Human Services Budget 2008-09 Financial Year
Other Portfolio Budget Measures
Other department Budget measures impacting on Human Services agencies
In addition to the Human Services measures, there are also a number of measures brought forward by other Ministers which Human Services agencies will play a key role in implementing.
The links below are to the Australian Government’s Budget site where a description of the measures listed can be found. You may also find some information on these measures on the respective departmental websites.
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
- www.dewr.gov.au
- Centrelink Financial Information Service – improved advice on compensation payments
- Mobility Allowance – expanding eligibility criteria
- Youth Allowance – participation requirements for payment eligibility
- Job Capacity Assessments – reinforcing the role
- A Better Future for Indigenous Australians – compliance and eligibility checks for Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) programme participants
- A Better Future for Indigenous Australians – enhancing opportunities for employment and participation in remote communities
- A Better Future for Indigenous Australians – Indigenous employment services
- Personal Support Programme – additional places
- Parenting Payment – expanded access to supplementary concessions
- Vocational Rehabilitation and Disability Employment Network – eligibility for adult prisoners with a disability
- Vocational Rehabilitation and Disability Employment Network – additional places
- Fraud and Compliance – Compliance Reviews – Continuation of expanded data matching
- Fraud and Compliance – Disability Support Pensions – Continuation of enhanced reviews
- Fraud and Compliance – Parenting Payments (PP) – Continuation of enhanced profiling capacity
- Fraud and Compliance – Youth Allowance – Continuation of restructured reviews of job seekers
- Fraud and Compliance – Identity Fraud – Continuation of improved and increased investigations
- Fraud and Compliance – Verification of earnings to improve the accuracy of payments
- Fraud and Compliance – Improved reporting of changes in income of people receiving Centrelink payments
Department of Education, Science and Training
- www.dest.gov.au
- A Better Future for Indigenous Australian – expanding employment pathways for Indigenous young people
- Realising Our Potential – extending income support to Masters students
- Realising Our Potential – extending Rent Assistance to Austudy recipients
- Fraud and Compliance – Consolidation and Expansion of Risk Profile Reviews for Student Payments
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
- www.facsia.gov.au
- Assurance of Support simplification package
- Humanitarian settlement initiatives – extending the Crisis Payment to newly arrived humanitarian entrants on arrival in Australia
- Health Care Card for ex-Carer Allowance (Child) students aged 16-25 years
- Social Security Agreement between Australia and Korea – establishment
- Assistance to families at risk of overpayment – additional resourcing
- Funeral bonds means test exemption – increased threshold
- Pension Bonus Scheme – enhancements
- A Better Future for Indigenous Australians – improved access to child care and early childhood services
- Multiple Birth Allowance – extension of eligibility
- Baby Bonus – introducing birth registration as a condition
- Child Care Tax Rebate – conversion to a direct payment
- Child Care Benefit – increased rates
- Fraud and Compliance – Preventing Carer Payment Debt
- Fraud and Compliance – Consistent assessment of Family Tax Benefit (FTB)
- Fraud and Compliance – Age Pension – Additional Assessments of the Value of Real Estate Assets
- Fraud and Compliance – Age Pension – Data Exchange with the United Kingdom
- Fraud and Compliance – Transfer of death registration information
- Fraud and Compliance – Rolling Random Sample Survey Programme – Continuation and Expansion
Department of Health and Ageing
- www.health.gov.au
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging – improved access
- Dental treatment – enhanced Medicare items for patients with chronic and complex conditions
- COAG – reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes
- A Better Future for Indigenous Australians – Health @ Home Plus
- Medicare Benefits Schedule – new and revised listings
- Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme – prescribing rights for optometrists
- Hearing Services Programme – improving hearing outcomes
- Community Pharmacy Agreement – implementation of the programmes
- Rural Retention Programme – continued and increased funding
- Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme – extension to the listings of Fosamax® Once Weekly and Alexdro® Once Weekly and Fosamax® Plus
- Multidisciplinary case conferencing – continuation of funding
- Breast cancer treatment – continuation of funding for the Herceptin® programm
- Voluntary annual health assessments for older Australians – continuation of funding
- Securing the future of aged care for Australians – simplified income-tested care fees
- Securing the future of aged care for Australians – increased capital funding for residential care