Page 761 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 1 April 2008
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This government has been responding to these factors directly through a range of initiatives to address disadvantage, including community service obligations, pricing and debt policies and a comprehensive system of concession. These concessions are a key to assisting individuals and households with low incomes. The government expanded this type of support with senior concession fares on all ACTION bus services to make it as easy as possible for seniors to participate fully in the life of the community.
We have also committed to spending $8 million over four years to improve energy efficiency of public housing, to provide considerable savings to the annual household cost to tenants. In February this year, the government provided further support for women through the women’s return to work grants which fund skills development or other employment-related expenses to assist women to increase their potential as employees.
Specifically, the terms of reference for the review of ACT government concessions were to examine and report on the administrative arrangements for ACT government concessions which support individuals and households in the ACT. Importantly, the review aimed to provide clear information on the current state of play of concessions. I would like to thank those community organisations and concession providers who shared their experience and knowledge by making a submission to the review.
The review found a high degree of consistency across states and territories in relation to the types of concessions provided. It found the ACT is keeping pace with the concessions provided by the jurisdictions across each of the main areas of support, such as essential services, health and wellbeing, housing and land and transport.
Where there are variations in concessions, it is largely due to specific geographic, meteorological or environmental differences. For example, there is an allowance paid by the Western Australian government to support children boarding away from home to attend primary and secondary schools. The report of the review also shows that ACT government concessions, for the most part, comply with the principles of equity access and participation that underpin major government policies, in particular the Canberra social plan.
The review found that the ACT government concessions are used to provide assistance to a range of individuals, including older people, people with specific health needs, people on low incomes and people with a disability, as well as agencies such as community groups, schools, hospitals and religious organisations. In the 2007-08 financial year, this represented approximately $30 million for the 11 concessions within the ACT concessions program managed by the Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services.
The government provides, through the department, the bulk of its assistance to those who are disadvantaged or on low incomes. The figure does not include the support provided by Housing ACT in rental rebates, which in 2006-07 was in excess of $77 million.
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