2023-2024 Federal Budget - Social Services

Social Services

Increase in Working Age Payments

The Government will provide $4.9 billion over 5 years from 2022-23 (with $1.3 billion per year ongoing) to increase support for people receiving working-age payments including the JobSeeker Payment. This measure will:

• increase the base rate of working age and student payments by $40 per fortnight. This increase applies to the JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance, Parenting Payment (Partnered), Austudy, ABSTUDY, Disability Support Pension (Youth), and Special Benefit. It will commence on 20 September 2023
• extend eligibility for the existing higher single JobSeeker Payment rate for recipients aged 60 years and over to recipients aged 55 years and over who are on the payment for 9 or more continuous months.

The increased support for recipients aged 55 years and over, the majority of whom are women, acknowledges the additional challenges older Australians face in re-entering the workforce, such as age discrimination or poor health. The measure is expected to increase personal income tax receipts by $220.0 million over 3 years from 2024-25 (with $80.0 million per year ongoing).

Budget Speech p 5
Budget Paper No 2 p 199
Budget Overview p 16
Cost-of-Living Relief Fact Sheet
Media Release

Increased Support for Commonwealth Rent Assistance Recipients

The Government will provide $2.7 billion over 5 years from 2022-23 (and $0.7 billion per year ongoing) to increase the maximum rates of the Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) allowances by 15 per cent to help address rental affordability challenges for CRA recipients.

Budget Speech p 6
Budget Paper No 2 p 200
Budget Overview p 18
Cost-of-Living Relief Fact Sheet
Media Release

Parenting Payment (Single) - improved support for single parents

The Government will provide $1.9 billion over 5 years from 2022-23 (and $0.5 billion per year ongoing) to extend eligibility for Parenting Payment (Single) to support single principal carers with the youngest child under 14 years of age. The existing eligibility provides support to single principal carers with a child aged under 8 years of age.

Improved support for single parents will provide well-being benefits, particularly for single mothers, who are overwhelmingly the recipients of this payment, and their children. This measure recognises that caring responsibilities can act as a barrier to employment while also recognising that connections with the labour force are likely to improve economic outcomes throughout a carer's lifetime.

Budget Speech p 5
Budget Paper No 2 p 202
Budget Overview p 16
Cost-of-Living Relief Fact Sheet
Media Release

Energy Price Relief Plan

The Government will provide $1.5 billion over 5 years from 2022-23 (and $2.7 million per year ongoing) to reduce the impact of rising energy prices on Australian households and businesses by providing targeted energy bill relief and progressing gas market reforms. Funding includes:

• $1.5 billion over two years from 2023-24 to establish the Energy Bill Relief Fund to support targeted energy bill relief to eligible households and small business customers, which includes pensioners, Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders, Family Tax Benefit A and B recipients and small business customers of electricity retailers
• $14.7 million over 5 years from 2022-23 (and $2.7 million per year ongoing) to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to administer and enforce compliance with a temporary cap of $12 per gigajoule on the price of gas and to develop and implement a mandatory gas code of conduct
• $9.5 million over 3 years from 2022-23 for the Australian Energy Regulator to monitor coal and gas markets across the National Electricity Market.

The Government will also provide funding to support the New South Wales and Queensland governments to implement a cap of $125 per tonne on the price of coal used for electricity generation. This funding is not for publication (nfp) due to commercial sensitivities.

Budget Speech p 4
Budget Overview p 12
Budget Paper No 2 p 86
Cost-of-Living Relief Fact Sheet
Media Release

Improving the Effectiveness and Sustainability of the National Disability Insurance Scheme

A sustainable growth trajectory for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is critical for its long-term viability, ensuring it can continue to provide life-changing outcomes for future generations of Australians with disability. The Government will provide $732.9 million over 4 years from 2023-24 to support participant outcomes and the effective and sustainable operation of the Scheme. Funding includes:

• $429.5 million over 4 years from 2023-24 to invest in the National Disability Insurance Agency's (NDIA's) capability and systems, to improve processes and planning decisions
• $73.4 million over 4 years from 2023-24 to better support participants to manage their plan within budget, including assistance from NDIA during the year and holding plan managers, support coordinators and providers to account
• $63.8 million over two years from 2023-24 to take a lifetime approach to ensure plans are more transparent and flexible for life events
• $56.4 million over 4 years from 2023-24 to strengthen supported independent living decisions, including by introducing a home and living panel with highly trained staff to improve consistency across decisions and updating guidelines for planners to improve participants' ability to live independently
• $48.3 million over two years from 2023-24 to invest in the NDIA's ability to detect, respond to, and reduce fraud and non-compliant payments, and to develop a business case for new IT platforms and systems to detect and prevent fraud and non-compliant payments
• $29.3 million over two years from 2023-24 to support the quality and effectiveness of services provided to participants, through improving oversight of services and increasing take-up of evidence-based supports

To provide participants with greater certainty around their plan funding, the NDIA will also move to allow for longer plans for participants, where appropriate. To make it easier for participants to access evidence-based assistive technology and other supports, the Department of Social Services will work with stakeholders to establish an expert advisory panel to identify evidence-based supports, and the NDIA will implement preferred provider arrangements to leverage the buying power of the NDIS.

