are capped to a
maximum amount
3. NT offers a concession of 62.5% or 27.4 per day – whatever is lowest
4. Medical cooling concession
5. Life support machines concession
Table 8: Promotion of Concessions, by State and Territory
TAS
VIC
NSW
QLD
SA
WA
ACT
NT
88
Government
website
Concessions
website
Concessions
guide
Concessions
finder
Concessions
hotline













1



2






Annual Report

Legislation


3


Notes
1. Northern Territory Pensioner and Carer Concession Scheme (NTPCCS)
website
2. Brochure with details of major concessions available on concessions
website
3. NTPCCS factsheet available on NTPCCS website
89
Table 9 - Utilities Services Concessions offered by State and Territory Governments
Low
income
Low
Student

income
State CC
Seniors
CW
Seniors
DVA white
DVA gold
PCC
HCC

ENERGY
TAS
$100 one off payment. Rebate of 111.7 cents
per day on electricity accounts year round.
Eligible Aurora Pay-As-You-Go customers
do not pay the daily fixed charge.


VIC
Annual electricity concession of 17.5%
discount off electricity bills year round



NSW
Low-income Household Energy Rebate of
$200 available to cardholders.



QLD
Electricity rebate of a maximum $230.46 per
year and Reticulated Natural Gas Rebate of
up to $63.40 per year.





ACT
Maximum annual rebate of $214.87.





PCC
DVA gold
NT
Rebate quarterly power account to the
value of 50% or $1 per day (whichever is
lowest) on quarterly account.
TAS
HCC
HEATING




Student
WA
Energy rebate; rebate on supply charges,
account establishment fees and reduced
fees on meter testing; 38.23 cents per day is
waived.

State CC

Seniors

CW

Seniors
Energy concession of up to $150 per year
which covers both electricity and gas use
DVA white
SA

*
2 x $28 payments annually.
* This concession is only available to pensioners who meet an additional assets test. No other State or
Territory offers this concession. The 2008 Treasury review of concessions recommended that this
concession be cancelled and funding be re-allocated into the energy concession. The concession amount
is based on a historical cost of a tonne of wood.
Low
90
income
Student
State CC
Seniors
CW
Seniors
DVA white
DVA gold
PCC
HCC
COUNCIL RATES


QLD
Rates Subsidy of 20% up to a max of $200
per year on the gross rates and charges
levied by a local council.




SA
If own or part-own home being lived in,
may receive a concession up to $190 on
council rates. If area is connected to an
effluent disposal scheme and a charge is
included in council rates, may be eligible for
a concession of up to $100 per year,
resulting in a total concession of $290.
WA
Concession on local government rates and
charges, annual water service charge and
Emergency Services Levy.

ACT
General rates and Fire and Emergency
Services Levy rebate provides assistance to
property owners with up to 50% off up to
$431.

NT
Local council rates concession and garbage;
discount of 62.5% off bill up to $200.




income
91
Low
Student
State CC
Seniors

CW

Seniors
DVA gold

DVA white
PCC
TAS
Concessions of up to $136.50 ($68.25 for
water, $68.25 for sewerage) off the total
cost of their water and sewerage bill. To
be eligible, must be legally responsible
for the account and occupy the property
as your principal place of residence.


HCC
WATER AND SEWERAGE

Low
Concession available.
income
NSW
Student

State CC

Seniors
VIC
The Municipal Rates concession provides a
50% discount off council rates up to a yearly
maximum of $187.60 in 2010-2011.
CW
DVA gold

Seniors
PCC

DVA white
HCC

TAS
A 30% reduction on local government rates
and charges (capped at a maximum amount
each year). The card holder must occupy
the property as their principal place of
residence and be legally responsible for the
rates on that property.


SA
Home owner-occupier concession
reduces 25% of the total annual water
bill to a maximum of $210 with $100
minimum; and up to $105 on sewerage
rates per year
Tenants receive 20% off to a maximum
of $168 pa and minimum of $58 per year.
If total bill is lease than $58, remission
will cover the amount of the total water
rates bill.

WA
Rebate of up to 50% on annual service
charges account and concession may be
available on water usage.
WA Seniors receive up to 25% off annual
service charges account.
Holders of WA Seniors and CW Seniors
receive up to 50% off annual service
charge.

ACT
Rebate of maximum 68% per quarter

NT





Water concession of 62.5% or 27.4c per
day (whatever is lower) and sewerage
concession of 27.4c per day.

Low
income
Student
State CC
Seniors
CW
Seniors
DVA white
DVA gold
PCC
HCC
MEDICAL ENERGY – LIFE SUPPORT MACHINES
TAS

Low

income

Student
QLD
Pensioner Water Subsidy Scheme
provides an annual subsidy up to a
maximum of $120.
State CC

Seniors
NSW
Concessions also available to families
with special needs and to people who
have been recipients of the Newstart
Allowance for more than 9 months.
CW
DVA gold

Seniors
PCC

DVA white
HCC

VIC
50% off water, 50% off sewerage
charges, up to maximum of $245 (in
2010-2011).
The rebate for life support machines varies according to the type of machine installed.
Eligibility is based on medical condition and is not means/asset based. Oxygen concentrator 42.1811 cents per day; peritoneal dialysis machine - 31.2958 cents per day; haemo-dialysis
machine - 31.2958 cents per day; chronic positive pressure and airways regulator - 14.9675
cents per day; respirator (iron lung) - 55.788 cents per day; OXCP - 57.1486 cents per day;
phototherapy - 79.4888 cents per day.
92
QLD
The Electricity Life Support Scheme
assists eligible users of oxygen
concentrators or kidney dialysis meet
electricity costs with an annual rebate.
2011-12 rebate for oxygen concentrators
is $469.36 and kidney dialysis machines
is $314.31. Machines must be provided
rent free by Qld Health.


Low

income

Student
Medical Energy Rebate – up to $200 pa;
dependent upon machine.
State CC

NSW
Seniors

CW

Seniors

DVA white
DVA gold
1880kw hours per annum.
PCC
Life Support Electricity Concession
HCC
VIC

SA
Domiciliary Oxygen Concession is a 50% rebate on electricity used to run the concentrator
machine.
WA
Life Support Equipment Electricity
Subsidy is an annual subsidy applicable
per item of equipment to assist
financially disadvantaged persons meet
the electricity costs of operating certain
items of life support equipment at home
(cost from $35-$915).
ACT
Life support Rebate – applies to energy and water costs; dialysis, oxygen concentrators,
respirators.
ACT Home Haemodialysis rebate assists all eligible patients accessing home haemodialysis with
their water costs up to $1200pa or $3.29 per day.


NT
93
MEDICAL ENERGY – TEMPERATURE REGULATION
TAS
VIC
The medical cooling concession provides a 17.5% discount off electricity costs over a six month
period from 1 November to 30 April for concession cardholders with multiple sclerosis and
other qualifying medical conditions such as Parkinson's, Motor Neurone disease, Scleroderma
and Lupus.
With the Annual Electricity Concession, recipients of the medical cooling concession receive a
combined discount of 35% off electricity bills
NSW
Medical cooling and heating concession
QLD
Quarterly payments reviewed every 2
years when individual must reapply. The
2011-12 rebate amount is $230.46 per
year.


SA
WA
Thermoregulatory dysfunction energy subsidy - Annual subsidy to help offset the energy costs
associated with temperature control at their home for financially disadvantaged persons or
their dependents with thermoregulatory dysfunction.
ACT
NT
94
Table 10 - House and Land Concessions by State and Territory Governments
PUBLIC HOUSING RENT ASSISTANCE
TAS
Assistance is available to public housing tenants on a low income and who have less than
$35 000 of financial assets. Eligibility is based on income eligibility limits for a Centrelink Health
Care Card.
Tenants pay a contribution towards the market rent calculated on their income.
VIC
As a public housing tenant, you can apply to pay a reduced amount of rent based on your
household income
NSW
Rent subsidy
QLD
Rent subsidy
SA
Rent subsidy
WA
Rebate on rent for public housing tenants on a low income.
ACT
Rental Rebate Subsidy - eligibility determined by household composition and income.
NT
Rental rebate
PRIVATE RENTAL ASSISTANCE
TAS
Assistance is available to eligible people who are having difficulty accessing or staying in the
private rental market. Assistance is available to low-income earners based on income eligibility
limits for a Centrelink Health Care Card; some single people whose income exceeds the
Centrelink Health Care Card threshold by up to 20%, and some couples whose income exceeds
the Centrelink Health Care Card threshold by up to 10%.
VIC
Bond Loan Scheme
NSW
Private Rental Assistance
QLD
Bond loans and rent grants
Residential lessees Land Rent: Lessees of leasehold land who are suffering hardship or facing
financial difficulties and hold a Commonwealth Government concession card may be eligible for
a decrease in land rent, provided their leased land is used exclusively as their principal place of
residence.
SA
Private rent and bond support through Housing South Australia
WA
Bond and rental assistance; Interest Free Bond Loan
ACT
Rental Bonds Housing Assistance Program (interest free loan)
NT
Bond assistance / initial rent assistance (interest free loan)
HOME PURCHASE
TAS
Home Share and Streets Ahead Programs assist Tasmanians with low incomes to purchase
homes, including Housing Tasmania properties. Income and assets tested for eligibility apply for
both
95
VIC
NSW
QLD
Sale to Tenants Program
SA
Affordable Homes Program
WA
Goodstart Housing Program
ACT
Sale to Tenant Scheme; Land Rent Scheme
NT
LAND TAX ON PRINCIPAL PLACE OF RESIDENCE
TAS
Land tax does not apply to owners of land on which a domestic dwelling exists and is the
owners’ principal place of residence. A rebate on land tax is available on land on which a
dwelling is being built as the principal residence of the owner during the year.
VIC

NSW

QLD

SA

WA

ACT

NT
Not applicable - No land tax in NT
FIRST HOME BUYER DUTY
TAS
Concession removed in the 2011-12 Tasmanian State Budget
VIC
First home bonus on properties less than $600 000.
NSW
First Home Plus Scheme provides purchasers with exemptions on transfer duty on homes valued
up to $500 000 and concessions on duty for homes value between $500 000 and $600 000.
QLD
First homebuyers can save up to $9 500 in stamp duty and all homebuyers save around $300 on
a $500 000 house in mortgage duty. From 1 June 2010, first homebuyers buying newly built
homes in the regions also receive $11 000 from the Queensland Government, while first
homebuyers in south-east Qld receive $7 000.
SA
First Home Bonus Grant of up to $8 000 where the property is less than $450 000
WA
Home Buyers Assistance Account provides a grant of up to $2 000 for the incidental expenses of
first home buyers when they purchase homes for $400 000 or less
ACT
NT
Home Buyer Concession scheme is an ACT initiative to assist persons in purchasing residential
land or a home by charging duty at a concessional rate.
Eligibility is determined by land/house price and income threshold
First Home Owners concession provides a stamp duty FHOC to persons purchasing their first
land/home in Australia. Up to $26 730 off the duty payable, which presents the duty on the first
$540 000 of the dutiable value of the property. Concession is not means tested buy purchase of
the land/house must be less than $385 000 / $475 000 respectively. If exceeded, person may be
eligible for Principal Place of Residence Rebate
96
DUTY ON TRANSFER – PRINCIPAL PLACE OF RESIDENCE
TAS
VIC
Concession on duty on transfer for principal place of residence.
NSW
QLD
Concession on duty on transfer for principal place of residence; unavailable after 1 August 2011.
SA
WA
A concessional rate of duty applies to a purchase of a residential property valued at less than
$200 000 which will be the primary place of residence for the purchaser
ACT
NT
The Northern Territory Government provides a stamp duty Principal Place of Residence Rebate
(PPRR) to persons purchasing a home or land on which to build a home. The PPRR is available
to all persons other than those eligible for the stamp duty First Home Concession or the stamp
duty Senior, Pensioner and Carer Concession.
VIC
NSW
Cardholders may be entitled to an
exemption or concession from duty
depending on the value of their interest in
the house and land.


