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Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

About FaHCSIA

Budget 2007-08 > What's New What's Different

Humanitarian settlement initiatives - extending the Crisis Payment to newly arrived humanitarian entrants on arrival in Australia

What's New?

This measure will change Crisis Payment qualification rules to enable humanitarian entrants to receive a payment on arrival in Australia. Humanitarian entrants will receive a one-off Crisis Payment equivalent to one week's income support to assist them with costs associated with obtaining long-term accommodation.

Each year around 6,800 humanitarian entrants who are eligible to receive an income support payment and are in severe financial hardship will benefit from this measure by receiving additional funds on arrival in Australia.

Background

Crisis Payment provides additional financial support to people who are in severe financial hardship and who have either recently been released from prison, been a victim of domestic violence or an extreme circumstance such as a natural disaster. This initiative adds humanitarian entrants in financial hardship to the list of people assisted with a Crisis Payment. Crisis Payment has been available since November 1999 and there are currently around 45,000 people assisted each year.

Implementation:

The change will take effect from 1 January 2008.

Total Government Funding:

$6.4 million over four years.