The NDIS Scheme Actuary has projected that without action, Scheme expenses would increase by $17.2 billion over 4 years from 2023-24. The funding in this measure supports the NDIA to improve the administration of the Scheme, which will reduce additional growth in Scheme expenses by $15.3 billion, moderating additional growth to $1.9 billion over 4 years from 2023-24.

As a second step, National Cabinet has committed to an NDIS Financial Sustainability Framework (the Framework). Whilst the NDIS remains demand-driven, the Framework will provide an annual growth target in the total costs of the Scheme of no more than 8 per cent by 1 July 2026, with further moderation of growth as the Scheme matures. This will moderate growth in NDIS costs by $622.8 million in 2026-27 and $59.0 billion over 7 years from 2027-28 to 2033-34. At 8 per cent per annum growth, the NDIS will be the fastest-growing Commonwealth payment program.

Budget Speech p 14
Budget Paper No 2 p 198
Budget Overview p 59
Regional Ministerial Budget Statement p 83
Media Release

Administration of Emergency Response Payments

The Government will provide $231.8 million in 2023-24 to enable Services Australia to respond to natural disaster events. Including the delivery of the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment and Disaster Recovery Allowance. The Government will consider the nature of future funding for Services Australia to respond to natural disaster events when longer-term administration of the program is known.

Budget Paper No 2 p 194

Sustain my Gov

The Government will provide $134.5 million in 2023-24 to sustain the myGov platform for an additional year, to continue to securely support over 25 million accounts and connect Australians to 15 government services. It will include maintenance of streamlined and secure digital credentials, such as the Medicare Card now available in the myGov app. The Government will consider future funding for myGov in the context of the Government's response to the recommendations of the Critical National Infrastructure - myGov User Audit.

Budget Speech p 14
Budget Paper No 2 p 200
Budget Overview p 59
Media Release

Delivering the Referendum to Recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Peoples in the Constitution Through a Voice to Parliament

The Government will provide $364.6 million over 3 years from 2022-23 to deliver the referendum to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples in the Constitution through a Voice to Parliament. Funding includes:

• $336.6 million over two years from 2023-24 for the Australian Electoral Commission to deliver the referendum, including $10.6 million to produce information pamphlets for the 'yes' and 'no' cases for distribution to all Australian households
• $10.5 million in 2023-24 to the Department of Health and Aged Care to increase mental health supports for First Nations people during the period of the referendum.

The Government will also extend the 2022-23 March Budget measure titled Indigenous Voice - Local and Regional Voice Implementation until 30 June 2025, to enable the investment of $20.0 million to progress Regional Voice arrangements.

Budget Paper No 2 p 85
Budget Overview p 52
Media Release

Closing the Gap - further investment

The Government will provide $492.7 million over 5 years from 2022-23 for a range of measures to support critical investment in infrastructure, employment, justice, education and housing initiatives for First Nations peoples, including:

• $97.7 million over 3 years from 2022-23 to support the development of a New Jobs Program trial to replace the Community Development Program (CDP) and to meet increased demand for the CDP as a result of sustained higher levels of demand since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic
• $14.1 million over two years from 2022-23 for a 2-year partnership with the Northern Territory Government and the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory to enhance and develop activities supporting community safety and social emotional wellbeing on alcohol and drug use
• an extension of the Closing the Gap Outcomes and Evidence Fund by two years to 31 December 2026, which provides targeted grant funding to Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations to deliver improved and co-designed methods of service delivery for First Nations people.

Budget Paper No 2 p 190
Budget Overview p 53
Regional Ministerial Budget Statement p 75
Empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people Fact Sheet
Media Release

Women's Safety

The Government will provide a further $326.7 million over 4 years from 2023-24 (and $19.4 million per year ongoing) to deliver women's safety initiatives under the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-32 (the National Plan). Funding includes:

• $159.0 million over two years from 2023-24 to extend the Family and Domestic and Sexual Violence Responses National Partnership Agreement with state and territory governments and to continue to address service gaps to and support frontline service delivery
• $38.2 million to extend the current Escaping Violence Payment (EVP) and Temporary Visa Holders Experiencing Violence Pilot (TVP) to January 2025. The cost of this proposal would be met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Social Services.

Budget Speech p 11
Budget Paper No 2 p 88
Budget Overview p 49
Women's Budget Statement p 41
Regional Ministerial Budget Statement p 83
Media Release

Investing in Market Quality and Safeguards for People with Disability

The Government will provide additional funding of $142.6 million over two years from 2023-24 to support the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Quality and Safeguards Commission (the Commission) in carrying out its role of safeguarding NDIS participants. The additional funding will support the Commission to assist participants, minimise the risk of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation, improve market quality and participant experience, complete outstanding casework, and improve the Commission's internal ICT capability.