QLD
SA
WA
ACT
The Pensioner Duty Concession Scheme
(PDCS) assists eligible pensioners who
move to accommodation more suited to
their needs (e.g. moving from a house to a
townhouse) by charging duty at a
concessional rate.
97
Low
TAS
income
Student
State CC
Seniors

CW
DVA gold

Seniors
PCC

DVA white
HCC
DUTY ON TRANSFER – GENERAL
NT
The Senior, Pensioner and Carer
Concession (SPCC) assists eligible senior
citizens, pensioners and carers that are not
first home owners acquire a home or land.
The SPCC is an amount up to $8 500 off
the stamp duty payable. The scheme is
not means tested but eligibility ceases if
the dutiable value of the home or land at
the date of the conveyance exceeds
$750 000 and $385 000 respectively.




98
Table 11 - Transport Concessions by eligibility by State and Territory Governments
income
Low
income
Low
Student
State CC
Seniors
CW
Seniors
DVA white
DVA gold
PCC
HCC
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
TAS
Concession prices on Metro and
Merseylink buses



VIC
Concession fares on train, tram and bus
services within metro Melbourne, regional
city town bus service and V/Line ticketed
train and coach services



NSW
Concession travel rates


QLD
50% concession on urban bus services
throughout Queensland
SA
WA
ACT












50% - 65% discount on Transperth
services


Up to 50% discount for TransWA
Concession bus travel on ACTion Bus
services


Student
State CC
Seniors
CW

Seniors

DVA white
HCC
STUDENT TRAVEL CONVEYANCE

DVA gold
Concessions on public transport available

PCC
NT
Concession of around 50% on normal fare
for public transport


TAS
A Conveyance allowance to assist with the cost of transporting students to the nearest school or
school bus service is available to students who live 5km or more from the nearest school or
school bus stop (whichever is the closer); with special needs who are unable to access public
transport; or living on Bass Strait islands and attending their closest educationally appropriate
school or college on mainland Tasmania
VIC
Education Conveyance Allowance is available to students aged 5 – 21 in all country and outer
metro area who live more than 4.8km by shortest practical route from nearest schools and don’t
have access to free school bus service
NSW
NSW Private Vehicle Conveyance Subsidy is available to all NSW residents where there is no
public transport available to transport a student for all or part of journey to school.
Concession is intended to offset the cost of using a private vehicle, not cover all costs
99
Low
income
Student
State CC
Seniors
CW
Seniors

DVA white
ACT

DVA gold
WA
PCC
SA
HCC
QLD
School Transport Assistance Scheme;
available to primary students who live
3.2km from nearest State primary school,
or secondary student who live 4.8km or
less.
Non-state School Transport Assistance
Scheme
Transport services for students who reside 5km or more from their nearest public school and for
children in rural areas of the State; and students with disabilities who have approval to attend a
specific special class or centre (services include buses, taxis, access cabs and/or travel allowance
as appropriate). Families may be eligible to claim travel allowance if a DECS school bus is not
provided under these circumstances.
Student subsidised travel scheme provides assistance for remote students between home and
school.
Road travel subsidy for students required to travel more than 56km from the nearest appropriate
Government School.
Free school bus tickets for students aged 5
– 18 years of age.
Concession for primary school students
living outside 1km radial distance of their
school; and high school/Year 12 equivalent
students living outside a 2km radial
distance of their school.


100
Low
income
Student
State CC
Seniors
CW
Seniors
DVA white
DVA gold
PCC
HCC
NT
The NT Student Travel Scheme provides travel assistance for isolated students and is to be used
at the beginning and end of each semester or half semester.
Students in receipt of Australian Government Aboriginal Study Assistance Scheme (ABSTUDY)
grants are not eligible for this allowance.
The NT Conveyance Subsidy Scheme provides assistance with the cost of daily travel for full-time
school or tertiary students who are disadvantaged by the distance of daily travel to their nearest
school or tertiary education at which appropriate tuition and courses are available.
The NT Tertiary Fares Reimbursement Scheme provides fares assistance for non-salaried students
who do not qualify for other travel assistance (including assistance provided through Youth
Allowance, Austudy payments or ABSTUDY) who must move from their principle centre of
residence in order to undertake full-time tertiary studies at an institution elsewhere in the
Territory.
NT Tertiary Fares Reimbursement Scheme - Interstate
This scheme provides fares assistance for non-salaried students, who do not qualify for other
travel assistance (including assistance provided through Youth Allowance, Austudy payments or
ABSTUDY) who have moved from their principle place of residence in order to undertake fulltime tertiary studies or university-level first award courses interstate in a field of study which:
•is considered by the standing committee to be a priority field of study; and
•is not available in any form at the same level at the Charles Darwin University (CDU) or at any
other registered training authority.
TRAINEE / APPRENTICE ALLOWANCE
TAS
A travel allowance of 20 cents per kilometre (25 cents for students living on the West Coast) is
payable to apprentices and trainees who have to travel more than 42km return to attend off-thejob training.
Where apprentices and trainees are required to travel to the mainland for training, the
concession will meet the cost of airfares, provide $50 towards airport transfers and pay an
accommodation allowance of $70 a day
VIC
The Apprentice and Trainee Accommodation Allowance assists apprentices and trainees who
must stay away from their home to attend approved off-the-job training at a TAFE Institution or
private registered training organisation. The allowance is $25 per night for a maximum of five
nights in a week.
NSW
Apprentices and new entrant trainees may be eligible for travel and accommodation assistance if
they need to travel more than 120kms round trip to attend day or block release with their
registered training organisation. Assistance for accommodation is $28 per day and the rate for
travel expenses is 12 cents per kilometre. This applies to both public and private transport.
101
Low
income
Student
State CC
Seniors
CW
Seniors
DVA white
DVA gold
PCC
HCC
QLD
Travel and accommodation subsidy for apprentices and trainees who are required to travel at
least 100kms return to attend training in relation to their apprenticeship or traineeship. The
apprentice or trainee will only be entitled to the subsidy if they attend training at the closest
training organisation that delivers the course of instruction for the apprenticeship or traineeship.
The following rates apply:
•15c per kilometre for travel between 100 and 650km;
•19c per kilometre for travel between 650 and 1 400km;
•Airfares for travel over 1 400km;
•$22 per day, including weekends, for accommodation (where appropriate).
SA
The travel and accommodation allowance is the State Government’s contribution towards an
apprentice’s / trainee’s travel and accommodation costs incurred while travelling to the closest
available registered training organisation (RTO). The travel and accommodation allowance is a
contribution only and is not intended to cover the total travel and accommodation costs incurred
by the apprentice/trainee.
WA
Apprentices and trainees are entitled to a travel and/or accommodation allowance to training at
the nearest RTO able to deliver the off-the-job training program.
The minimum road trip distance must be greater than 70km for travel allowance, 200km for
accommodation allowance and 1 200km for travel by air.
ACT
Apprentice Regional Travel Support (ABBTF) is available to all apprentices in training who have to
travel more than 100km to attend a TAFE/RTO to undertake their trade training. The support will
allow an apprentice to claim $50 per day for each day they attend their TAFE/RTO, where they
are required to stay overnight due to the distance travelled. Each apprentice’s claim is limited to
$2 000 per year.
NT
Australian Apprentices registered in the Northern Territory can access discounts and special
offers with the Australian Apprenticeships NT Discount Card.
Low
102
income
Student
State CC
Seniors
CW
Seniors

DVA white

DVA gold
PCC
TAS
Financial assistance is available for
Tasmanians required to travel more than
75km one way to access specialist medical
services or lymphoedema treatment not
available locally; travel more than 50km
one way to access the nearest renal and
oncology treatment centre the patient is
ineligible for assistance from other
sources. Levels of assistance are
determined by the distance, type of travel
and accommodation required. Client
contribution towards costs is reduced for
cardholders.
HCC
PATIENT TRAVEL
Low
income
Student
State CC
DVA white

Seniors
DVA gold

CW
PCC

Seniors
HCC

VIC
Victorian Patient Transport Assistance
Scheme subsidises the travel and
accommodation costs incurred by rural
Victorians, and if appropriate, their
escorts, who have no option but to travel
a long distance to receive approved
medical specialists services.
NSW
Transport for Health includes the Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance
Scheme (IPTAAS). People who need to access specialist medical or oral surgical treatment not
available locally and who live more than 100km from the nearest specialist are eligible. The
SWISH Travel program entitles babies and a parent, who live more than 100 km one way from
one of the three SWISH assessment facilities, to be reimbursed for travel if the baby has been
identified for follow-up diagnostic audiology services following screening for hearing under the
SWISH program. Eligibility for other Transport for Health Services is based on a patient's inability
to reasonably gain access to local health services by either public or private transport, or their
need to be transported between hospital facilities.
QLD
Patient Travel subsidy provides financial
assistance for transport and
accommodation costs to patients who
need access to specialist medical services
not available within 50km of the patients’
nearest public hospital. Cardholders must
have a Medicare card, be a permanent
Qld resident, referred by a registered
medical practitioner and meet other
criteria. Escorts may also be eligible.





SA
The South Australian Patient Assistance Transport Scheme (PATS) provides some financial
reimbursement to country patients and approved escorts with the cost of travel and
accommodation when they are required to travel over 100km (each way) to receive specialist
medical treatment that is not available at their nearest centre.
WA
Patient Assisted Travel Scheme is available to permanent country resident in a WA Country
Health Service region who needs to travel more than 100kms to access the nearest eligible
medical specialist service (including Telehealth), by providing a subsidy towards the cost of travel
and accommodation.
Assistance is available to travel on the most economical form of transport appropriate to your
medical condition as recommended by a doctor. Escorts may be approved for people with
certain medical conditions including people having cancer treatment, the frail, disabled or people
under 18 years of age. Scheme is not means tested.
103
Low
income
Student
State CC
Seniors
CW
Seniors
DVA white
DVA gold
PCC
HCC
ACT
The Interstate Travel Assistance Scheme provides assistance to permanent residents of the ACT
towards travel and accommodation expenses when referred interstate for medical treatment not
available in the ACT. Eligibility by referral from treating medical practitioner, which remains valid
for 12 months. Motor vehicle mileage allowance of $0.10 per kilometre or equivalent economy
coach or rail ticket, as well as accommodation rebate of $35 for patient and $10 for the escort,
per night.
NT
The Patient Assistance Travel Scheme (PATS) provides assistance with travel, and if applicable,
accommodation costs to residents of the Northern Territory who are required to travel more
than 200kms to the nearest specialist medical treatment. PATS also includes an escort for every
patient travelling interstate for surgery or intensive therapies (e.g. radiation therapies, non
surgical cancer treatments, cardiology and neurosurgery), a ground transport allowance of $40
per return trip for patients who are required to travel interstate for treatment, a commercial
accommodation rate of $35 a night and private vehicle allowance of 15cents per kilometre per
patient for up to three patients travelling together.
104
Low
income
Student
State CC
Seniors
CW
Seniors

DVA white

DVA gold
PCC
TAS
A 50% concession on the cost of travel by
non-wheelchair accessible taxi available to
people: with a permanent and severe
disability who have been assessed as
meeting eligibility criteria for membership
of the Transport Access Scheme. A
maximum subsidy of $25 per single
journey applies.
HCC
TAXI (DISABILITY)

