Appendix B: Payment costs and recipients, 2006–07 (A)
| Expense ($ million) |
Payment description/aim | Labour force criteria | Number of recipients and payment points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aged | ||||
| Age Pension | 22,598 | Income support for people who have reached Age Pension age. | None | 1,952,686 |
| Widow B Pension | 4 | Income support for previously partnered women born before 1 July 1937 or a single parent at age 45 born before 1 July 1942 (closed 20 March 1997). | None | 732 |
| Wife Pension (Age) | 161 | Income support for female partners of Age pensioners (closed 1 July 1995). | None | 14,045 |
| Age Pensioners–DVA | (b) | Age Pension paid to eligible service pensioners and their partners. It is paid by DVA as an agent of FaHCSIA. | None | 6,068 |
| Service Pension Veterans– DVA | 2,949 (b) | Income support for people who have reached service pension age. Similar to Age Pension paid by Centrelink. | None | 113,698 |
| Service Pension (partners)–DVA | (b) | Income support for wives of service pensioners. Similar to Wife Pension paid by Centrelink. | None | 96,864 |
| Utilities Allowance | 147 | Supplementary payment available to income support recipients aged over Age Pension age. | N/A | 2,000,000 |
| Seniors Concession Allowance | 226 | Supplementary payment available to Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders (CSHC). | N/A | 302,583 |
| Telephone Allowance (CSHC only) | 12 (c) | Supplementary payment available to CSHC holders. (Also available to pensioners and selected allowance recipients and paid quarterly with income support payment). | N/A | 292,155 |
| Total | 26,097 | |||
| Working age | ||||
| Newstart Allowance | 4,494 | Income support for the unemployed aged between 21 and Age Pension age, including those regarded as unemployed, non-full time students available for and willing to undertake suitable work. Includes people with disability with a partial capacity to work and principal carers of older children (aged 6 of more if partnered or 8 or more if single). | Must satisfy an activity test by seeking and accepting suitable work or participating in agreed activities designed to improve employment prospects (unless exempted). People with a partial capacity to work have requirements that match their assessed capacity to work. Principal carers must seek at least 15 hours work per week (unless exempted). | 417,793 |
| Parenting Payment Partnered | 1,217 | Income support for the principal carer of a child aged under 6 (under 16 if granted payment before 1 July 2006). | Part-time participation requirements (see Newstart Allowance principal carers) if youngest child is over 6 (over 7 if granted payment before 1 July 2006). | 144,427 |
| Parenting Payment Single | 4,696 | Income support for the principal carer of a child aged under 8 years (or under 16 if granted payment before 1 July 2006). | Part-time participation requirements (see Newstart Allowance principal carers) if youngest child is over 6 (over 7 if granted payment before 1 July 2006). | 395,495 |
| Sickness Allowance | 85 | Income support for people who are temporarily incapacitated for work or study as a result of illness. | Must have a job or full-time study (if aged 25 plus) to return to. | 7,624 |
| Mature Age Allowance | 88 | Income support for people aged 60 years to Age Pension age receiving an income support payment for 9 months or more (closed September 2003, phased out by September 2008). | No recent workforce experience at time of claim. | 5,032 |
| Partner Allowance | 522 | Income support for partners of income support recipients (at time of claim) born on or before 1 July 1955 (closed 20 September 2003). | No recent workforce experience at time of claim. | 45,988 |
| Widow Allowance | 505 | Income support for older women (phased out from 1 July 2005 with new grants from that date limited to women born on or before 1 July 1955) who were widowed, divorced or separated prior to turning 40. | No recent workforce experience at time of claim. | 40,247 |
| Youth Allowance (Other) | 482 | Income support for young people aged 16 to 20 seeking or preparing for work or temporarily unable to work. | Must seek and accept suitable work or participate in agreed activities (unless exempted). | 68,698 |
| Exceptional Circumstances Relief Payment | 260 | Income support for farmers in drought affected areas. | None | 28,601 |
| Utilities Allowance | 7 | Supplementary payment paid to Mature Age, Partner and Widow Allowance recipients who are not of Age Pension age. (From March 2008 also paid to Carer Payment, Wife Pension, Disability Support Pension, Widow B Pension and Bereavement Allowance recipients). | N/A | n.a. |
| Pensioner Education Supplement | 73 | Supplementary payment for certain pensioners (and former pensioners) undertaking study. | Must be undertaking an approved course. | 44,802 |
| Education Entry Payment | 16 | Supplementary lump sum payment to assist with the cost of commencing an approved study course (available annually if continuing study and receive Pensioner Education Supplement). | Must be commencing or continuing (PES recipients) an approved course. | 76,394 |