Budget Speech p 14
Budget Paper No 2 p 200
Budget Overview p 59
Media Release

Women's Safety - First Nations

The Government will provide $194.0 million over 5 years from 2022-23 (and $4.0 million in 2027-28) to support the Dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan (Action Plan) under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032. Funding includes:

• $145.3 million over 4 years from 2023-24, including a provision of $128.6 million in the Contingency Reserve, to support activities which address immediate safety concerns for First Nations women and children who are experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, family, and domestic and sexual violence.

Budget Speech p 11
Budget Paper No 2 p 90
Budget Overview p 49
Women's Budget Statement p 41
Regional Ministerial Budget Statement p 83
Empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people Fact Sheet
Media Release

Targeting entrenched community disadvantage

The Government will provide $199.8 million over 6 years from 2023-24 to address entrenched community disadvantage, including through place-based approaches, engaging with philanthropy and promoting social impact investment. Funding includes:

• $100.0 million over 5 years from 2024-25 to establish a social impact investment Outcomes Fund to make contractual payments to states, territories and service providers based on delivering agreed, measurable outcomes through specific projects, with funding to be provisioned in the Contingency Reserve pending the outcome of a co-design process with stakeholders, including states and territories
• $64.0 million over 6 years from 2023-24 to extend the Stronger Places, Stronger People program to deliver place-based initiatives in partnership with 10 local communities and state and territory governments to improve outcomes for disadvantaged children and their families, and to enhance place-based initiatives in 6 of these communities

Budget Paper No 2 p 206
Budget Overview p 49
Regional Ministerial Budget Statement p 82
Social Services Portfolio Budget Statement p 16

Future National Redress Scheme Funding

The Government will provide additional funding of $142.2 million over 5 years from 2023-24 for continued implementation of the National Redress Scheme for Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse (the Scheme). This will allow the processing of a greater-than-expected number of applications and provide continued funding to Redress Support Services. Funding includes:

• $80.1 million over 4 years from 2023-24 to continue Redress Support Services funding, to provide support to survivors through the application processes and via counselling and other services
• $62.1 million over 5 years from 2023-24 to support the administration of the Scheme in response to continued high demand and support the implementation of the Government's response to the second year review of the Scheme.

Budget Paper No 2 p 196
Budget Overview p 59
Regional Ministerial Budget Statement p 83

Child Care Subsidy Reform - additional integrity

The Government will undertake additional payment integrity activities to safeguard the Child Care Subsidy program from fraud and non-compliance. This will achieve net savings of $139.4 million over 4 years from 2023-24. Funding of $13.3 million over 4 years from 2023-24 will be provided to the Department of Education to support a range of activities to further reduce fraudulent Child Care Subsidy claims. To support this work, Services Australia will receive a further $5.3 million over 4 years from 2023-24 for their digital forensics capability. The savings from this measure will offset the 2023-24 Budget measure titled Early Childhood Education and Care Workforce and other Government policy priorities in the Education portfolio.

Budget Paper No 2 p 98
Media Release

Social Services - grants and additional support

The Government will reprioritise unspent funding of $34.3 million over two years from 2022-23 to continue a range of activities under the Financial Wellbeing and Capability sub-program. Funding includes:

• $32.8 million over two years from 2022-23 to provide additional financial wellbeing and capability supports for vulnerable individuals, families and communities in financial crisis.

Budget Paper No 2 p 203

Reducing Harm Caused by Alcohol and Other Drugs in Australia

The Government will provide $33.6 million over two years from 2023-24 to improve health outcomes through extending existing alcohol and drug programs in the community. Funding includes:

• $17.3 million over two years from 2023-24 for the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Services Maintenance program, which provides financial support to the social and community services sector

Budget Paper No 2 p 144
Budget Overview p 27
Women's Budget Statement p 70
Empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people Fact Sheet
Health and Aged Care Budget Related Paper
Health and Aged Care Additional Estimates Statements
Media Release

Supported Employment

The Government will provide $57.0 million over 4 years from 2023-24 to support the evolution of the supported employment sector, following the recent Fair Work Commission decision on the Supported Employment Services Award 2020 and other changes impacting the sector. Funding includes:

• $35.0 million over 3 years from 2023-24 to establish a structural adjustment fund to assist supported employment organisations to evolve their business models
• $11.7 million over 4 years from 2023-24 to establish a targeted disability employment advocacy service and information program for supported employees.

Budget Paper No 2 p 204
Budget Overview p 59
Media Release

Ensuring Robust Policy, Financial, Legislative and Governance Oversight of the National Disability Insurance Scheme

The Government will provide $13.0 million in 2023-24 to the Department of Social Services to ensure it has resources to continue to provide policy advice and oversight of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and the National Disability Insurance Agency.

Budget Speech p 14
Budget Paper No 2 p 195
Budget Overview p 59
Media Release