A 60% concession on the cost of travel in a wheelchair accessible taxi is available to people with a
permanent and severe disability who have been assessed as meeting eligibility criteria for
membership of the Transport Access Scheme, and who are totally wheelchair reliant. A
maximum subsidy of $30 per single journey applies.
VIC
Multi-purpose Taxi Program: The Victorian
Taxi Directorate provides a 50% discount
on taxi fares, up to $60 per trip to
permanently and severely disabled
Victorian residents, who disability (physical
or intellectual/psychological) limits their
mobility and prevents them from
accessing public transport.
NSW
Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme (TTSS) provides a 50% discount up to $30 per trip for severe and
permanently disabled
QLD
Taxi Subsidy Scheme provides 50% concession up to $25 per trip for permanent Queensland
residents who meet relevant criteria in relation to disability
SA
WA
ACT
NT






Taxi Fare Subsidy Scheme
SA Transport Subsidy Scheme for people with permanent and severe disabilities
Taxi user subsidy scheme available to permanent residents of WA who have a severe disability
that prevents them using public transport
Taxi Subsidy Scheme assists people who have a disability that prevents them from using public
transport for a minimum period of 6 months.
Eligibility is determined by assessment, not means tested.
NT Taxi Subsidy Scheme provides assistance to people assessed as having a disability or
significant mobility restriction that prevents them being able to use public transport to access the
community.
50% subsidy for NT permanent residents who meet at least 1 of 6 criteria.
Apply for membership to access concession
Low
105
income
Student
State CC
Seniors
CW
Seniors
DVA white
DVA gold
PCC
HCC
DRIVERS LICENCE
Cardholders receive the following
discounts:
1 year $9.50, 2 years $19.05, 3 years
$27.20, 4 years $36.70, 5 years $46.20
Members of the Transport Access Scheme
are also eligible. There is no licence fee
for people 65 years and over


Exempt from fees for licence


SA
50% reduction in drivers licence


WA
50 – 100% concession




TAS


VIC
NSW
QLD




50 – 100% discount
ACT
NT
Concession also available to the
unemployed

Drivers licence concession available
MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION
TAS
Discounts on vehicle registration fees are
available for motor vehicles (other than
motorcycles) not over 4.5 tonnes gross
vehicle mass ($34.95), trailers (including
caravans) ($13.60) and motorcycles
($31.30). Also available to people who
receive a TPI Pension and are members of
the Transport Access Scheme (for people
with a severe disability). Only applies to
one vehicle of each type registered in the
name of the eligible person.



VIC
50% discount on motor vehicle
registration fee component of the
registration bill where card holder or their
spouse is the registered operator of the
vehicle. There is a limit of one vehicle per
concession card.
DVA gold = 100% discount



NSW
Exemption from fees on Motor vehicle tax
and registration (including HVIS inspection
fees).



106
QLD
50% -70% reduction for post July 1994
issued PCC on registration fee component
of total registration amount payable. PreJuly 1994 issued PCC receive flat rate
concession on registration fee component
of total registration. Concessions are
available for motorbikes, motor vehicles
up to 4.5tonnes and motorised caravans.
Concession only available on one vehicle
recorded in registered operators name.
Individual and spouse can only receive
one concession between couple. War
veterans on disability pension who are
70% or more incapacitated are eligible for
a flat rate concession and exempt from
traffic improvement fee component of the
total registration fees payable.



SA
50% reduction in registration of one
motor vehicle or motorcycle and one
trailer or caravan for cardholders;
incapacitated
ex-service person receive a 66% reduction.



WA
Vehicle licence fee concession 50 – 100%


ACT
HCC - $10 short term licence
PCC and DVA 100% exemption




NT

Concession towards registration for private
vehicle/motorcycle/motorised wheelchair
or motorised “trike”. The concession can
be claimed for one vehicle only during any
period and the vehicle must be registered
in cardholders name.





COMPULSORY THIRD PARTY INSURANCE (CTP)
TAS
A concession of $69 on MAIB third party
insurance premiums is available for motor
vehicles (other than motorcycles) not over
4.5 tonnes. Members of the Transport
Access Scheme (for people with a severe
disability) are also eligible.



VIC
Stamp duty on CTP premiums is broadly
based. Concessions are provided where
the value of the TAC premium is reduced
by 50% (effectively, a 5 per cent levy).


NSW
Concessions on CTP


QLD
107
SA
Exempt from the payment of CTP
WA
Third party insurance concession



Exemptions and Concessions available:
ACT
PCC and DVA gold = free
HCC = $10 for 12 months






ACT Seniors = 10$ discount
NT
Concession towards CTP for private
vehicle, motorcycle, motorised wheelchair
or motorised trike can be claimed for one
vehicle registered in cardholder’s name.



108
Student
income
Low
Student
income
Low
DVA gold
State Conc
PCC
State CC

Seniors

Seniors

CW

CW
DVA white

Seniors
DVA gold

Seniors
PCC
TAS
40% rebate on motor tax (which is
included in motor vehicle registration) is
available for goods vehicles with a gross
vehicle mass not over 4.5 tonnes. This
concession only applies if a concession
has not already been granted on another
motor vehicle registered in the name of
the eligible person. 100% exemption on
motor tax is available for a vehicle with a
gross vehicle mass not exceeding 4.5
tonnes. The exemption is available to
people who receive a TPI Pension and are
members of the Transport Access Scheme.
HCC
MOTOR TAX
VIC
NSW
Motor vehicle tax and Registration
(including HVIS inspection fees); exempt
from fees
QLD
SA
WA
ACT
NT
TAS
A 100 per cent exemption from duty on
vehicle registration applications and
transfers is available for a vehicle with a
gross vehicle mass not exceeding 4.5
tonnes if an individual receive a TPI
Pension (DVA Gold*) and is a member of
the Transport Access Scheme (for people
with a severe disability).

VIC
100% exemption from motor vehicle duty
(stamp duty)

NSW
GST exemption on purchase of new cars

DVA white
HCC
Motor Vehicle Duty
109
Vehicle registration duty exemption

SA
Exemption from stamp duty on value of
the vehicle

WA
Motor vehicle GST exemption

ACT
Motor vehicle GST exemption

NT
Motor vehicle GST exemption

QLD
110
Table 12 - Education Services Concessions by eligibility by State and Territory
Governments
Low income
Student
State Conc
Seniors
CW Seniors
DVA white
DVA gold
PCC
HCC
STUDENT ASSISTANCE (Levies, Uniforms, School Resources)
TAS
Assistance towards the cost of school levies may be available to low income families with full-time
students from kindergarten to year 12 at state and non-government schools or students enrolled
part-time due to genuine hardship (such as illness, disability or family breakdown). Assistance is
based on a family’s taxable income and the number of dependent children.
VIC
Education Maintenance Allowance - paid
in 2 instalments, 70% at start of Term 1,
30% at start of Term 3. Allowance is
divided equally between parents and
schools. In 2009, $221 for primary school
students, $443 for secondary students up
to 16 years of age. The allowance
increases each year in line with inflation.



NSW
QLD
Textbook and Resource Allowance provides assistance to parents of secondary school age
students attending state and approved non-state schools to contribute towards the cost of
textbooks and learning resources. Parents have the option to receive the allowance directly or as
an offset of fees associated with participation in any school textbook and resource scheme. This
option is made available to each parent annually. Cash allowance is paid through the school
attended.
SA
The School Card Scheme provides financial assistance towards educational expenses incurred by
families.
WA
Secondary Assistance Scheme provides
financial support to eligible parents of
students in Yrs 8-12 - current value is $235
per year. Clothing Allowance of $115 eligibility criteria applies.

ACT
The Secondary Bursary Scheme provides
financial assistance of $500 per year with
education costs for students in Years 7-10,
Canberra Institute of Technology or
approved home schooling.

NT


The Back to School Payment Scheme helps families offset the beginning of year education
expenses such as cost of textbooks, stationery, school uniforms, excursions, and travel. Parents or
guardians of students enrolled from preschool to Year 12 in are entitled to receive $75 per
student of eligible educational items from the student’s school.
111
Low income
Student
State Conc
Seniors
CW Seniors
DVA white
DVA gold
PCC
HCC
STUDENT ACCOMMODATION
TAS
Financial support may be given to Year 11 and 12 students who live away from home due to the
distance between their usual home in Tasmania and the closest institution offering their chosen
course of study.
The assistance is available to full-time Year 11 and 12 students and students enrolled part-time
due to genuine hardship (such as illness, disability or family breakdown).
VIC
NSW
The NSW Secondary Schools Living Away from Home Allowance (LAFHA) provides assistance to
eligible families who must board their children away from home to access secondary education.
The student's home must be in NSW; the student must be living away from home to attend an
appropriate secondary school in NSW, QLD, SA, VIC, or the ACT; and the student must be
following a normal secondary course of study. The basic criteria relate to income and distance.
There is also provision for other circumstances such as a medical condition to be considered
where relevant. The Boarding Scholarships for Isolated Students scheme (BSIS) provides
assistance to students in Years 7 to 12 from rural areas who are disadvantaged by a low family
income and geographic isolation where the location of the family home in NSW severely affects
the student's access to secondary schooling and whose circumstances require that they board
away from home to attend government secondary school.
QLD
Living Away from Home Allowances Scheme (LAFHAS) provides assistance to eligible Queensland
parents whose children must board away from home to attend school on a daily basis because
their homes are geographically isolated or they do not have reasonable daily access to a
government school with the appropriate level of primary, secondary or special schooling.
LAFHAS has four component allowances which assist students in Years 1–12: Remote Area Tuition
Allowance which compensates tuition fees charged by non-state boarding schools for students
who board at school; Remote Area Travel Allowance which compensates travel costs for students
travelling to and from home and boarding locations in vacation periods; Remote Area Allowance
which compensates costs of boarding at one of the five Queensland campuses of the Australian
Agricultural College to complete courses equivalent to and in lieu of Years 11 and 12; Remote
Area Disability Supplement which compensates additional costs associated with educating
students with a high level disability and who are required to board away from home. All
payments are dependent on applicants' homes meeting distance eligibility criteria or being
approved under special circumstances by the Minister for Education and Training.
Payment is also dependent on school attendance certifications and distance checking which is
undertaken on a risk management basis.
SA
WA
Boarding Away from Home Allowance (BAHA); must be a resident who has qualified for
Commonwealth Boarding Allowance or Second home Allowance. Agricultural College Special
Subsidy; $2050 (2010 rate)
ACT
112
CW Seniors
Seniors
State Conc
DVA white
CW Seniors
Seniors
State Conc
Low income
DVA white
DVA gold
Low income
DVA gold
PCC
Student
PCC
HCC
Student
HCC
NT
TERTIARY STUDENT ACCOMMODATION
TAS
Financial support may be given to full-time tertiary students who live away from home due to
the distance between their usual home in Tasmania and the closest tertiary institution offering
their chosen course of study. Assistance is available to tertiary students who receive a Centrelink
or DVA means-tested benefit or education supplement and students who are enrolled part-time
due to genuine hardship (such as illness, disability or family breakdown). For all eligible students
the allowance is $1 050. Pro-rata grants apply for students who become eligible for Centrelink
after the start of their course
APPRENTICE AND TRAINEE
TAS
Concession removed in the 2011-12 Tasmanian State Budget
VIC
The Apprentice and Trainee Accommodation Allowance assists apprentices and trainees who
must stay away from their home to attend approved off-the-job training at a TAFE Institution or
private registered training organisation.
NSW
Registered apprentices or new entrant trainees in NSW are eligible for Travel and
Accommodation Assistance. Assistance for accommodation is $28 per day. A subsidy of 12c per
km for travel is paid if travel is outside the boundaries of the City Rail network. You need to
travel more than 120kms round trip to attend day or block release with your registered training
organisation.
QLD
Apprentices and trainees may apply for the travel and accommodation subsidy after each period
of training has been completed. The apprentice or trainee will only be entitled to the subsidy if
they attend training at the closest training organisation that delivers the course of instruction for
the apprenticeship or traineeship. The apprentice or trainee must travel at least 100kms return to
that training organisation to be eligible.
SA
The travel and accommodation allowance is the State Government’s contribution towards an
apprentice’s/ trainee’s travel and accommodation costs incurred while travelling to the closest
available registered training organisation (RTO). The travel and accommodation allowance is a
contribution only and is not intended to cover the total travel and accommodation costs incurred
by the apprentice/trainee.
113
Low income
Student
State Conc
Seniors
CW Seniors
DVA white
NT
DVA gold
ACT
PCC
HCC
WA
The Travel and Accommodation Allowance (TAA) assists an apprentice/trainee meet travel and
accommodation costs incurred while travelling from their normal place of residence to the
training venue of the closest Registered Training Organisation (RTO), delivering approved offthe-job training program.
For eligibility to accommodation allowance the round trip distance travelled from the
apprentice’s/trainee’s normal place of residence to the training venue must exceed 200
kilometres, calculated as though attendance was at the closest training venue of all the
contracted RTOs able to deliver the approved off-the-job training program.
Some assistance with travel and accommodation is available to apprentices who travel interstate
for training.
If there is no RTO providing training locally and the only practical option is to do off-the-job
training away from home (more than 50km), apprentices and trainees may be eligible for financial
assistance under the Travel and Accommodation Subsidy Scheme. The scheme applies to training
in the Northern Territory or in another state or territory. Travel subsidies paid to the apprentice
or trainee may be equivalent to the average discounted airfare available on the dates of travel or
the cost of a return bus fare. For distances of less than 1 000km (one way), the subsidy will be for
a bus fare or, if travelling by road, 45 cents per km, whichever is the lesser. A grant of 45 cents
per km for daily trips is available, if the trip is more than 50km one way. Transfer subsidies to
assist with the cost of travel between the airport or bus terminal and accommodation are
available. Accommodation grants of $220 for a full week (seven days) and $31.50 for each extra
day are also available. Note that the payments are a subsidy only.

