Carer Bonus Payment Abolished by Australian Government

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CARERS are outraged at plans to dump a $1600 Government bonus saying they're already living below the poverty line, while the Federal Opposition says they are being used as "human shields against inflation".

The Australian newspaper today reported that the Government planned to replace the carers' payments with a higher utilities allowance that will leave the sick and the disabled, and their carers hundreds of dollars a year worse off.

Families Minister Jenny Macklin has not confirmed the plan but has said the payments, which have been paid for the past four years under the Howard government, had never been written into budget forward estimates.

Carers 'already below the poverty line'

Carers Australia CEO Joan Hughes said many people who care for sick and disabled relatives would struggle if the bonus payments were scrapped.

"Many of family carers are living below the poverty line and the $1,600 that they had in the last four budgets even paid for some of those very basic bills we all take for granted.

"It's going to be a very tough time for carers."

Taxpayers would have to fork out an extra $31 billion each year to pay for formal care without family carers, Ms Hughes said.

Yet carers on Centrelink payments were living on about $200 less a week than the federal minimum wage, she said.

Extending the utilities allowance would not nearly make up the loss of the carers' bonus, Ms Hughes said.

"That's only $500 a year and it's (only) for those people who are on the carer payment - that's about 100,000 family carers .....

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23334176-2,00.html

So those of us on carers allowance get nothing?

that is a stupid idea to do that, take money away for people caring for relatives, if it wasn't for the bonus payments they would be stuffed.

This is going to be replaced by another payment from what I've hard, it just won't be as much. People seem to forget that this payment was a short term bonus. It's hard to believe that it was truly meant to solve the problems experienced by carers. I suspect that the government has an alternative in mind, which will come to light with the next budget.

Yes it was short-term (supposed to be for 5 years) but it was a great help: we spend a fortune on therapy for our boys - even with the help from Medicare we are still thousands of $ out of pocket every year.

My husband and I earn decent money, but feel the financial strain of paying for therapy. I really feel sorry for those living on the breadline.

If the government has an alternative in mind, they should do a better job of selling it ..... the stress levels of families who were anticipating this payment is high!



We will keep receiving our carer allowance. The bonus payment being abolished was a once/year lump sum bonus payment.

Helen

Indeed. I know a lot of carers do it tough, but I don't see how throwing some money at the problem will fix it. You can't use a band aid when an ambulance is required.

So removing the bandaid is going to help how???

Helen

Ok I can't help myself, I am really annoyed.
What they are replacing this money with is a utilities allowance.
This allowance doesn't help those people that just get the disability allowance(child). The one off bonus payment was stretched out for me to help pay for my sons therapy.
I do get child disability allowance and some of you may say use that, that goes no where near covering the extra expenses I have to pay.

It's bad enough that I can't get funding for my child threw his school, I can't access OT threw the public health system because he is 9 and they only cover up till 6. One hospital said I could go on a waiting list however once they found out J already had a dx they wont touch him. apparently OT threw this hospital is only for those without a dx. go figure. I pay extra for clothing because I can't just buy any old thing, due to sensory issues, he has orthodics in his shoes, if I do want services to attend his school I pay, the list goes on.

I just found out that a friend of mine who lives with her old age parents and has no bills in her name will be getting a utilities allowance, good luck to her but where is the fairness in that.

I dont need help with utilities (mind you we do use extra power for all J's intense interests) What I need is services and help to keep my car going to get him there.

I am in Victoria and I know from friends and family in other states that the services vary depending on where you are.

All this is going to do is to stretch an already over stretched health care system, put more strain on families and ultimatly the people with the disabilities will suffer.

I know that this was just meant to be for five years, it should never have been started if it couldn't have been kept up.

So the paramedics can do their job .

I don't believe that the current government is stupid. They have to balance the needs of people like carers and the elderly with the need to combat inflation. Wayne Swan has said that he is opposed to the idea of bonus payments (a position I agree with). The government needs to reduce spending and also spend more effectively. What we've heard is yet to be confirmed and as I said, I find it hard to believe that the government would ditch these bonuses without a longer lasting and more effective alternative in mind. Some very unpopular but necessary decisions will need to be made in the short term in order to prevent bigger problems in the longer term. We aren't going to know much more on this subject for sure until the next budget is announced in May.

ok...now I get it... We are Pakled, we are not smart...