Time to fix our flawed Concessions system

Written on the 20 October 2021 by SACOSS

SACOSS' report into concessions in South Australia has now been released, and as a result of what we found, we are making a number of advocacy calls. Please help us spread the word and call for concessions reform to improve the system - which we know is poorly designed, with gaps, poverty premiums and arbitrary requirements and barriers to access. We have more information in the Concessions page on our website, as well as the option for people to sign up in support. 

The State of Concessions in South Australia  

SACOSS' report makes three overarching recommendations for change, as well as a number of recommendations for reform of specific concessions - you can find out more about these in our Concessions Policy Brief. 

The three key calls are:

• The state government initiate a broad review of the concession system as a whole to ensure consistency, proper targeting and ease of access across the system.
• Extend all concessions available to age pension recipients to other Centrelink recipients receiving lower payments.
• Implement an additional low-income eligibility criteria for all concessions, which is not based on receipt of Centrelink benefits.

We have issued a media release to share the report and our recommendations, and The Advertiser has run an article on it, with a focus (and poll) on our call for free public transport for children and young people until the end of their secondary schooling, as well as additional provisions for people on low incomes. We also have key messages going out on our social media accounts, and would be delighted for you to share these. Let us know if there is anything you need. We are using the hashtags #ConcessionsReform and #CoverTheBasics.

Seeking perspectives on issues accessing concessions

We would be delighted to hear from anyone with perspectives to share on issues with access to concessions, or people in need of support who are currently excluded - just contact all Eva (SACOSS Communications) on 8305 4227 or via email if you have a perspective or experience to share or would like to get involved. And look out for our next update!

We will also be sending out further updates on additional policy areas over the coming weeks and months, so watch this space. There are a few key dates coming up so it will be a be a busy few weeks!
 
More information