NSW
Concession discount available on many
courses


QLD
Concession card holders or dependants
are entitled to a discount on course fees.


SA
Discount fee on WEA courses.


WA
Concessions available – details on specific
eligibility criteria not available.







ACT
NT
114
Low income

Student
Concession course prices available.
State Conc
VIC
Seniors

CW Seniors

DVA white
PCC
Concessions on fees for most courses.
DVA gold
HCC
TAS
ADULT EDUCATION COURSES
NSW
Concession fee available.


QLD
Concession on fees available. Tuition fee
exemption also considered.


SA
Students are eligible for concession upon
enrolling into a government-subsidised
course.


WA
Student cardholders and dependents
enrolled in a vocational course are entitled
to a concession rate of up to 25% on
course fees.
Persons aged between 15 and 18 years,
and who are not due to reach 18 years of
age in the calendar year of enrolment are
also entitled to concession on course fees.


ACT
If receiving Centrelink benefits may
automatically receive a fee concession of
50% with CIT.
ACT Government Fee Assistance
(Canberra Institute of Technology) course fees or course materials. Main
eligibility requirement is experiencing
financial hardship,


Fee exemption


NT

Low income Low income

Student

Student
DVA white DVA white

Concessions on enrolment fees for
cardholders and their dependent spouses.
State Conc State Conc
DVA gold

VIC
Seniors
DVA gold
PCC

Seniors
PCC
HCC

TAS
A two-thirds reduction on the normal
tuition fee for each unit or module is
available. Fee capping also applies.
CW Seniors CW Seniors
HCC
TAFE TUITION FEES

TAFE CHILD CARE CONCESSION
TAS
Up to a 50% reimbursement of childcare costs (to a maximum of $750 per student per year) is
available to people enrolled in an accredited course at the Polytechnic, with childcare provided
through a registered carer or Family Day Care Program. Note: This concession was only
available in 2010.
115
Table 13 - Health Concessions by Eligibility by State and Territory Governments
Low income
Student
State Conc
Seniors
CW Seniors
DVA white
DVA gold
PCC
HCC
PHARMACEUTICALS
TAS
Concessions are available on
pharmaceuticals dispensed to outpatients
attending the emergency department or
hospital outpatient clinics in public
hospitals. $5.60 cost with free benefits
after $336.00 IS spent.



The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme or PBS is a program of the Australian Government that provides
subsidised prescription drugs to residents of Australia. The PBS ensures that all Australians have
affordable and reliable access to a wide range of necessary medicines. When purchasing a medication
under the PBS the maximum price a consumer pays is the patient co-payment contribution which, as of
January 1, 2011 is A$34.20 for general patients. Those covered by government entitlements (low-income
earners, welfare recipients, Health Care Card holders, etc.) and those covered under the Repatriation
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS) have a reduced co-payment which is $5.60 in 2011.
INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES
TAS
Free needles and syringes are available to residents of Tasmania with insulin-treated diabetes
accessing the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) and not receiving any other co-payment
to cover the cost of needles and syringes under the NDSS
The NDSS, provided by Australian Government, is a program that provides blood and urine testing strips,
syringes and needles for special injection systems at subsidised prices to people who register for its
benefits.
People who are resident in Australia and have been diagnosed with diabetes by a medical practitioner,
and who hold a current Australian Medicare card or Department Veteran Affairs file number, can be
registered to access the benefits of the NDSS.
Low income
Student
State Conc
Seniors
CW Seniors
DVA white
DVA gold
PCC
TAS
HCC
SPECTACLES / VISUAL AIDS
The Spectacles Assistance Scheme provides financial assistance for the purchase of spectacles to
those who meet the guidelines. Clients are assisted with the cost of specific types of lenses and
frames. There is a restriction on the frequency of application. The assistance is means tested and
is not available to all health care card holders.
116
Low income
Student
State Conc

Seniors
DVA white

CW Seniors
DVA gold
PCC
HCC
Subsidies of 70% are available on
scheduled items such as lenses and basic
frames, low vision aids, non-cosmetic
contact lenses, prostheses and intra-ocular
implants to permanent Tasmanian
residents. Pre-school age children are also
eligible (means tested). Other low-income
earners may be eligible for the subsidy
under hardship provisions

Free eye examinations and low cost glasses
for cardholders and their dependents
under 16 who are listed on the concession
card


Victorian Eyecare Service (VES) provides
Victorian cardholders with access to low
cost eye care and visual aids.


NSW
NSW Spectacle Program assists in the
delivery of low-cost vision-care services
and optical appliances. Program approved
frames and lenses are available at no cost
every two years to eligible applicants who
are approved for spectacle item benefits.
Applicants must also meet all criteria of the
NSW Government's Means Test. Children
may also be eligible for the program
depending on family income and assets.


QLD
Spectacles Supply Scheme provides a
comprehensive range of free basic
prescription glasses to eligible Qld
residents.


SA
Under the Spectacles Scheme, once every
two years, cardholders plus listed
dependents are entitled to a pair of glasses
and a pair of distance glasses. OR a pair of
bifocal glasses.


WA
The WA Spectacle Subsidy Scheme assists with the purchase of a pair of prescribed spectacles or
lenses, providing a 50% subsidy of the total cost to a maximum of $50. This assistance is available
once every two years.
VIC


117
Student
Low income
Student
Low income



CW Seniors
Seniors
State Conc
DVA white

PCC

HCC

DVA gold
Concessions on spectacles available.
TAS
Free emergency services and subsidised
general services and dentures


VIC
$24 co-payment up to a maximum of $96
on emergency and general dental.
Exemption from fees for public dental
services available to those experiencing
financial hardship.


NSW
Free public oral health services.
Cardholders must be eligible for Medicare
and reside within boundary of the
providing Area Health Service.



QLD
Free dental treatment including provision
of dentures, is available at public dental
clinics and hospitals to cardholders and
their dependents.



SA
Basic dental treatment through SA Dental
Service to cardholders and dependents.


ADULT DENTAL SERVICES
State Conc

Seniors

CW Seniors

DVA white
DVA gold
NT
PCC
ACT
ACT Seniors Spectacles Scheme provides a
$35 rebate towards the cost of spectacles
every 2 years.
HCC
ACT
ACT Spectacles Subsidy Scheme provides
eligible ACT residents with 1 pair of trifocal
or focal spectacles or 2 separate pairs of
single vision spectacles from the one
prescription in any 2 year period; valued at
$100.

118
Low income

Low income

Student
Adult cardholders are eligible for free
dental services.
NT
Student

State Conc

Seniors
ACT
ACT Denture Scheme - All ACT residents
over 18 years old with cards are eligible to
receive general and emergency treatment
CW Seniors

DVA white
PCC

DVA gold
HCC
WA
Emergency, general, and some specialised
dental care available to cardholders and
their dependents through the Oral Health
Centre of Western Australia (OHCWA) and
public dental clinics throughout the
metropolitan area and in many country
locations.
Country Patients Dental Subsidy Scheme
provides financial assistance to eligible
people in country locations where there
are participating private dental practices
and no public dental clinics.

State Conc
Seniors
CW Seniors
DVA white
PCC
DVA gold
HCC
TAS
Free service for all children under six,
dependent children of cardholders up to 18
years of age and subsidised service is
available to all other children under 18.


VIC
Exemption from fees for public dental
services for children aged 0 -17 years who
are cardholders or dependants of card
holders. Subsidised service for other
children aged 0 – 12 years.


NSW
Free public oral health services to children less than 18 years of age, who are eligible for Medicare
and live within the boundary of the providing Area Health Service
QLD
All Queensland resident children four years of age or older who have not completed year ten at
school are eligible for free public dentist services.
CHILD DENTAL SERVICES
SA
Free dental care for preschool clients.
Children who are dependants/cardholders
receive free dental care. Children under 18
attending school in South Australia are
eligible to attend the School Dental
Service.


119
Seniors
State Conc
Student
Low income
Seniors
State Conc
Student
Low income
CW Seniors

DVA white

DVA gold
NT
PCC
ACT
Child and youth dental provides dental
services to all children under 5 who live in
the ACT, all children 5 years to under 14
years of age who live or attend school in
the ACT and children living or attending
school in the ACT under the age of 18
years covered by a concession card.
HCC
WA
Free basic dental care is provided to all
school children from pre-primary to Year 11
(Year 12 in remote localities).
The Children’s Dental Service provides free dental services to all students.
CW Seniors

DVA white
PCC

DVA gold
HCC
COMMUNITY EQUIPMENT
TAS
Financial assistance is available to clients
who require; mobility and personal care
aids and equipment, specialised footwear,
basic home modifications, continence aids
and appliances, to enhance their safety and
quality of life. Cardholders must have been
referred by an authorised prescriber.
VIC
The Aids and Equipment Program (A&EP) provides children or adults who are permanent Victorian
residents with a permanent or long-term disability with subsidised aids, equipment, vehicle and
home modifications to enhance independence in their home, facilitate community participation
and support families and carers in their role. The list of aids and equipment subsidised by the aids
and equipment program includes; wheelchairs, mobility aids, beds and hoists, pressure care
equipment, shower chairs, grab rails and ramps, home modifications, vehicle modifications,
electronic communication aids, environmental control units, domiciliary oxygen, lymphoedema
compression garments and continence aids.
NSW
EnableNSW provides appropriate assistive technology devices and specialised support services to
assist permanent residents of NSW with a permanent or long-term disability to live and participate
in their family and community. EnableNSW is means tested for adults for most categories of
assistive technology. Children up to the age of 16 years with a long-term disability are eligible for
EnableNSW, regardless of parental income.
120

Independent Living Equipment Program (ILEP) provides aids and equipment available that can
help maintain independence. Equipment may help with everyday tasks in the home, mobility,
transferring and seating, bathroom, toileting and incontinence, communication and telephone
access.
121
Low income
Student
State Conc
Seniors
CW Seniors

