Rent Assistance in Australia

[Banjo]

If we going to get shafted and have to hang about in Australia for any length of time we may as well get what we can out of the system.
(You people who've been outside the country and not claiming it have been saving the Government about $2,500 a year, even on a shitbox flat.)
Feel the gratitude coming through? I seem to have missed it as well.

My point is, even if you're camping on a mate's lounge floor you're still entitled to something,

Paying rent

To be eligible for Rent Assistance you must be paying more than the amount of rent shown in the table below for:

* rent (other than for public housing), or
* service and maintenance fees in a retirement village, or
* lodging (if you pay for board and lodging but are unable to tell us exactly what you pay for each, two thirds of the amount you pay will be accepted), or
* fees paid to use a caravan site or other accommodation that you occupy as your principal home, or
* fees paid to moor a vessel you occupy as your principal home.



Single person must be paying more than $98.90 a fortnight, I think the Salvos charge more than that.


Maximum amount of Rent Assistance per fortnight $113.40
Rent Assistance is not paid if your fortnightly rent is less than $100.80

The maximum amount of Rent Assistance is paid if your fortnightly rent is more than $252



I hate to be pessimistic but it's not a bad idea to have some sort of "worst case scenario" plan in place.

[richoz]

Apr 7, 2010 12:56:51 GMT 7 Banjo said:

If we going to get shafted and have to hang about in Australia for any length of time we may as well get what we can out of the system.
(You people who've been outside the country and not claiming it have been saving the Government about $2,500 a year, even on a shitbox flat.)
Feel the gratitude coming through? I seem to have missed it as well.

My point is, even if you're camping on a mate's lounge floor you're still entitled to something,

Paying rent

To be eligible for Rent Assistance you must be paying more than the amount of rent shown in the table below for:

* rent (other than for public housing), or
* service and maintenance fees in a retirement village, or
* lodging (if you pay for board and lodging but are unable to tell us exactly what you pay for each, two thirds of the amount you pay will be accepted), or
* fees paid to use a caravan site or other accommodation that you occupy as your principal home, or
* fees paid to moor a vessel you occupy as your principal home.



Single person must be paying more than $98.90 a fortnight, I think the Salvos charge more than that.


Maximum amount of Rent Assistance per fortnight $113.40
Rent Assistance is not paid if your fortnightly rent is less than $100.80

The maximum amount of Rent Assistance is paid if your fortnightly rent is more than $252



I hate to be pessimistic but it's not a bad idea to have some sort of "worst case scenario" plan in place.

The Government have not thought this out at all. A saving of $3 million is laughable. The added cost to the Government will exceed this ten times over. Just the additional costs to Medicare alone (sorry the tax-payer). We are talking about DSP's remember.

Hey, why not enrol in university courses paid for through HECS. Sure you will get an enormous HECS debt, but you will never have to repay it. More cost to the Govt (tax payer)

Shall I go on.

[Banjo]

For a saving of three million in a year they have to cut off more than 200 single pensioners completely.
What do they think these people will do? Unless they're working overseas they'll be back on the next flight. Where they'll re-apply for the pension.
The more I think about this, the more it seems to be an issue of DSP recipients working overseas. So they restrict ALL DSPs going overseas.

Just remember we're dealing with a government here, they don't care how much extra we cost them, it's all about being seen to make savings. Even if the savings are bullshit.