Our Miles Labor Government is working hard to provide huge cost of living relief
People in McConnel tell me cost of living is their number one issue.
Global inflation is impacting everything from groceries and petrol to rent, electricity, insurance and phone bills.
Our Miles Labor Government recognises the stress this is causing, and we’re doing everything we can to help Queenslanders with the cost of living by providing huge energy rebates and more support.
Every household will get $550 off their energy bills!
Seniors, Pensioner and Concession Card holders are eligible for up to $1,072 off their energy bills.
Seniors and concession holders who already receive the $372 Queensland Electricity Rebate, will get the additional $700 rebate automatically. The rebate will come off your bills in instalments, which for most people will be $175 off the bill each quarter.
If you do not currently get a pensioner rebate, call your electricity provider to register your Seniors, Pensioner or Concession Card to receive the $1,072 rebate.
Check your eligibility here: https://www.qld.gov.au/community/cost-of-living-support/concessions/energy-concessions/electricity-gas-rebates
Rent support
If you’re facing short-term financial barriers, our Rental Security Subsidy can help by paying a portion of your rent directly to your property manager for up to 12 months.
The subsidy can support you if you’re experiencing financial barriers to maintaining your tenancy, such as:
additional bills
health issues
the sudden loss of employment
unforeseen caring responsibilities.
The level of rent subsidy is based on factors such as total household income and your circumstances.
To find out more and to see if you’re eligible, visit https://www.qld.gov.au/.../ren.../financial/security-subsidy
Limiting rent increases to once a year
In March our Government announced it will limit rent increases to once a year, rather than every six months, to give renters a fair go.
Reducing the frequency of increases from six months to 12 months is also consistent with most other states and territories across the country.
From 1 July, your rent won’t be able to be put up unless it’s been at least 12 months since your last rent increase.
Support for pensioners and seniors
Right now, thousands of older Queenslanders are missing out on up to $1,100 in cost-of-living rebates and other support.
Our Government provides cost of living relief to help seniors and pensioners cover their bills.
Some of the relief available includes:
Electricity rebate of up to $372.20/year
Up to $120 a year off water costs
Up to $200 a year off local government rates
A free pair of basic prescription glasses every two years
Discounted public transport travel
Cheaper car rego
Home Assist Secure - $500/year for maintenance work around the house
Free dental
To find out about concessions and rebates and to see if you are eligible, go to https://concessionsfinder.services.QLD.gov.au
Support for households
Some of the support on offer includes:
Cheaper learner licences - We cut the fee for all learner licences by more than half down to $75 to save families and young drivers starting out.
Free or cheaper kindy – have your say about us expanding the program: https://earlychildhood.qld.gov.au/early-years/kindergarten/what-does-kindy-cost/kindy-savings
Discounted public transport fares for children and students
We are also expanding the Transport Access Scheme (STAS) for free transport to and from school
Up to $295 per student per year towards textbook costs
Rental bond loans for private rental accommodation
Fee-Free Tafe available for eligible Queenslanders
$150 Swimstart Vouchers
To find out about concessions and rebates and to see if you are eligible, go to https://concessionsfinder.services.QLD.gov.au
What other cost of living support has kicked in?
Pension and Welfare payment increases
In March, Federal government pensions and other welfare payments went up by 3.7% to help with surging inflation.
These higher payments hit bank accounts from around 20 March for payments including aged pension, disability support pension, JobSeeker, and single parent benefits.
It means the age and disability support pension will go up $37.50 a fortnight for single people, and Jobseeker by $25 a fortnight.
Jobseeker, Parenting Payment and Rent Assistance going up
Jobseeker up by $40 per fortnight
Jobseeker up by $92.10 extra for over 55s to a total of $4.9 in recognition of the extra challenges older jobseekers face.
Commonwealth Rental Assistance up by $30 per fortnight
Parenting Payment now available until your youngest child turns 14.
Cheaper Medicines
The Federal Albanese Government has reduced the maximum co-payment for prescription medicines to $30. For concession card holders the maximum payment is $7.30.