DVA white

DVA gold
PCC
SA
HCC
QLD
Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme (MASS)
provides access to subsidy funding to
eligible Queensland residents with
permanent and stabilised conditions or
disabilities for the provision of MASS
endorsed aids and equipment, selected to
assist people to live at home. Equipment
available includes; communication aids,
continence aids, daily living aids, medical
grade footwear, mobility aids, orthoses and
oxygen.
The Home Assist Secure program aims to
remove some of the practical housingrelated difficulties experienced by older
people and people with a disability who
wish to remain living in their home. The
service provides free information and
referrals about home maintenance, falls
prevention, repairs and modifications and
home security. Subsidised assistance for
minor home maintenance, repairs and
modifications which relate to health, safety
and security, is also available for eligible
clients.
122
Low income
Student
State Conc
Seniors
CW Seniors

DVA white
PCC

DVA gold
HCC
WA
The Community Aids and Equipment
Program (CAEP) provides an equitable
accessible and consistent state-wide
scheme for the provision of equipment and
home modifications for the benefit of
people with permanent disability who live
at home. May also access EAEP if eligible
for a Carer Payment or demonstrate
financial hardship. The types of equipment
and home modifications funded by CAEP
include; bed equipment (bed rails, pressure
mattress), communication (communication
devices), daily living items (height
adjustable table), home modifications (grab
rails and widen the doorway), orthoses
(surgical footwear), personal care items
(shower chair), positioning and seating
(standing frames), respiratory appliances
(ventilators), transfer aids (hoists and
transfer boards), walking aids (walking
frames) and wheeled mobility devices.
Low income
Student
State Conc
Seniors
CW Seniors

DVA white
PCC

DVA gold
HCC
ACT
The ACT Equipment Scheme provides
access to a range of equipment for
permanent residents of the ACT with long
term illness or disabilities to assist them to
live safely at home in the community.
Recipients must be ineligible to receive
assistance from other government funded
schemes or private health schemes and
meet low income criteria as outlined within
the policy. Eligible persons make a copayment of $22 or up to 10% of the cost of
the item. Equipment available from ACTES
includes; powered recliner/lift chairs,
pressure care cushions, bathing items,
toileting items, manual and powered
wheelchairs, walking aids, portable ramps,
bariatric equipment, communication
devices and continence aids. The Home
and Community Care (HACC) Equipment
Scheme complements ACTES. Applications
for HACC equipment must be from an
authorised prescriber. HACC Equipment
Scheme will not provide funding for
installation costs or associated home
modifications. Equipment available from
HACC includes hoists, slings, beds,
mattresses and pressure care overlays

123
ENTERAL FEEDS AND SUPPLEMENTS
TAS
Tube feeds and oral nutrition supplements
are supplied at subsidised cost to people
with serious medical conditions that affect
their ability to meet nutritional
requirements with normal food and drink
and are assessed by a dietician as requiring
nutrition support. A further reduction in
the subsidised cost is available for
cardholders.


VIC
NSW
EnableNSW – means test applies for
patients over 16 years of age.
QLD
SA
124
Low income
Student
State Conc
Seniors
CW Seniors

DVA white
PCC

DVA gold
HCC
NT
The Territory Independence and Mobility
Equipment (TIME) Scheme provides
appropriate equipment, aids and appliances
to residents of the NT with a permanent or
long term disability who live in the
community, to enhance their safety and
independence. Clients need to have an
assessment by an appropriate professional
and not be eligible to receive equipment
under any other program/fund. There are
ceiling levels on the amount of assistance
that can be provided for some equipment.
Also available to and people approved on
the basis of Financial Hardship. Equipment
provided under the TIME Scheme is
categorised as follows: communication aids
and devices, continence equipment, daily
living aids and equipment, feeding
equipment and appliances, home
modifications, oxygen and respiratory
appliances, personal call alarms, pressure
care, specialised items, walking aids,
wheelchairs and car modifications.
Low income
Student
State Conc
Seniors
CW Seniors
DVA white
DVA gold
PCC
HCC
WA
Area Health Services in WA provide access to nutritional products and consumables for public
patients.
ACT
Home Enteral Nutrition Scheme aims to support ACT residents living in the community who are
unable to maintain nutrition through oral intake. A referral by a treating medical practitioner is
required. Eligibility for people who have regular appointments with a dietician, agree to have their
information stored on a database and meet co-payment of $45 per participant per week
Low income
Student
State Conc
Seniors
CW Seniors
DVA white
DVA gold
TAS

PCC
HOME OXYGEN PROGRAM

HCC
NT
Home Enteral (HE) Nutrition available
under HE Nutrition Scheme Equipment and
TIME Scheme
Oxygen supplies are available to patients assessed by a specialist doctor as needing oxygen
therapy.
VIC
NSW
Home Oxygen Service (HOS) provides respiratory equipment including oxygen concentrators,
continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines, ventilators and respiratory consumables
such as tracheotomy tubes to people to manage their respiratory condition and maximise their
independence in their own homes. The Home Oxygen Scheme is aimed at prioritising the supply
of oxygen and related items to those people living at home who are most financially
disadvantaged.
QLD
MASS provides assistance in the form of a
concentrator (machine that runs on
electricity which generates oxygen from
the air) and/or pre-filled cylinders. MASS
provides a number of accessories including
nasal cannulas, masks, tubing and swivel
connectors, trolleys, crates, carry bags and
restraints. MASS may also provide
emergency back-up large or portable
cylinders for people who are dependent on
oxygen for 24 hours per day or who are in
a life threatening situation in the event of a
power failure. Clinical eligibility criteria for
home oxygen apply.



SA
WA
WA Health funds the home oxygen therapy service for people who meet the medical criteria
according to an approved prescribing doctor. WA Health covers the cost of lending an oxygen
concentrator along with the associated costs of nursing and administrative supervision. Where
appropriate and available, WA Health also covers the cost of portable oxygen bottles for use
125
Low income
Student
State Conc
VIC
NSW HOS
QLD
SA
WA
ACT
NT
126
Low income
Student
State Conc
Seniors
TAS
Seniors

Assistance through provision of equipment
is available to people who have been
clinically assessed as having a sleep-related
breathing disorder requiring a positive
airways pressure machine.
CW Seniors
PCC

CONTINUOUS POSITIVE AIRWAYS PRESSURE
CW Seniors

DVA white

DVA white
TIME Scheme

DVA gold

DVA gold
PCC

HCC
NT
HCC
ACT
ACT Domiciliary Oxygen and Respiratory
Support Scheme (DORSS) - is part of ACTES
and provides oxygen and associated
respiratory equipment to eligible residents
of the ACT.
LYMPHOEDEMA
A&EP



PCC
VIC

HCC
TAS
Financial assistance is available to
people requiring compression garments
to help manage lymphoedema.


NSW
QLD
SA
WA
ACT
NT
TIME Scheme
Low income
Student
State Conc
Seniors
CW Seniors
DVA white
DVA gold
ORTHOTIC / PROSTHETIC
TAS
A reduced contribution charge for
orthotic and prosthetic services is
provided to cardholders referred by GP
or medical specialist. Public hospital
clients also eligible. Clients are charged
for more advanced and specialised
technology.
VIC
A&EP funds some orthotic treatment; also Victorian Artificial Limb Program (VALP).
NSW
The EnableNSW Prosthetic Limb Service is responsible for funding the provision of artificial limbs.
QLD
Queensland Artificial Limb Service provides artificial limbs. All Queenslanders who hold a Medicare
are eligible for services.
SA
WA
The Western Australian Limb Service for Amputees (WALSA) provides limb prostheses to eligible
Western Australians. By arrangements made with the DVA, all entitled veterans receive primary or
replacement limbs and repairs via WALSA. DVA is responsible for paying for entitled veterans’
services and monitors quality of delivery of service in conjunction with WALSA.
ACT
The Artificial Limb Scheme assists ACT residents referred by a treating practitioner who require
access to prosthetic devices.
NT
A Medicare eligible person who chooses to be a public patient will not be charged for prostheses
while in hospital.
127
128
Low income
Student
State Conc
Seniors
CW Seniors

DVA white

DVA gold
PCC
TAS
Some financial assistance to buy wigs is
available to cancer and alopecia patients
who are referred by a doctor.
HCC
WIGS
Table 14 - Legal Services Concessions by Eligibility by State and Territory
Governments
Low income
Student
State Conc
Seniors
CW Seniors
DVA white
DVA gold
PCC
HCC
CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORD
TAS
A reduced fee of $5 for a criminal history record check is available to volunteers pre-approved
and validated by the relevant volunteer organisation. Organisations must complete the volunteer
rate application form for the volunteer to be able to receive the reduced fee.
VIC
Volunteers, student placements and persons who qualify under the Family Day Care Scheme as an
adult (18 years or over) residing with a Family Day Care provider can obtain a National Police
Certificate at a reduced fee of $15.
A valid Community Volunteer Fee (CVF) number must be provided by an organisation registered
with Victoria Police to claim the reduced fee.
NSW
QLD
SA

Concession fee for National Police
Certificate
Applicant must provide proof of financial
disadvantage by providing a copy of at least
one card with their application
A reduced fee of $33.25 for volunteers
Applicant must have the volunteer
organisation authorise their application
WA
Western Australian organisations are provided with a National Police Check for their volunteers at
a reduced fee of $10.50 per person checked.





ACT
NT
TAS
A waived fee may be available
VIC
There are two costs associated with making a FOI request, the application fee and the access
charges. The application fee is a fixed cost which is non-refundable. The only exception is for
people suffering hardship who can ask the agency to waive the application fee.
129
Low income
Student
State Conc
Seniors
CW Seniors

DVA white
PCC

DVA gold
HCC
RIGHT TO INFORMATION
Low income

Student
State Conc
Seniors
CW Seniors
DVA white
DVA gold
QLD
If you hold a valid concession card, and you
are seeking a waiver of processing and
access charges, you will be required to
provide a copy of the card to the RTI officer.
Note, not all concession cards are accepted
PCC
HCC
NSW
Agencies are entitled to charge at the rate
of $30 per hour for processing formal
access applications and may make
disclosure of information conditional on
payment of the processing charge. The
application fee of $30 counts as a payment
toward any processing charge. A
concessional 50% discount on processing
charges is available

