Cost of Living

The Australian Government will provide an estimated $127.2 million for energy bill
relief in SA in 2023-24. This contribution will be matched by the SA Government.

Around 423,000 households in SA are expected to be eligible for a $500 rebate, applied quarterly from 1 July as a reduction in their electricity bills. The Commonwealth and SA governments are both contributing $250 per eligible household.

This Budget allocates $11.3 billion over 4 years to fund the Fair Work Commission’s interim decision for a 15 per cent increase to minimum wages for many aged care workers. This will support around 22200 award aged care workers in South Australia who will earn between $129.20 and $341.24 more per week if they work a 38-hour week.

This follows the Government securing a pay rise of at least $40 a week for more than 2.7 million Australian workers including 227200 workers in South Australia who are employed under a modern award.

The Government is making hundreds of common medicines cheaper, by allowing millions of Australians to buy 2 months’ worth of medicine for the price of a single prescription. The change applies to more than 300 PBS medicines for chronic conditions where a GP assesses a patient’s condition as stable. It is estimated that this change will benefit more than 46749 people in Spence.

From 1 September, some general patients will be able to save up to $180 a year if their medicine is able to be prescribed for 60 days, and some concession card holders will save up to $43.80 a year per medicine.

Social Services

The Government is increasing the base rate of income payments like JobSeeker Payment, Austudy and Youth Allowance payments for eligible people. This will
support around 6635 people in Spence to benefit by $40 per fortnight.

Around 350 people in Spence aged 55 to 59 on JobSeeker payment for 9 or more
continuous months will benefit from the higher rate of JobSeeker already applying to
those 60 and over, meaning an extra $92.10 per fortnight.

From September, around 360 eligible single parents in Spence will be able to receive
Parenting Payment (Single) until their youngest child turns 14, up from 8 years old.
Eligible single parents will be $176.90 better off each fortnight, receiving a base rate of $922.10 per fortnight compared to the current JobSeeker Payment rate of $745.20 per fortnight.

Around 5295 households in Spence are currently eligible for maximum Commonwealth Rent Assistance rates. Households receiving the maximum rates will benefit by up to $31.36 extra in CRA per fortnight from September 2023.

The Albanese Labor Government is helping with cost of living pressures through increases to working-age and student payments and Commonwealth Rent Assistance, as part of our $14.6 billion Budget package.

Rates of JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance, Parenting Payment (Partnered),
Austudy, ABSTUDY, Youth Disability Support Pension, and Special Benefit, will increase by $40 per fortnight.

We are also extending eligibility for the existing higher rate of JobSeeker Payment for single Australians aged 55 to 59, who are on payment for nine or more continuous months. Currently the qualifying age for this higher rate is 60.

The Albanese Government will also extend eligibility for Parenting Payment (Single) to single principal carers with a youngest child under 14 years of age. Under current rules, single principal carers move to JobSeeker when their youngest child turns 8.

Beneficiaries:

  • 7345 people in Spence will receive an increase in their fortnightly payment under our package.
  • 6635 people in Spence will receive a $40 increase in their fortnightly payment.
  • 350 Jobseekers aged 55-59 in Spence will have their payment increased by $92.10 per fortnight.
  • 360 single parents on Jobseeker with children aged 8 to under 14 in Spence will move from JobSeeker to Parenting Payment (Single), giving them an extra $176.90 per fortnight.

The Albanese Government is helping 1.1 million low-income households facing rising
cost of rents. 5295 households in Spence will benefit from a 15% boost to the maximum rates of Commonwealth Rent Assistance.

The Albanese Labor Government is continuing to improve and prioritise women’s safety through a range of funding initiatives – That is why we are investing a total of $589.3 million dollars to support the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032.

These packages build on our other significant reforms including Paid Parental Leave:

The Albanese Government is delivering the biggest expansion to PPL since Labor
introduced it in 2011. The October Budget invested $531.6 million over four years, and
$619.3 million annually after that, to progressively scale up the scheme to six months by 2026. The changes will come into effect for parents whose children are born or adopted from 1 July 2023.

There will be a single 20 week scheme, with two weeks reserved for each parent to use it or lose it basis (single parents get the full 20 weeks)

All parents will be able to access Government-paid leave at the same time as employer-paid leave (currently, this is not available for dads).

As of June 2022 in Spence there was 1855 receiving Paid Parental Leave in 2021/2022.