| Mobility Allowance | 106 | Supplementary payment for people with disability who are aged 16 or over and who are unable to use public transport without substantial assistance. | None | 54,492 |
| Total | 12,551 | |||
| People with disability | ||||
| Disability Support Pension | 8,651 | Income support payment for people aged 16 and over (new entrants must be under Age Pension age) with a physical, intellectual or psychiatric impairment with at least 20 points on the Impairment Tables. Special rules apply for the blind. | Because of their impairment, unable to work or be reskilled to work, at least 15 hours a week (or 30 hours if on payment at 10 May 2005) at or above the minimum wage for at least the next two years. | 714,156 |
| Total | 8,651 | |||
| Carers of people with disability | ||||
| Carer Payment | 1,408 | Income support for a person providing constant care for an adult or child with disability or a medical condition, or who is frail aged. | None | 116,614 |
| Wife Pension (DSP) | 234 | Income support for female partners of Disability Support Pensioners (closed 1 July 1995). | None | 21,228 |
| Carer Allowance | 1,349 | Supplementary payment for people who provide daily care and attention at home to an adult or child with disability or a medical condition. | None | 393,263 |
| Total | 2,291 | |||
| Students | ||||
| Youth Allowance (Student) | 1,591 | Income support for full-time students aged 16 to 24 years in secondary or tertiary education or training and apprentices aged 16 to 24. | Must be undertaking an approved course of study. | 263,257 |
| Austudy | 218 | Income support for people aged 25 and over who are studying or training full-time. | Must be undertaking an approved course of study. | 28,269 |
| Abstudy | 156 | Income support for full-time secondary and tertiary students and apprentices who are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. | Must be undertaking an approved course of study. | 34,134 |
| Total | 1,965 | |||
| Special | ||||
| Special Benefit | 67 | Income support for people who are not eligible for any other type of payment and who are in financial hardship. | As for NSA. | 6,244 |
| Bereavement Allowance | 1 | Income support for a recently widowed person following the death of their partner. Paid for up to 14 weeks. | None | 553 |
| Total | 68 | |||
| Families and children | ||||
| Family Tax Benefit Part A | 16,124(d) | Per child payment for dependent children aged under 16; and dependent young people aged 16 to 20 and 21 to 24 year old full-time students not in receipt of an income support payment. Includes Rent Assistance (children aged under 16), Large Family Supplement and Multiple Birth Allowance. | N/A | 1,769,091 |
| Family Tax Benefit Part B | Per family payment to single income families including single parents, subject to a primary earner income limit ($150,000) from 1 July 2008. | N/A | 1,376,917 | |
| Child Care Benefit | 1,478 | Payment to help with the costs of child care. | Work/study/training test applies depending on hours claimed. | 560,300 |
| Child Care Tax Rebate | 450 | In 2006-07 the CCTR met 30 per cent of the out-of-pocket child care expenses for approved care, up to a limit of $4,211 per child per annum. From 2008-09 the CCTR meets 50 per cent of the out-of-pocket child care expenses for approved care, up to a limit of $7,500 per child per annum. | Must be eligible for Child Care Benefit. | 586,674 |
| Baby Bonus | 1,162 | Lump sum payment on the birth of a newborn or adopted child. Subject to family income test and paid by instalments from 1 January 2009. | N/A | 286,770 |
| Maternity Immunisation Allowance | 56 | One-off lump sum payment for children who are aged 18 to 24 months and fully immunised (unless exempted). From 1 January 2009 payment will be made as two instalments. The first instalment will be made to children aged 18 months and 2 years. The second will be made to children aged between 4 years one month and 5 years. | N/A | 242,518 |
| Double Orphan Pension | 3 | Payment for guardian or approved care organisation with the care and control of a child where both parents have died or one parent has died and the other parent is unable or unavailable to care for specific reasons. | N/A | 1,330 |
| Total | 19,273 | |||
(a) Expenditure on income support payments also includes expenditure on supplements paid as part of the income support entitlement (Rent Assistance and Pharmaceutical Allowance) and other supplements paid in addition to an ongoing income support entitlement (for example, Telephone Allowance and Remote Area Allowance).
(b) Expenditure for these DVA programs has been combined.
(c) $3.7 million was drawn incorrectly from the previous financial year but has been included as part of this report.
(d) Expenditure for FTB Part A and Part B has been combined. The expenditure figure includes end of year lump sum payments made through the ATO. The customer number is for customers who receive payments by fortnightly instalment only.