There are fees and charges for making and processing a Freedom of Information application
SA
WA
In some cases the fee for your application can be waived. If you are the holder of a current
concession card, or if you can satisfy the agency that the payment of the fee would cause financial
hardship, the agency must waive or remit (reduce or refund) the application fee.
Applications for other documents (i.e. which are non-personal in nature) require a $30 application
fee to be paid when the application is lodged, and there may be other charges imposed by the
agency
If you are financially disadvantaged advise the agency as a 25% reduction of charges may apply
ACT
NT
Department of Justice and Community Safety can assess whether to waive the fees normally
payable for a freedom of information request. .
Fees can be waived or reduced in limited circumstances, taking into account your financial
situation
BIRTH CERTIFICATES
TAS
Free birth extracts are available to Tasmanian-born people applying to Centrelink for the Age
Pension
Low
130
income
Student
State Conc
Seniors
CW Seniors
DVA white
DVA gold
PCC
HCC
Funeral Assistance
Low income
Student
State Conc
Seniors
CW Seniors
DVA white
DVA gold
PCC
HCC
A basic Essential Care Funeral may be available for a deceased person
An Essential Care Funeral includes:
TAS
•
transfer and storage of the deceased
•
a basic coffin
•
transportation
•
registration of death
•
media notices
•
interment/cremation
Available where family members:
•
receive a pension or benefit
•
has received no substantial assistance from any other source
•
are unable to claim the deceased because they have insufficient funds or assets to pay for
a funeral service.
VIC
State Trustees may be able to assist with the burials for those with insufficient means. State
Trustees can assume responsibility for financing and arranging the plot and funeral of deceased
persons reported to the Coroner, who have assets of less than $1 000.
NSW
The Area Health Service or a hospital will pay for a basic funeral if the person who died had no
known estate and relatives/friends cannot pay for a funeral. Destitute funerals are arranged with
funeral operators under state contract.
QLD
Burials Assistance - The Department of Justice and Attorney-General can organise a simple burial
or cremation of any deceased person whose assets cannot cover the cost of their funeral and
whose relatives and friends cannot arrange or pay for their funeral.
SA
Following the death of a family member, if facing financial hardship, may be eligible for assistance
to cover the costs of a basic funeral. Income, assets and liabilities of the deceased and their close
relatives is taken into account. Cannot be a homeowner or part-owner and have a mortgage that
is less than 50% of the home’s value
WA
The Bereavement Assistance Program provides assistance to community members in situations
where there are insufficient funds in a deceased person’s estate to pay for a funeral, and when the
deceased person’s family are unable to meet the funeral costs. A deceased person’s partner
and/or adult children will be income and assets tested to determine if they have sufficient means
to fund or borrow for the funeral. Each application will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and
there is not an automatic entitlement based on eligibility for Centrelink benefits.
ACT
Funeral assistance concession available
NT
Assistance for families to meet funeral cost is available through Shire Councils. The Indigent
Persons Funeral Scheme is designed to provide financial assistance for the burial or cremation of
deceased persons without financial resources and whose relatives are unable to meet the expense.
It is a means of last resort and is administered through the Coroner’s Office.
131
Low income
Student
State Conc
Seniors
CW Seniors
DVA white
DVA gold
PCC
HCC
Comments: All States and Territories offer funeral assistance (public health issue). Concession card status
does not generally grant automatic eligibility, but can be seen as an indication of financial hardship /
limited financial means. While not specifically paid to assist with transportation or funeral expenses, a
Bereavement Payment or Bereavement Allowance is available from Centrelink for eligible clients.
WA
Concession rate available for pensioners
and where Public Trustee is appointed as
executor

ACT
No charge for drafting a Will. The Public
Trustee otherwise charges minimal costs
and has discretion to waive fees, wholly or
partially, in cases of financial hardship

NT

Concessional rates and reduced charge
where Public Trustee is executor
132
Low
Public Trustee make your Will free of charge
when appointed as executor,

income
SA
Student
QLD
The Public Trustee offers a free, Will-making
service to all Queenslanders over the age of
18.

State Conc
NSW
No charge for drafting a Will, when NSW
Trustee & Guardian is appointed as
executor

Seniors
Concession rate available where Public
Trustee is appointed as executor
CW
VIC
Seniors

Where the Public Trustee is appointed sole
executor there is no charge.
DVA white
PCC

TAS
DVA gold
HCC
Making a Will
TAS
The Public Trustee will prepare an Enduring Power of Attorney free of charge for clients who
appoint the Public Trustee directly as their attorney.
VIC
Concessional rates where Public Trustee is appointed attorney
NSW
The Public Trustee will prepare an Enduring Power of Attorney free of charge for clients who
appoint the Public Trustee directly as their attorney.
QLD
SA
Concessional rates where Public Trustee is appointed attorney
WA
No charge for preparing enduring power of
attorney.
ACT
The Public Trustee otherwise charges
minimal costs and has discretion to waive
fees, wholly or partially, in cases of financial
hardship


NT
133
Low
income
Student
State
Conc
Seniors
CW
Seniors
DVA
white
DVA gold
PCC
HCC
Enduring Power of Attorney
Table 15 - Recreation Concessions by Eligibility by State and Territory Governments
DVA gold
DVA white
CW Seniors
Seniors
State Conc
Student
Medical basis
DVA gold
DVA white
CW Seniors
Seniors
State Conc
Student
Low income
PCC
HCC
Firearms Licence
TAS
20% reduction on fees

VIC

NSW
QLD
SA
WA
ACT
NT
PCC
HCC
Recreational Fishing Licence
TAS
Savings on full season angling licences

VIC
A Recreational Fishing Licence (RFL)
covers all forms of recreational fishing in
all of Victoria's marine, estuarine and
freshwaters.






NSW
QLD



Exemptions for concession card holders
and those aged under 18 years of age and
70 years of age or over
NSW recreational fishing fee are required
to fish in fresh and salt water in NSW
Exemptions:
Under the age of 18 or fishing in a private
dam with a surface area of two hectares
or less or an Aboriginal person.
Anglers do not require a licence to fish
recreationally in Queensland, except if
fishing in some stocked impoundments
Concessional discount of 10% is available
on an annual stocked impoundment
permit


134
Medical basis
N/A - No fishing licence required in NT
Student
NT
State Conc
N/A - No fishing licence required in ACT

Seniors
ACT
CW Seniors
Up to 50% concession on the cost of
Recreational Fishing Licence
DVA white
WA
DVA gold
N/A - No fishing licence required in SA
PCC
HCC
SA

Comments:
Seniors from all States and Territories have the Tasmanian concession available to them. The Tasmanian
concession is also available to people aged 14 – 17 years
NSW
QLD
Medical

basis
Student

State
A concession rate of a maximum 50% is
available
Conc
Seniors
VIC
CW

Seniors

DVA
PCC
A 20 per cent discount for recreational
game licences
white
DVA gold
HCC
TAS
Recreational Game Licence






N/A - No game licence required in QLD
SA
Discount on licences
WA
N/A - No game licence required in WA
ACT
N/A - No game licence required in ACT
NT
VIC
N/A – No entry fee to any national park or
metropolitan park in Victoria
NSW
A National Parks and Wildlife Services
Exemption Card is available


QLD
Concession entries to National Parks
available






SA
Concession passes available


135
Low

A 20 per cent discount on annual and
two-year National Parks passes
income
Student
Seniors

TAS
State Conc
CW Seniors

DVA white
PCC

DVA gold
HCC
National Park Passes



Also available to carers
ACT
NT
Concession entries to National Parks
available
136
Medical basis