The Federal government is also introducing 60-day scripts for more than 300 medications treating chronic conditions. The changes will mean patients receive two months’ worth of medication for a single co-payment, effectively halving the cost of these medications.
What if I need more support?
Emergency Relief program
The Emergency Relief Program provides financial and/or material support to Queenslanders in financial crisis.
The program provides support such as food vouchers, food parcels and third-party payments for vulnerable Queenslanders, and aims to prevent future financial crisis by referring people to appropriate financial and social support services.
We have funded services across Queensland to deliver this program. If you are struggling with unexpected financial pressures, and requiring financial support, you can seek assistance from one of the Emergency Relief services.
Find out more at https://www.qld.gov.au/community/cost-of-living-support/emergency-relief-program
Charity support
We have wonderful local charities that also offer support to Queenslanders in need. Find out more at https://www.qld.gov.au/community/cost-of-living-support/support-from-charities
Our plan for Queenslanders
In McConnel and across Queensland, people tell me loud and clear that they are under pressure when it comes to housing.
The reasons are complex. We have more people moving to Queensland from interstate, we lost homes during the floods, and since COVID more Queenslanders are choosing to live in smaller households, increasing demand.
Meanwhile, rents, house prices, cost of living and interest rates are all going up.
That's why our Miles Labor Government is doing absolutely everything we can to create more houses and reduce housing pressure on Queenslanders. We're taking bold action through our new Homes for Queenslanders plan, with 5 key pillars.
Building more homes faster, by
opening up government land for affordable housing developments
developing homes on under-utilised land close to jobs, services and education
helping developers and councils to build the types of house Queenslanders need
dedicated State Development Team to speed up planning and development and solve issues that delay new homes coming to market
Supporting renters
We have introduced HUGE rental reform to make renting fairer in Queensland:
limiting rent increases to once per year
investing $160 million in a renters relief package allowing more people to access support like rental grants and subsidies
doubling the number of RentConnect Officers in Housing Service Centres, to help Queensland renters in housing stress
introducing a Portable Bond Scheme, allowing tenants to transfer their bonds when relocating from one rental property to another
creating a law to enforce a rental sector Code of Conduct, cracking down on dodgy and unprofessional practices
banning all types of rent bidding to make things fairer, and we’re closing the loophole in rental increase limits, applying the annual rent increase limit to the property rather than the tenancy
making it easier for renters and owners to agree on installing safety, security, and accessibility modifications in rentals
extending the entry notice period to 48 hours
limiting reletting costs based on how long is left on a fixed term lease
making rental applications easier and protecting renters personal information by standardising the process and making it clear what information can be asked for
ensuring renters have a fee-free option to pay rent, and choice about how they apply for rental properties
We're helping first homeowners
We doubled the First Home Owners grant to $30,000 to help young Queenslanders into their first home.
Our Miles Labor Government is also working with the Federal Government on the Help to Buy Scheme, meaning home owners can buy their home with as little as a 2% deposit due to this shared equity scheme.
We are doing everything we can to increase housing supply, for affordable homes close to services, jobs and education with new models such as releasing unused government land for development and making development approvals a quicker, more seamless process to build more houses, fast.
We're boosting our social housing Big Build
We have set the bold target of 53,500 social homes by 2046, which means on average 2,000 new social homes coming online each year. This includes innovative solutions such as modular homes, purchasing vacant retirement villages and hotels to provide an instant boost to social housing and rebuilding Q-Build to ensure we have the teams to build the homes Queenslanders need.
We're working to end homelessness
We've boosted homelessness support services across Queensland by 20%. That means a boost of over $1M locally to organisations in Moreton Bay supporting those at risk of and experiencing homelessness.
This is in addition to providing more social homes, dedicated Youth Foyers in Moreton Bay to support at risk young people, new Youth Support Centres managed by Brisbane Youth Service, inlcuding in my electorate, to provide coordinated support to young people and so much more.
I know things are tough right now for people in our communities.