Student
DVA white

State Conc
DVA gold

Seniors
PCC

CW Seniors
HCC
WA
Holders of the following Australian issued
cards are entitled to the specified
concession passes, camping or attraction
Table 16 - Concessions not offered in Tasmania
Essential Services
House and Land
Cost of living rebate (WA)
Land rent scheme (ACT)
Residential Parks Scheme (SA)
Save the Murray Levy (SA)
Service to property charge concession
(VIC)
Smoke alarm subsidy (QLD)
Electricity transfer fee waiver (VIC)
Senior security rebate (WA)
Non mains winter energy concession (VIC)
Transport
Off peak concession (VIC)
Fuel card (WA)
Cart water rebate / non mains water (VIC)
Education
Utility relief grant scheme (VIC)
Kindergarten fee subsidy (VIC)
Energy Efficiency
Health
Water smart gardens & homes rebate
scheme (VIC)
Energy-wise home energy audit (ACT)
ToiletSmart (ACT)
Personal alert Victoria (VIC)
Fire and emergency service levy (ACT);
Ambulance transport levy exemption
(ACT); Emergency Services Levy (SA);
Solar hot water rebate (Qld)
Ambulance cover (SA); Fire Services Levy
(QLD); Ambulance Levy (Qld); Free
Solar hot water heater subsidy scheme
(WA)
Ambulance (NT); Ambulance travel
concession (VIC); Ambulance transport
levy exemption (ACT); St Johns ambulance
Fridge replacement scheme (WA)
services (WA)
House and Land
Recreation and Lifestyle
Land rent scheme (ACT)
Pet registration (VIC); Dog registration (SA)
Save the Murray Levy (SA)
Boat registration fees (QLD)
137
Smoke alarm subsidy (QLD)
First aid course (QLD)
Senior security rebate (WA)
138
Table 17 - Details of Concessions not offered in Tasmania
Utilities Services
Cost of Living Rebate – Western Australia
The Cost of Living Rebate Scheme is an annual payment to eligible Seniors Card holders to assist
with rising living expenses. In 2010 singles received $150 and couples (where both members hold
a Seniors Card and live together) received $225.
Residential Parks Scheme – South Australia
Under the Residential Parks Act 2007 (South Australia) a residential park is defined in Section 3 as:
an area of land used or intended to be used in either or both of the following ways:
(a)
as a complex of sites of dwellings in respect of which rights of occupancy are
conferred under various residential park tenancy agreements, together with common area
bathroom, toilet and laundry facilities and other common areas;
(b)
as a complex of sites in respect of which rights of occupancy are conferred under
various residential park site agreements, together with common areas (which may, but need not,
include bathroom, toilet and laundry facilities);
Residents who own their own dwelling receive a concession of up to $540 per year paid at $135 per
quarter. Residents who are tenants receive a concession of up to $208 per year paid at $52 per
quarter. Residents who are self funded retirees, hold a State Seniors Card and own their own
dwelling receive a concession of up to $100 per year paid at $25.00 per quarter. Residents are not
eligible for the Emergency Services Levy concession.
Eligibility: HCC, PCC, DVA gold, CW Seniors, self-funded retiree with a SA Seniors, low income
wage earner
Service to Property Charge Concession - Victoria
Provides a reduction on the supply charge for concession households with low electricity
consumption. The concession is applied if the cost of electricity used is less than the supply (or
service) charge. This charge is then reduced to the same price as the electricity usage cost.
Eligibility: PCC, HCC, DVA gold
Electricity Transfer Fee Waiver - Victoria
The electricity transfer fee waiver provides a full waiver of the fee that is normally payable to the
electricity retailers when there is a change of occupancy at a property.
Eligibility: PCC, HCC, DVA gold
Non Mains Winter Energy Concession – Victoria
The non-mains winter energy concession is an annual rebate for eligible cardholders who use LPG
for domestic heating or cooking, and/or are individually metered for electricity but who pay a
caravan park or accommodation proprietor.
Non-mains customers who use an alternate fuel such as diesel, petrol or heating oil as their main
domestic energy source are also eligible for the annual electricity rebate.
The non-mains winter energy concession rebate amounts for 2010 are:
$40 rebate for eligible cardholders who spend from $100 to $225.99;
$119 rebate for eligible cardholders who spend from $226 to $677.99;
$198 rebate for eligible cardholders who spend from $678 to $1,128.99;
$283 rebate for eligible cardholders who spend $1,129 or more
Eligibility: PCC, HCC, DVA gold
139
Cart Water Rebate / Non Mains Water - Victoria
Also known as the Carted Water Rebate, it assists cardholders not connected to reticulated or
mains water with the costs of purchasing non-mains water for domestic usage, for example, when
buying carted water for rainwater tanks, or buying water via a billing agent or water cooperative.
The rebate is $98 in 2010-2011, and cardholders can apply for up to 3 rebates each financial year,
depending on how much is spent on non-mains water.
Eligibility: PCC, HCC, DVA gold
Off Peak Concession - Victoria
The off peak concession provides a 13% reduction on the off-peak tariff rates on all quarterly
electricity bills.
Eligibility: PCC, HCC, DVA GOLD
Utility Relief Grant Scheme (URGS) - Victoria
URGS and the non-mains utility relief grant scheme provides assistance for domestic customers
who are unable to pay their utility bills due to a temporary financial crisis. Assistance may be
provided to low-income households suffering a short-term (within last 12 months) financial crisis
who are unable to pay for a current utility account or LP gas account and who are at risk of
disconnection, restriction of supply, or non-supply of gas bottles. URGS is also available to eligible
customers who experience difficulties paying for other non-mains sources such as carted water and
heating oil.
Eligibility: HCC, PCC or DVA gold; and it needs to be demonstrated that unexpected hardship
resulted in the individual being short of money so they cannot pay their utility bills without
assistance and risk disconnection or non-supply; Additionally, there must be:A significant increase
in usage
 A recent decrease in income, for example, loss of employment
 High unexpected expenses on essential items
 The cost of shelter is more than 30% of the household income; or
 The cost of utility usage is more than 10% of the household income
The utility relief grant scheme is available for non-concession card households under special
conditions. The account holder must be registered with their utility company's hardship program
and the household's income must be no more than the equivalent to the Commonwealth
maximum income rate for part age pensioners.
Energy Efficiency
Water Smart Gardens and Homes Rebate Scheme - Victoria
The Water Smart Homes and Gardens Rebate Scheme provides residential customers with a rebate
off their water bill for purchasing water-saving devices and services, thereby reducing their water
consumption. Eligible products include water efficient showerheads, upgrading to eligible dual
flush toilets, garden products, rainwater tanks and systems for reusing household waste water.
Energy-wise Home Energy Audit - Australian Capital Territory
For $30 (no charge for concession holders) a professional energy auditor from the Home Energy
Advice Team (HEAT) will visit your home, check the features of your house that affect your energy
use and identify what savings can be made. You will receive a written report which will set out a
plan to capture the energy savings identified. Homeowners who spend at least $2000 on energy
efficiency improvements identified during the audit will be eligible to receive a $500 rebate from
the ACT Government, plus a refund of the $30 audit fee.
140
Only houses and semi-detached houses built before 1996 are eligible for an audit. People who
have an energy audit will be asked to provide their energy bill information so that energy use can
be measured and improvements monitored.
Eligibility: PCC, HCC DVA-PCC, DVA Gold for waiver of Audit Fee. In order to receive the $500
rebate homeowners must agree that the ACT Government can use their household energy bills for
up to a year before and after the improvement measures, to allow evaluation of the improvements.
ToiletSmart - Australian Capital Territory
The ToiletSmart program assists ACT homeowners to replace their single flush toilet with a 4-star
water-efficient toilet suite. Participants are also eligible to take advantage of new ToiletSmart Plus
options, including a free home water audit and some additional low-cost water-saving fixtures and
repairs, provided these are taken up at the time of the toilet installation. Pensioner Concession
Card holders are eligible to apply for the installation of the Caroma Slimline Smartflush Connector
Suite for free (normally $388 after the ACT Government rebate). There is a limit of one free toilet
suite per eligible household. Cardholders participating in ToiletSmart are eligible to receive one
Irwell Stayfast showerhead at no charge at the time of their toilet installation.
Solar Hot Water Rebate - Queensland
The Queensland Government Solar Hot Water Rebate is helping to make it easy and affordable for
Queenslanders to replace their electric hot water system with solar hot water, offering rebates of
up to $1000 to eligible households.
ClimateSmart Home Service – Queensland
Department of Communities (Housing and Homelessness Services) tenants can use the
ClimateSmart Home Service to save energy, money and the environment. For $50, a licensed
electrician will supply and install a free water and energy efficient showerhead, and supply and
install up to 15 free energy efficient light globes - all in less than an hour.
The electrician will also install a wireless energy monitor for you to keep and conduct an energy
audit of your home.
The service will help you reduce your home's carbon footprint. It can also help you save up to $250
on your water and energy bills a year.
The 2011-12 Queensland State Budget extended this initiative, at a cost of $60million, to help
reduce energy consumption, electricity bills and carbon footprint. Households can save up to $480
per year.
Solar Hot Water Heater Subsidy Scheme – Western Australia
The Government of Western Australia is offering rebates to householders who install
environmentally friendly gas-boosted solar water heaters with the scheme extended until 30 June
2013.
- $500 for natural gas-boosted solar water heaters - $700 for bottled LPG-boosted solar water
heaters
Fridge Replacement Scheme – Western Australia
A fridge replacement scheme for renters of private accommodation who have been declared in
utility hardship by an accredited financial counsellor. It involves replacing your existing fridge, with
a more energy efficient model.
WA - Remote area power supply program, renewable energy water pumping program,
regional energy efficiency program, and the solar water heater subsidy
House and Land
141
Land rent scheme - Australian Capital Territory
The Land Rent Scheme is part of the ACT Government's Affordable Housing Action Plan. The Land
Rent Scheme gives a lessee the option of renting land through a land rent lease rather than
purchasing the land to build a home. Under the scheme, purchasers of a single dwelling residential
block (previously unleased land) sold by the Land Development Agency (LDA) have the option of
applying for the crown lease to be issued as a land rent lease. The advantage for potential lessees
in taking up this option is the reduction of the up-front costs associated with owning a house. That
is, lessees will not need to finance the cost of the land, only the costs associated with the transfer of
the land (such as duty) and the construction of the home.
Land rented under a land rent lease is subject to payment of an annual land rent charge. In
addition, the lessee will be liable to duty on the grant of the land rent lease, rates, and, if
applicable, land tax.
Smoke alarm subsidy - Queensland
The Queensland Government offers a subsidy to purchase specialised smoke alarms to permanent
Queensland residents who are deaf or have a hearing impairment. The entitlement is for one
subsidy voucher per household, with a limit of $400 for a single storey dwelling and up to $800 for
dwellings with more than one storey, where that extra storey contains living and sleeping areas.
Eligibility: HCC, PCC, DVA gold, DVA white; live in own home or private rental
Senior security rebate – Western Australia
Up to $200 rebate for home security measures, including the purchase of security screens to alarm
systems.
Eligibility: WA Seniors
Save the Murray Levy – South Australia
The levy is billed on SA Water accounts and does not apply to customers who receive a concession
on their water rates. No comparative concession in Tasmania
Transport
Country Aged Pension Fuel Card Concession – Western Australia
The Country Age Pension Fuel Card is delivering on a Royalties for Regions commitment by the
Western Australian Government to provide more support for the transport needs of eligible
pensioners living in country areas. Country pensioners do not have access to metropolitan levels
of public transport and often have to rely on their own means to travel. The Country Age Pension
Fuel Card provides eligible pensioners with up to $500 a year towards the cost of fuel and taxi
travel from participating providers.
The Country Age Pension Fuel Card has been developed specifically to assist eligible country
pensioners because they are on low, fixed incomes, do not generally have ready access to
extensive public transport services and are forced to rely on their own vehicles or taxis for
transport. Self-funded retirees, by definition, have greater means at their disposal.
Eligibility: PCC, DVA gold (Pensioners in receipt of an Age Pension, Carer Payment, Disability
Support Pension, Wife Pension or Widow B Pension from Centrelink or a Department of Veterans'
Affairs Service Pension, Social Security Age Pension or Income Support Supplement) and reside in
country areas of Western Australia. You do not have to own a car or have a driver’s licence to be
eligible. The fuel card can be used at your discretion by a carer or family member as long as the
cardholder’s Age Pensioner. The card is limited to one per couple per financial year
Education
142
Kindergarten fee subsidy - Victoria
The State Government provides funding to organisations to enable eligible children to attend
kindergarten for free. The fee subsidy is $820 per annum (or $205 per term). Eligible families will
then receive a 10 hour a week kindergarten program at no cost, or a longer program at minimal
cost.
Eligibility: HCC, PCC, DVA gold
Health
Personal alert Victoria - Victoria
Personal Alert Victoria provides 24 hours service and assists frail, older people and people with a
physical, sensory, intellectual or psychiatric disability and those persons who are isolated and
vulnerable without constant care.
Ambulance and Emergency Service Levies
Fire and emergency service levy (ACT); Ambulance transport levy exemption (ACT);
Emergency Services Levy (SA); Ambulance cover (SA); Fire Services Levy (QLD); Free
Ambulance (NT); Ambulance travel concession (VIC); Ambulance transport levy
exemption (ACT); St Johns ambulance services (WA)
Not applicable for Tasmania where Ambulance services are provided at no cost to Tasmanians.
The Queensland Ambulance levy was abolished from July 1 2011.
Lifestyle and Recreation
Pet Registration Concession
Pet registration (VIC) and Dog registration (SA)
Many local government councils provide a concession on the pet/dog registration fees
Eligibility: Varies between jurisdictions but generally HCC/PCC.
Boat registration fees - Queensland
A recreational ship owner who is an eligible cardholder is exempt from paying half the registration
component of the total registration fee for one recreational ship. The recreational use fee is still
payable in full.
Eligibility: PCC, Qld Seniors
A recreation ship own who is an eligible cardholder is exempt from paying the registration fee and
recreational use fee payable for one recreational ship
Eligibility: DVA gold
First aid course - Queensland
Queensland Ambulance Service offers a five per cent discount on the non-GST component of its
Apply First Aid and Perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation courses.
Eligibility: PCC, Qld Seniors, full-time students under 25 years of age
143
Table 18 - Commonwealth Government Income Assistance – Income Support (long
and short term)
Income
Asset
tested?
tested?
Allowance that may help Indigenous secondary or
tertiary students stay at school or in further study.
Yes
Yes
Age Pension
Ensures adequate income in retirement.
Yes
Yes
Austudy
Provides financial help to those aged 25 years or
more and studying or undertaking an Australian
Apprenticeship full-time.
Yes
Yes
Bereavement
Allowance
A short-term income support payment to help an
individual adjust following the death of their
partner.
Yes
Yes
Carer Payment
(caring for a
person 16 years or
over)
Provides income support to those unable to
support themselves through substantial paid
employment because they are caring for
someone aged 16 years or over on a daily basis
who has a severe disability, medical condition or
who is frail aged.
Yes
Yes
Carer Payment
(caring for a child
under 16 years)
Provides income support to those unable to
support themselves through substantial paid
employment because they are caring for a child
aged under 16 years with a severe disability or
severe medical condition.
Yes
Yes
Disability Support
Pension
Provides support to those unable to work for 2
years because of illness, injury or disability, or if
they are permanently blind.
Yes
Yes
Double Orphan
Pension
Assists with the costs of caring for children who
are orphans or are unable to be cared for by their
parents in certain circumstances. In some case,
this would include grandparents caring for their
grandchildren.
No
No
Family Tax Benefit
Part A
Assists with the cost of raising children
Yes
No
Newstart
Allowance
Provides financial support to the employed while
looking for work.
Yes
Yes
Parenting
Payment
Assists with the costs of caring for children. (Paid
to the main carer of a child).
Yes
Yes
Sickness
Allowance
Assists the employed, including self-employed,
who are temporarily unable to work because of a
medical condition.
Yes
Yes
Widow Allowance
Ensures an adequate income to those who have
become widowed, divorced or separated later in
Yes
Yes
Assistance
Purpose
ABSTUDY
144
life and have no recent workforce experience.
Youth Allowance
Assists young people who are studying,
undertaking training or an Australian
Apprenticeship, looking for work, or sick.
Yes
Yes
145
Table 19 - Commonwealth Government Income Assistance – Allowances, benefits
and subsidies
Income
supplement
Purpose
Income
Asset
tested?
tested?
Australian
Government
Disaster Recovery
Payment (AGDRP)
Provides short-term financial assistance to those
adversely affected by a major or widespread
disaster.
No
No
Assistance for
Isolated Children
Scheme (AIC)
Assists families with the extra costs associated
with educating their children if primary or
secondary students cannot go to an appropriate
state school because of geographical isolation,
disability or special health need.
Yes
No
Baby Bonus
Assists with the extra costs of a new baby or
adopted child.
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
A supplementary payment for parents or carers
who provides daily care and attention for a
person aged 16 years or over with a disability,
medical condition or who is frail aged.
Carer Allowance
(caring for a
person 16 years or
over)
Carer Allowance
(caring for a child
under 16 years)
(in addition to wages or other income support
payments such as Age Pension, Carer Payment
(caring for a person 16 years or over) or Parenting
Payment)
The National Carers Strategy, announced on 3
August 2011, includes an initiative to extend
eligibility for Bereavement Allowance to more
Carer Allowance customers. For more information
refer to the National Carers Strategy - frequently
asked questions page.
A supplementary payment for parent s or carers
who provides additional care and attention on a
daily basis for a child aged under 16 years with a
physical, intellectual or psychiatric disability or
medical condition.
An annual payment to assist carers with the costs
of caring for a person with a disability or medical
condition.
Carer Supplement
The Carer Supplement will be paid to people who
on 1 July each year are recipients of:

Carer Allowance Adult

Carer Allowance Child

Carer Payment

Wife Pension (Age) with Carer Allowance

Wife Pension (DSP) with Carer Allowance
146
Child Care Benefit

Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA)
Carer Service Pension

Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA)
Partner Service Pension with Carer
Allowance.
Assists with the cost of child care for long day
care, family day care, occasional care, outside
school hours care, vacation care and registered
care.
Yes
No
147
Income
supplement
Purpose
Income
Asset
tested?
tested?
Crisis Payment
Assists those in severe financial hardship because
they have experienced an extreme circumstance
such as domestic violence or a natural disaster,
have been released from gaol or psychiatric
confinement, or have arrived in Australia for the
first time on a qualifying humanitarian visa.
Family Tax Benefit
Part B
An extra payment for single parents and families
with one main income to help with the costs of
raising children. Part B is limited to families where
the primary earner has an adjusted taxable
income of $150 000 or less per financial year.
Yes
No
Maternity
Immunisation
Allowance
Allowance to encourage parents to immunise
their children.
No
No
No
No
No
No
Assists people with disabilities who are involved in
qualifying activities and cannot use public
transport without substantial assistance.
Mobility
Allowance
Qualifying activities may include looking for work
or any combination of paid employment,
voluntary work, vocational training and
independent living or life skills training.
(Do not need to get any other payments from
Centrelink to qualify for Mobility Allowance)
Pensioner
Education
Supplement
Assists with the costs of full-time or part-time
study.
Indigenous Australian students can apply for the
ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement.
Pharmaceutical
Allowance
Assists with the cost of prescription medicines.
No
No
Remote Area
Allowance
Provides extra financial help to those receiving
income support payments who live in a remote
area.
No
No
Seniors
Supplement
Assists with paying regular bills such as energy,
rates, phone and motor vehicle registration fees.
Yes
No
Special Benefit
Assists those in severe financial need due to
circumstances outside an individual’s control and
they cannot receive any other Centrelink pension
or benefit.
Yes
Yes
No
No
Tasmanian Freight Assists shippers to transport goods by sea,
between Tasmania and the Australian mainland,
Equalisation
148
Scheme
to help reduce freight costs imposed by Bass
Strait.
The Scheme operates under a set of Directions
issued by the Minister for Infrastructure and
Transport. Tasmanian Assistance Services delivers
the Scheme, from Centrelink's Hobart office, on
behalf of the Department of Infrastructure and
Transport.
Telephone
Allowance
Assists with the costs of a telephone and home
internet service.
No
No
149
Income
supplement
Utilities Allowance
Jobs, Education
and Training (JET)
Child Care Fee
Assistance
Purpose
Assists with the costs of regular bills such as gas,
electricity and water.
Income
Asset
tested?
tested?
No
No
Yes
No
Provides extra help with the cost of approved
child care for eligible parents undertaking
activities such as job search, work, study or
rehabilitation as part of an Employment Pathway
Plan, to help them enter or re-enter the
workforce.
JET Child Care can help meet the cost of child
care by paying most of the "gap fee" not covered
by Child Care Benefit for the hours of care you
need to do approved activities.
Assists parents or guardians with out-of-pocket
expenses for approved child care for those
working, training or studying.
Child Care Rebate
Out of pocket expenses are total child care fees
less Child Care Benefit. Child Care Rebate covers
50% of out of pocket expenses, up to a maximum
of $7,500 (subject to the passage of legislation)
per child for the 2010-11 financial year.
To receive Child Care Rebate you must first claim
Child Care Benefit for approved care. Child Care
Benefit is based on your income and is different
for everyone.
The Paid Parental Leave scheme is a new
entitlement for working parents of children born
or adopted from 1 January 2011. Parental Leave
Pay is available to working parents who meet the
eligibility criteria. Eligible working parents can get
18 weeks of government funded Parental Leave
Pay at the rate of the National Minimum Wage
(currently $589.40 a week before tax).
Full-time, part-time, casual, seasonal, contract and
self-employed workers may be eligible for the
scheme.
Education Entry
Payment
An amount of $208 is payable to qualified
recipients to aid in the costs associated in
returning to full time study. Recipients of certain
social security payments may qualify for an EdEP
if they are enrolled in an approved full time
course of education or if a pensioner education
supplement is payable. The qualification rules
150
depend on the type of payment being received.
An EdEP payment may be paid each 12 months or
each calendar year depending on the type of
payment being received if the person is still
studying.
Assists with the cost associated with starting study
including the purchase of books, student fees and
transport.
151
Income
supplement
Purpose
Relocation
Scholarship
From 1 April 2010, dependent students who have
to live away from the family home for study, and
independent students who are disadvantaged by
personal circumstances, may qualify for a
Relocation Scholarship (RS). This scholarship is
intended to assist students with the cost of
establishing accommodation away from their
usual home in order to undertake qualifying
higher education studies.
$4 124 in the first year and $1031 in subsequent
years
Student Start Up
Scholarship.
From 1 April 2010, students studying an approved
scholarship course receiving certain income
support payments may qualify for a Student Startup Scholarship (SSS). This scholarship is intended
to assist students with the up-front costs of
tertiary study such as textbooks and specialised
equipment. The objective of the student start-up
scholarship is to provide an increase in
participation in higher education by students from
low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds.
Income
Asset
tested?
tested?
.
$1 097 is paid twice per year.
Work Ventures
Initiative - Low
cost PCs available
to Centrelink
customers.
A low cost PC is now within reach of Centrelink
customers through a partnership between
Centrelink and WorkVentures.
.
Centrelink customers can now purchase their own
professionally refurbished, internet ready Pentium
4 PCs with Windows XP Pro, Microsoft Office 2003
and technical support from $290 plus delivery.
The low cost PC offer is available to all Centrelink
concession card holders.
Assists customers in being able to use on-line
services.
Fares Allowance
If you are a tertiary student receiving ABSTUDY,
Austudy, Pensioner Education Supplement or
Youth Allowance, and you are living away from
your permanent home to study, Fares Allowance
helps you to cover the cost of travelling between
your home and where you are doing your studies.
If you are a full-time secondary student receiving
ABSTUDY you may also receive Fares Allowance.
152
If you are a tertiary student receiving ABSTUDY,
Austudy, Pensioner Education Supplement or
Youth Allowance, and you are living away from
your permanent home to study, Fares Allowance
helps you to cover the cost of travelling between
your home and where you are doing your studies.
If you are a full-time secondary student receiving
ABSTUDY you may also receive Fares Allowance.
153
Income
supplement
Purpose
Income
Asset
tested?
tested?
Youth Disability Supplement provides extra
assistance to young people aged under 21 years
with a disability.
You may be eligible for Youth Disability
Supplement if you are:

aged under 21 years, and

receiving Disability Support Pension, or

receiving Youth Allowance as a job
seeker, full-time student, or Australian
Apprentice, or receiving ABSTUDY as a
full-time student or Australian Apprentice.
If you are receiving Youth Allowance or ABSTUDY
you must:
 have an illness, injury or disability which
prevents you from working 30 or more
hours per week and is expected to last for
more than 2 years, and
 have a Job Capacity Assessment.
If you are receiving Disability Support Pension and
you are under 21, the Youth Disability Supplement
will be automatically included in your Disability
Support Pension payment.
154
Table 20 - Guide to Commonwealth Concessions Cards
Commonwealth Health Care
Card (HCC)
Commonwealth Pensioner
Concession Card (PCC)
Commonwealth Department of
Veterans’ Affairs Pensioner
Eligibility:
 Individuals must be below the Age Pension age; and

A recipient of one of the following benefits:
o Carer Allowance (caring for a child under 16 years and the Health Care
Card is for the child in your care only)
o Carer Payment (caring for a child under 16 years) for short-term or
episodic care under 6 months
o Exceptional Circumstances Relief Payment for farmers
o Exceptional Circumstances Relief Payment for small businesses
o Family Tax Benefit Part A (maximum rate only)
o Mobility Allowance (if you are not receiving Disability Support Pension)
o Newstart Allowance
o Parenting Payment ( partnered)
o Partner Allowance
o Special Benefit
o Widow Allowance
o Youth Allowance (job seekers only)
Eligibility:
 Individuals must be a recipient of one of the following benefits:
o Age Pension
o Bereavement Allowance
o Carer Payment (adult)
o Carer Payment (child)
o Disability Support Pension
o Newstart Allowance or Youth Allowance (job seeker) if you are single,
caring for a dependent child, and looking for work
o Parenting Payment (single)


Individuals may also be eligible if they are aged over 60; and
For more than 9 months has been a recipient of:
o Newstart Allowance
o Parenting Payment (partnered)
o Partner Allowance
o Sickness Allowance
o Special Benefit
o Widow Allowance


Individuals may also be eligible if they have a partial capacity to work; and
A recipient of:
o Newstart Allowance
o Parenting Payment (partnered)
o Youth Allowance (job seeker)
Eligibility:
 The Department of Veterans’ Affairs Pension Concession Card (PCC) are
issued by DVA to all:
o service pensioners
o age pensioners who receive their pension through DVA
o war widows and widowers receiving an income support supplement.
 Cardholders receive a means tested pension.
 DVA blue has the same status as a PCC issued by Centrelink, as both cards
provide access to the same Commonwealth concessions.
155
Concession Card (PCC)
Commonwealth Seniors Health
Card (CW Seniors)
Tasmanian Seniors Card
(Tas Seniors)
Eligibility:
 CW Seniors was introduced in 1994, to give low income retirees (people who
are not pensioners but who have the same or lower income as age pensioners)
access to similar Commonwealth concessions as holders of the PCC (including
access to cheaper pharmaceuticals)
 Individuals must be of Age Pension age, but do not qualify for the Age Pension;
and
 Have an income less than $50,000 per year for singles and $80,000 for couples
 There is no assets test for this card
Eligibility:
 Individuals must be aged over 60; and
 No longer be working full-time
 Eligibility is not means or asset tested and is essentially a retail discount card.
 Seniors Cards are offered nationally, but administered by individual States and
Territories.
 All State and Territory Governments issue their own Seniors Cards. Eligibility is
determined by each jurisdiction.
 Concessions available to Seniors vary between the States.
 In 2009, the National Transport Concession Scheme was introduced, allowing
holders of Seniors cards to access public transport concession throughout
Australia. A number of inter-state travel concessions are also available to
cardholders.
 Further information is available at <http://www.seniorscard.com.au/>
Eligibility:
 The Department of Veterans’ Affairs Repatriation Health Card (DVA gold) is
issued to veterans or the widows or dependents of veterans
 A DVA gold entitles the holder to DVA funding for services for all health care
needs, for all health conditions whether they are related to war service or not,
including medical, dental and optical care, within Australia.
 The DVA TPI Gold Card is issued to veterans of Australia's defence force who
have been assessed as being Totally and Permanently Incapacitated.
 The distinction between the different ‘classes’ of the DVA gold card has not
been made in the table.
Commonwealth Department of
Veterans’ Affairs Repatriation
Health Card (DVA Gold)
Commonwealth Department of
Veterans’ Affairs Repatriation
Health Card for Specific
Eligibility:
 The DVA white card is issued to eligible veterans for the care and treatment
of accepted (that is, war or service related) injuries or conditions.
 It is also issued for the treatment of malignant cancer, pulmonary
tuberculosis, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety and/or depression
whether war caused or not.
 A white card is also issued to ex-service personnel who are eligible for
treatment under agreements between the Australian Government and New
Zealand, Canada, South Africa and the UK for disabilities accepted as warcaused by their country of origin.
156
Conditions (DVA White)
157
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